For the past week I left my home base of UB and journeyed into the West to a small city known as Tsetserleg. Luckily, I met a fellow traveler who raved about it, and I decided to take his word for it and check it out. It ended up being one of the highlights of my trip! The bus ride was pretty long, but not as long as I thought it would be, clocking in at just over 8 hours.
I made it to Tsetserleg in one piece and walked around a bit before finding the guesthouse I booked. This led me to my first discovery. It was hot!! I quickly shed my coat and walked around in a thin jacket, which was a welcome change from the past month and a half of bundling up!
The place I booked, the Fairfield Cafe and Guesthouse, was absolutely amazing. I was the only guest for most of my stay there, so things were very quiet and peaceful. The bed was extremely comfortable, the room was clean, and the showers were reliably piping hot. The staff were great too, and were always ready to help when I had a question how to go about doing something. Overlooking the town is a big, sheer mountain with a temple at the base. The peak is called Bulgan Uul and is a pretty grueling climb.
I almost killed myself trying to climb up a rock face before deciding I liked being alive and looking for an easier route. Despite my poor route planning, I made it to the top and took in the amazing view. Below me I could see the city of Tsetserleg sprawled out over the rolling hills, the brown plains stretching to the horizon and, where the earth and sky touched, the white-capped peaks of the Khangai Mountain Range. It was a beautiful view.
I walked along the ridge to another peak and found a large ovoo between the two. I did the recommended three laps around the monument and added a stone, then spent about 15 minutes trying to get a good jumping picture. After numerous hilariously awful failed attempts including one my friend Jainy says looks like a Sailor Moon pose and an appreciation for the relative isolation of my surroundings, I finally got a decent shot…. I pressed on and gained the summit of the second peak, where I kicked back, pulled out my lunch, and enjoyed the amazing views while ravens dove and banked with impossible agility on the writhing currents of the wind.
