Fall has arrived in Mongolia. It was just a little over a week ago that I realized that along with the rain- the wind had become an ever-present element as well. I was enjoying our cool walks and truth be told- I was celebrating a reason to treat myself to a Mongolian cashmere scarf (which I love). But, my enthusiasm for the season waned after our flight from Ulaanbaatar (UB) to Northern Mongolia was delayed 5 times due to high winds and fog. The travel gods eventually took pity on us- and we departed for Moron a day and a half later.
I believe that even with these delays- we were better off flying than taking the 18 hour bus ride to Moron. Actually, 18 hours is optimistic according to the travel-weary passengers we met who said it took closer to 24 hours after getting stuck in the mud multiple times. Incase you're thinking to yourself- mud? Why is there that much mud on the road? That is because there aren't paved roads in Mongolia. Ok, there are a few blocks of paved roads in UB around the city center and a beautiful stretch from Moron to Hatgal- which was our destination. Other than that- the roads look like this---
So, even though we were delayed several times- our flight still only took 1.5 hours to arrive in Moron. This town is the market center for the north- with the market operating every day but Monday. So, there's a market shuttle for surrounding towns that runs for anyone going or returning to Moron. Because our flight landed several hours after the market ended, we had missed that option and a private car would have cost much more. So, we stayed in the busting town (ok, not really) of Moron for the night in a ger at Bata's Guesthouse (10,000 T/ ~$7 a night).
I believe that even with these delays- we were better off flying than taking the 18 hour bus ride to Moron. Actually, 18 hours is optimistic according to the travel-weary passengers we met who said it took closer to 24 hours after getting stuck in the mud multiple times. Incase you're thinking to yourself- mud? Why is there that much mud on the road? That is because there aren't paved roads in Mongolia. Ok, there are a few blocks of paved roads in UB around the city center and a beautiful stretch from Moron to Hatgal- which was our destination. Other than that- the roads look like this---
So, even though we were delayed several times- our flight still only took 1.5 hours to arrive in Moron. This town is the market center for the north- with the market operating every day but Monday. So, there's a market shuttle for surrounding towns that runs for anyone going or returning to Moron. Because our flight landed several hours after the market ended, we had missed that option and a private car would have cost much more. So, we stayed in the busting town (ok, not really) of Moron for the night in a ger at Bata's Guesthouse (10,000 T/ ~$7 a night).
