From Chengis Khan to the Dalai Lama
When Gabe spent a season with a fly-fishing outfit in Mongolia, I literally had to search the map to find the country (it’s neatly tucked between Russia and China.) What better time to explore this wild corner of the world, PLUS spend 6 days in a boat with my 23 year old son — oh, and do a little fishing for taimen, too. We spent a few days in Beijing and added a side trip to Tibet, as long as we were in the neighborhood. Here is our itinerary:
Exploring the Delger River in Mongolia
DAY 1: Walking UlaanBaater
The capital city of Mongolia is a wild blend of modern high rises and highways mixed with hillsides of gers (the traditional moveable family yurt). Near the center of town, the Gandan Tegchinlen Monastery shows a different side of Ulaanbaater. We walked for hours to take it all in.
DAY 2: Travel day: Moron to the Delger River, Camp 1
A quick flight to the tiny Moron Air to reunite with Gabe. The drive from Moron to the first river camp was a hold-your-breath-and-hang-on carnival ride. Our driver gunnerd it up rocky hills, across fast-running streams, and past incredible panoramas dotted with sturdy Mongolian horses. Hours later we climbed out of the ancient Russian offroad minivan into the Delger river valley. Rafts and gers dotted the bank, glowing in the late afternoon sun. A few cold Chinggis beers were waiting, too, and we slipped into an easy river pace that lasted the rest of the week.
DAYS 3 – 8: Fishing the Delger
We floated camp to camp, along with about a dozen other guests and the excellent guides and staff who kept us well-fed and happy. This section of the Delger is a taimen sanctuary, and part of the mission is to inspire locals to protect against over-fishing.
From Mongolia to Tibet, via Beijing
DAYS 9-12: Beijing
We hit the usual must-gos like the Forbidden Palace, but the best part of our stay in Beijing was eating at little off the beaten path restaurants. Some dishes were a mystery and most were delicious. Best day trip: the Great Wall at Jinshanling. Best surprise: the giant round bathtub in our room at the Emperor Hotel.
DAYS 13-17: Lhasa, Tibet
The rooftop of the world, where the spiritual is woven into the everyday. An official guide is required in order to get a visa, and we arranged our visit with the wonderful folks at Explore Tibet. The tour starts with 3 days in Old Lhasa and visits to the Potala Palace and other monasteries. Those days also allow visitors to adjust to the altitude (12,000 ft.) The lack of oxygen was more challenging than we expected, however. The rest of our tour would be at even higher destinations, so we decided not to continue with the rest of the group. Day 18 meant a change of plans and new flight tickets — sometimes travel means knowing when to go home.