Browsed by
Tag: Temples

Holy Crap… I’m in Campeche!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Campeche!!!

I hope you’re comfortable because this post is gonna be dense. I left Tulum on an early bus going further south to Chetumal and then got right into a taxi to take me to the airport where I rented a car for this next leg of the trip. Because a car equals freedom. But before driving out of Chetumal, I made a quick stop at their Mayan Culture Museum. The museum was fairly small, but sure packed a punch. They…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Quintana Roo!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Quintana Roo!!!

Another adventure has begun! This has probably been the roughest start to any of my many trips so far, though. So much so that I’m not even in the right country. I was planning on three months in Thailand, but due to lots of miscommunication between Thailand immigration, the airlines, myself, and one stupid typo, I wasn’t allowed on the plane. The saga probably deserves a post of it’s own, but I’ll leave that for another time. Thailand, unfortunately, will…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Agrigento!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Agrigento!!!

Just a quick update from Agrigento on Sicily’s southern coast. I originally planned on visiting Selinunte as part of my stay here, but since the buses are uncooperative and since I ended up seeing it from Palermo in my one day rental car, I found myself with some extra time. So I visited the ancient city of Akragas, also known as The Valley of the Temples, and the only other thing I had planned, at a much more relaxed pace….

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in the Gobi Desert!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in the Gobi Desert!!!

My flight back to Ulaanbaatar from Ulgii was, thankfully, uneventful. I spent one day getting myself in order, getting my trusty LandCruiser back (they gave me the same car again, but a different tent), getting supplies at the State Dept Store, and I was off again. This time I’m headed south to the Gobi Desert. I planned this for last thinking the weather would be warmer while the rest of Mongolia started to freeze. My first stop isn’t really that…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Erdenet!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Erdenet!!!

I made it out of Murun and all the way to Erdenet in one day. Luckily the road was paved and relatively smooth the whole way. The hotel I checked into was definitely better than freezing to death in the guesthouse in Murun, but my dreams of hot water would unfortunately have to wait. So I settled for being happy with the warm room and cable tv for a few days. I ventured out one day to explore the city…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Arkhangai Province!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Arkhangai Province!!!

From Orkhon Valley I backtracked up to Kharkhorin for some gas, then drove northwest until I reached Tsetserleg. Tsetserleg is a logical stopping point on my way further west, but it’s also known for the beautiful mountains bordering the north end of town. So I thought it was worth a day to get some more hiking in. I checked into Fairfield Guesthouse, run by a really nice Aussie dude named Murray, and took a much needed shower and did some…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Kharkhorin!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Kharkhorin!!!

After finishing up in the Khogno Khan Uul area, I continued on to Kharkhorin. I made a quick detour to visit the Shankh Monastery, first, though. This is one of two monasteries in this area that were spared the Stalinist purges. It was founded by Mongolias first Buddhist leader, Zanabazar in 1648. There’s really not much going on inside the temples. They appear to be decorating or redecorating, but it was nice to walk into a dusty old wooden monastery…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Khögnö Khan Uul!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Khögnö Khan Uul!!!

From Ikh Gazriin Chuluu I drove north back to Ulaanbaatar for one night. I’ve officially ended my loop of eastern Mongolia and now it’s time to start my loop of the north central region of Mongolia. I left Ulaanbaatar headed for the Khögnö Khan Uul Nature Reserve. On the way and due west about 130ish miles from Ulaanbaatar, I stopped at the ruins of Tsogt Taijiin Tsagaan Balgas (N 48.023346, E 104.351773). This was the home of the mother of…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in the Eastern Gobi!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in the Eastern Gobi!!!

The drive from Chinggis southwest to Sainshand was surprisingly easy. I had the wide open steppe with the usual animal herds in the first half. The second half of the trip was paved all the way. I did hit a pretty nasty thunder storm on the way, but I was happy about it since it cleaned a lot of the dust off the LandCruiser. I can actually see out the front window again, still not the back window, however. I…

Read More Read More

Holy Crap… I’m in Dariganga!!!

Holy Crap… I’m in Dariganga!!!

I left Choibalsan early for another loooong day of driving south. Not much happened along the drive. Just the usual herds of cattle, goats, and horses occasionally blocking the road. I made a quick stop about half way in dusty Baruun-urt for gas. I did see a fox late in the afternoon that was a bit too quick to get a picture of. I also saw a huge herd of gazelle shortly after that. I managed to get a long…

Read More Read More