#1: [02-May-05]

25-Jul-2006 --

Story starts at 37N 137E

Two days after visiting 46N 109E we were at the edge of the Gobi desert. Grass started to be seen here and there. The previous day the driver and I had stopped around eight o’clock near a ger (Mongolian yurt) to camp.

We had to cross a river that morning, the first river I had seen since Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province. According to my map, by following that river east we would reach 47N 109E. We left our camp at around eight o’clock and drove directly to the bridge some ten kilometers away.

When Madame de Bourboulon, 150 years ago, had had to cross that river, there was no bridge and they almost drowned. Fortunately, it was easier this time. And after going across the bridge, as planned, we headed east with the river a few hundred meters on our right.

After a dozen kilometers and less than one more to go, we came across a small stream no more than two meters wide. But it was too risky to go with the jeep. We tried a roundabout from the other side but came across the same stream again. We came back the same way and found that we could go around from that direction. Less than five minutes later we were at the point.

Story continues at 52N 108E