Into the Countryside

I have run 10km every morning since arriving in Ulaan Bator. It took a while to get the flight out of my legs but this morning I felt fantastic: a good time to peak physically. After my run I spent the morning working on the saddles getting them rigged for the specific needs of a 1000km ride. I love this type of challenge: tweak your 5 kg's of baggage allowance and store it on a saddle and in a backpack so that it doesn't bounce or chafe horse or rider.

The afternoon took us into the countryside and it was just what I needed. We had been cooped up in the city for days rushing around sorting out all those little things needed to get the machine of this expedition going. We had brought a huge amount of equipment from SA but still needed to provision for two weeks on the steppe for the crew of 10.....and then cram it all into 2 Land Cruisers! The omens for our excursion into the country were good, on the edge of the city our interpreter saw a vehicle stopped at the side of the road selling these flat minced mutton "pies", like a folded pancake folded over stuffed with mini flat meatballs and fried. They are absolutely delicious.

As the city receded behind us the green hills and plains rolled endlessly out in front of us dotted with gers (round felt tents on a bamboo frame), the traditional homes of the Mongol nomads. There are no fences in Mongolia and herds roam free constantly tended by their herders. I had seen a documentary on the flight to Mongolia about hunting eagles and I was treated to the opportunity to hold one, earning its keep giving tourists like me the thrill of getting close to this magnificent creature. It is bigger and heavier than I had imagined with feet and claws the size of my hand. Not a creature to mess with.

The day’s highlight was the statue of Chingiss Khaan. We had been told it was big but when this shining monument appeared over the green hills we were stunned. It is HUGE; 120m high, and in the middle of nowhere. Apart from being a real oddity this huge, shiny sculpture is actually beautifully executed. You can get really close up by taking a lift up the tail and emerging on the top of the horses head to stare straight into the eyes of Chingis Khaan.

 

Organised Chaos in Ulaan Bator

My time in Ulaan Bator has been strange and wonderful. It's a rapidly developing city full of construction and traffic chaos. There are no bicycles, no one would be foolish enough to try to ride one here; the sidewalks are wonky or being dug up to lay new piping or paving and the driving hectic. Nobody gives an inch and head on collisions are narrowly missed every millisecond. However there is a strange order like in other cities, Naples or Buenos Aires, with wacky vehicular customs. I noticed a few mornings ago that there were two lanes of incoming traffic and one outgoing on a dual carriage way road during the morning rush hour. Later in the day it was reversed: the citizens of Ulaan Bator had tweaked the rules of the road to improve their circumstances and the police do not intervene. It is of course quite logical.

As I prepare myself and my equipment for the race amid the rough and tumble of Mongolia's capital, I can't help but think about this quality in the Mongol people: order or organisation that appears out of chaos. It must have been this quality that was so scary and effective about Chingiss Khaan’s fighters. They would ride in small groups, charging in from different angles like a disorganised mob of beer doused brawlers, before turning and fleeing over a nearby hill only to turn on their tiring pursuers with deadly discipline. In this way Chingiss Khan conquered the largest empire the world has known - impressive.

First Impressions of Mongolia

We have been Mongolia for 24 hours and have been getting ourselves kitted out kitted for our four week stay. We first hooked up with Katy from the Adventurists to organize our vehicles, drivers and interpreter so that we could get mobile and effective. Mobile phones were first on the list so that we could stay connected (they are extremely cheap here) as we hurtled around the chaotic streets in our two Toyota Land Cruisers piloted by men who seem to think that they are warriors riding into battle on a war horse: death feels like a very near possibility. We spent the day rushing from shop to shop, finishing off at the black market, an huge rambling market where you can get anything from fruit to a ger (mongolian felt tent).

Tomorrow we head out into the countryside to start filming. From the window of the plane the countryside is all green, very green, rolling hills and plains cut by dirt raods and tracks. It is made for horse riding! There are no fences, almost no tar roads and the only srtuctures are the felt tents of the nomads dotted across the landscape much the huts on the Wild Coast of South Africa. The only difference is that these "huts" move every few days as the livestock finish the grazing in the area. It is a land made for horse riding and I can't wait to get out there.

Week of July 11 – 24 2011: The Derby gets Really Close

**Sunday 17th:** Back in town I peddled 18km to work the riding stiffness out of the legs and back followed by stretching and my biokinetic exercises: a very boring hour.

**Saturday 16th:** Had a cracking 40 km ride on Flyer. I always say it but his triple is such a smooth way to travel on a horse. He is a bit head strong though and you have to watch him particularly when riding with Paddy as they have a tendency to go into race mode and they can get away from you. Drove back to Cape Town a very real reminder of the distance we will be riding when we restart The Ride of Harry Whackalong Smite on September 3rd.

**Friday 15th:** A fabulous ride with Reagan over the Montagu Pass from the Langkloof and then back over the Cradock’s Kloof Pass, it was a real scramble up steep slopes at times over rocky ground and wetness. We will be crossing the Outeniqua Mountains on the Cradock’s Kloof Pass in September.

**Thursday 14th:** Picked up new equipment and gear to test then drove to Herold to get some saddle time into my bones.

**Tuesday 12th: **exciting day getting all out gear together at [Cape Storm](http://www.capestorm.co.za/)

Week of July 04 – 10. 2011: Countdown to the Mongol Derby

**Saturday, July 9th:** Rode 40km on my bike today...plus a short canter on Antaries to test the new saddle for the Derby....ready for bed! Planning to do 200km on The Ride horses near George on Friday & Saturday next week...recon' that'll give me a good idea if I'm ready or not!

**Friday, July 8th:** Joe is in Cape Town today doing his voice over recordings for series 1...Wow what a voice for radio! He has brought down the prototype of the saddle being made especially for our Mongol Derby ride by Franco C Saddlery.

**Thursday, July 7th: **There are 29 days to go before the start of the Mongol Derby & I am back training hard after a bout of flu...today started at 7:30 with 21km's on my bicycle followed by an hour doing core strength exercises with my biokineticist, Avi, at the Sport Science Institute. Later on today I get on a horse for the first time in 8 weeks for a gentle warm up ride in the Tokai forest ...can't wait! After that, the dull stuff again...an hour and a half spent doing daily exercises to strengthen my back and other muscles that have been on holiday since my fall!! I really battle to get through these extremely boring exercises every day...I'd far rather be blasting through the green belts of Constantia and the paths of Table Mountain with Antaries!

** Wednesday, July 6th:** One of the requirements for riding in the Mongol Derby is that each participant raises money for charity. We will be raising money for the Mongol Derby charity of choice, Mercy Corps, and for ours, The Cart Horse Protection Association. Please help us out and support two very worthy charities.