On the road to Dadal.

Seven of us set off east from UB heading to Dadal in two vehicles. 540km, half with no tarmac road. The first landmark, a very new one, is some 2 hours out. This enormous statue of our friend C. K. is the first structure of a new tourist complex. A new park. At the moment the poor chap is all alone in a vast landscape.

And then just as dusk was about to turn to night, a puncture. A rather rapid blow out. Trying to work quickly, Amaraa had a narrow escape when the :Land Cruiser rolled off the jack with him under the it!!! He, of course, had taken the precaution of stuffing the spare wheel under the jeep before hand but now the trailing arm was on the deck and he couldn’t get the jack under it. This delay resulted in us traveling the next 3 hours in the dark……….off road. Using a combination of ger hopping, following power lines, navigating by the stars and my key fob compass, Amaraa and Nymaa kept us more or less on the right track. Remarkable in the pitch dark. Even broken bridges and fording two rivers in the black does not stop this team!!!!

But at midnight and, as we learned from the one and only passing motorist, 30 km short of our intended over night ger camp stop, we pitched camp. But where? Close by an animal shelter, of course. Animal shelters are themselves build in sheltered spots in the landscape. Things you learn!!!!!

Next morning, a very orderly camp, given that it was hastily set up in the dark. And was it cold in the night!!! Even with five of us huddled in one tent it was freezing. So this is what team building is about!!

Being one of the first out and about, I took a walk up the hill behind our camp. 6 am and the sun was warming. What a wonderful place. The track winding in from the right of the picture had been our route last night. Amazingly we passed by this place on the way home. Even after 3 hours driving on tracks in the pitch dark, we were still on the right track.