Settling into Guru Camp

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ONLY a short distance along the valley from the Mongolian family we had visited we once more pulled off the main road to follow a gravel track up a moderate grassy slope towards some spectacular granite bluffs. The cliffs grew progressively higher as they swept around to the left, until diminishing to a large hill leading to the outcrops of the summit of the 1711 metre high Ongots Uul, towering about four hundred metres above the valley floor.

Approaching the camp

We bumped our way over a cattle stop between some solid timber fence posts holding the wire fencing. A sign on one side the fence said Alungoo Lodge, and another sign on the other side said Guru Camp

Beneath the bluffs were numerous gers and a large log cabin. We stopped at a car park just short of the log cabin. It had large imposing wooden doors that were shut, and an octagonal wing on either side. A brick stairway led towards the closed heavy wooden doors with a pair of concrete gnomes (or perhaps Buddhas) guarding the entrance.

Entrance to the log hall

Dougie didn’t lead me to the log cabin, instead taking me along a concrete block path lined with stones on either side towards the gers. We passed a large communal toilet and bathroom area before heading up the hill going through the ger camp. We reached my ger on the top row. It had four concrete steps with wooden rails leading to the top of the concrete foundation block decorated with large stones. The ger stood very nicely on top of the block. At the top of the stairs was a large orange door with some blue and gold patterning on it (perhaps Buddhist) and the number 26 helping me to remember my ger should I get lost at any point.

My ger for the night

The hinged door had a large padlock on it, and Dougie gave me the key having apparently already checked me in. This would allow me to store my cameras (the ones I weren’t using) and other valuables safely inside.

We entered the ger and put my bags in. Dougie and Batu said they were going to another ger, but will meet me back at the log cabin for lunch soon before heading away for the afternoon.

Inside the ger

The ger was exactly the same size and shape as the ger I had visited earlier, except this was my sole accommodation for the night. It was a good cosy size, a whole lot bigger than my claustrophobic Microlight tent. That had to be small to fit into my pack when hiking in areas with no huts, but this was a semi-permanent accommodation big enough for a family even if it was tight living. These are designed to be transported on the back of a yak (or the back of a ute these days), so there was definitely the room to scale up from my tiny tent which I have to carry on my own back along with everything else I need to carry on a hike.

A box steel fireplace stood in the middle of the ger, with its slightly rusted chimney poking through the top of the roof. Next to the fireplace was a metal box filled with finely chopped firewood each piece not much bigger than pieces of kindling. Behind the fireplace were two square posts holding up the top of the ger just like the ones I had seen earlier.

The firebox

The ger was furnished with three wooden single bed couches, each having been made up as a bed. Like the couches in the previous ger, these were up against the walls so the space in the middle was high enough to stand up straight. I would only need to stoop to get through the low hobbit sized door. Between the far couch and the fireplace was a low wooden table.

The walls of the ger were lined with very fancy yellow silk material, covering the layers of felt and concealed by the canvas outside. The top of the wall had red bands angling the silk to fit comfortably in the radial slats leading up to the round piece of timber supported by the two middle beams. The silk has been a relatively recent addition to gers with the opening of the tea route from China. Goods were traded between Russia and China, with Mongolia getting both. Naturally this included the fine silk used to line the inside of the tourist gers. One of the beams had a light switch and a power board from where I could charge camera batteries from, but the power wasn’t connected yet.

Wall and ceiling

Once unpacked and settled I opened the door, stooping through the very low entrance onto the top of the outside stairs. Each ger had three dark bands around it that were tightly holding the canvas onto the hidden framework. The gers would stand very strong against any wind that would blow through here.

View from the tiny door

A few patches of blue sky were beginning to break through the cloud, so perhaps it will warm up a bit. I headed back down the path towards the log cabin. It had a solid pale green roof not fitting too well with the logs. Looking back down the valley large cows were grazing on the rather low grass, keeping it down, and making the most of the freshness before the snows of winter covers it.

The ablutions block

The valley was dotted with small clusters of gers. Most of these were arranged in geometric patterns like this one. Perhaps they were all tourist camps as well, but with the tourist season coming to an end, they were now all but abandoned. Our tiny group of three was the only one here at the moment, but Dougie said there was supposed to be a bus load of people coming a bit later, and one or two other independent groups.

Nearby rock formations

I’m a big fan of visiting places in the off-peak times without the crowds. To me the crowds ruin the authenticity of the experience. I like to be brought to the natural location and experience it with the locals, particularly those who have not caught up with modern times. These places and people are getting fewer and farther between now with the homogenisation of cultures thanks to modern technology.

View across the valley

Most of the valley was low rolling hills covered in grass. On the other side of the valley, the terrain rose dramatically along forested ridges alternating between dark green pine forest and bright yellow trees at the height of autumn. Dougie would later mention I was very lucky to see this as they are only in full colour for about two weeks every year. The ridges rose to dramatic rocky outcrops turning the high hilltops in to spectacular natural castles of stone.

A high outcrop

The highest of the hills across the valley was a forested triangular shaped hill without many bluffs. This was the 1901 metre high Chingisiyn hur. The ridge to its left dropped to some lower, but very dramatic peaks with walls of rock dropping into the valley and forests growing up their scant gullies. One hill forested in its gullies rose to five peaks, four aligned in a row and one in front, looking like a raised hand with stunted fingers and thumb reaching out of the valley towards the sky.

Towards the log hall

This ancient valley is just as it had tens of thousands of years ago when ancient hunters migrating out of Africa settled in this general area hunting mammoths and woolly rhinoceros. Both animals are long extinct and forgotten, but their bones have been found in numerous excavations done of these valleys, with evidence they had been hunted by a nomadic people who preceded the Mongolian peoples to follow.

Rocks behind ger

A young man arrived at my ger heading inside to get the fire going. With amazing efficiency, he loaded the wood burner and got it going. He would obviously be skilled at keeping gers warm even in the coldest of nights. Once lit, he left.

Although the wood burner was tiny, it heated the inside of the ger very quickly. In fact, the temperature inside rose so quickly I had to open the door to let some of the heat out. Within a couple of minutes, it had gone from rather cold almost to a dry sauna. Anyway, it was time to explore the amazing landscape of mountains shaped by the ice and thaw of Mongolia’s savage climate.

Front of the log hall

Leaving the ger I headed past the front of the log cabins which didn’t seem to be open at the moment. On the other side were some small wooden gazebos with picnic tables under them, obviously for summer lunches. It was a bit cold here for that, although more blue sky was appearing now.

The rocks above the camp were like giants sitting along the ridges watching over and protecting us. I imagined the Mongolians saw them that way too. Each huge boulder like structure were in different parts, with the softer layers worn between the harder layers, looking like giant boulders stacked on top of each other, giving some of the rocks a head and a torso.

The gazebos

A dramatic line in the cloud started sweeping overhead. The very distinctive line swept away the thick coverage leaving mostly blue sky with some wavy cloud behind it. The rest of the day was most likely going to warm up quite significantly.

Dramatically clearing clouds

I returned to my ger and headed a bit further up the hill to where a concrete foundation had been laid but no ger placed on top of it. The concrete surface on top was a little weathered, indicating this was an old one no longer in use. I noticed some steel bends set into the concrete around the edges. The gers could be tied onto these to hold them down very strongly. Further up the hill was a very small wooden hut, probably holding the water supply pumped from an underground source. The steps were made from Besser blocks filled with concrete to hold them together.

Concrete slab for a ger

In front of the ablution block was a small flower garden. The flowers were having one final burst before dying down for the long winter. A very beautiful Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly commonly found throughout northern Eurasia, having orange black and yellow wings, with tiger stripes and a soft brown body was pollinating one of the flowers.

Tortoiseshell butterfly

There were also a few small bees, a type I had not seen before. One flower even had a butterfly and a bee on it. They were obviously making the most of the last remaining flowers before the long winter, when no doubt they will die down.

Bee pollinating flower

It was lunch time, so I headed to the large log cabin building to join the others.