Gobi Desert Greetings

While the terrain down in the south of China where I've lived for years was very similar from place to place with the occasional mountain popping out on the horizon, the terrain here in Inner Mongolia is wild. You'll be in the middle of the plains for hours and suddenly there are mountains rising high above you only to be followed behind by a desert. That's why Adam and I were excited to find that the tour we had chosen took advantage of the varying terrain.

After spending the night drinking and laughing around a poop fire and sleeping in our yurt (seriously one of the coziest places I have ever slept!), we boarded our trusty bus and headed out of the grasslands, passed the big city, left the mountains in the dust, and stepped out in the Gobi Desert.

The Gobi Desert spans across both China and Mongolia. In Chinese it is referred to as 戈壁 (Gebi) and in Mongolian, it is Говь or "Gevi." The Gobi Desert is the fifth largest desert in the world and the largest one in Asia at 500,000 square miles. It is both sandy and rocky and it tends to be a very cold desert (I know! I assumed all deserts were hot too... until I was freezing in one!)

We were in the part of the desert called Ordos Desert. You can see the city of Hohhot to the northeast of us.

The Gobi Desert is the home of many different species despite the harsh climate including gazelles, Mongolian wild ass, and sometimes even snow leopards, wolves, and brown bears! And of course, a desert would be incomplete without camels. 

There are two species of camel in the world. The one humped dromedary camel, also known as the Arabian camel, is from (you guessed it!) the Arabian Peninsula and is found all through Northern Africa today.  The camels found in Inner Mongolia are known as Bactrian camels and are only found in small pockets in Central Asia. They are considered critically endangered in the wild and are almost entirely domesticated today. 

The Bactrian camel population VS. the Arabian camel population.

Now it's been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl with hopes of being an Egyptologist to ride a camel through the desert. Fourteen years in the making, you can be darn sure I was going to get on the back of a camel while living in the middle of the Gobi Desert. 

After putting on unnecessary protective covers for our shoes, we hopped into a large (for lack of a better word), sand dune rover (it almost resembled those amphibian trucks that can enter into the water on those super touristy Duck Tours). The driver with no fear of hydroplaning (or the sandy equivalent), zoomed down the road and up and over the dunes. As we traveled further from our bus and deeper into the desert all vegetation seemed to vanish and nothing but golden rolling sand dunes surrounded us for as far as we could see. 

We arrived at a little oasis where we were greeted by our own little herd of camels. I was the first to hop up on a camel's back and I quickly dubbed him Clyde. 

Fun fact: when camels stand up with you on their back, it is terrifying. You lean forward and then fall back, all the while with this massive creature beneath you. But my heart quickly stopped pounding from fear and started beating for the incredible views I could see from Clyde's back. 

Cross off #103 from My Life List! 

Following behind in a perfect little line (except for Clyde who didn't like waiting his turn), we wandered through the desert. The wind was brutal and the sand got everywhere (seriously, I am still finding it, three showers later) but the relaxed amble of the camels and the wave-like patterns in the sand were incredible. 

I've always had a love for horses (I think many girls go through a stage in their younger years where they dream of owning a horse before they actually realize the cost behind it) but for some reason, I've found that my love for riding a camel runs far deeper than riding a horse (it could be that the horse's trot was merciless on my bottom and the camel's slow stroll pitied my bum). You can see why for thousands of years different people in different parts of the world have chosen the camel as their companion through the harshness of the desert. 

Being a girl from Buffalo, New York, I am very much familiar with sledding. I had my Pocahontas sled growing up that I would take down to the river with my mom and my brother. It was wet. It was cold. It was white. 

If you can sled down a hill in the snow, why not try it in the sand too?

Taking one of the super beat up, broken, and completely falling apart "sleds" one by one each of us conquered the dunes of the Gobi Desert. Standing at the very top, it's a bit intimidating. You see how steep the hill is. The wind beats at your back, threatening to push you over before you're ready. But you know how it goes--when in Rome! 

I only managed to slide down twice because once down, we had to climb back up the hill. It sounded easy but about halfway up, myself and a young French girl just turned and looked at each other and decided that right there on the dune was a perfect place to die. 

It's just incredible seeing sights like this--they belong in books or movies or your imagination. How can they be real? How can you touch them? Hear them? Smell them? As I push myself down the sand dune, I couldn't help but feel like Rey on Jakku from The Force Awakens (sorry for the major nerd out but it's true!). 

I can see the similarity.

While the grasslands were beautiful, it is the desert that I would demand that everyone gets to see at least once in their lifetime--to see that what is harsh can also be beautiful and life changing. 

Until Next Time,
Amanda

PS: Happy Hump Day!! See what I did there? ;)
55 days... 

Malaysia: The End of the Journey

Sadly, it was time to leave the mountains and the kindness of Nepal and we headed to the last leg of our journey. Our time in Malaysia was split up into two locations: Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi.

January 28th

I never thought that I would find something more physically exhausting than hiking through the Himalayas... but I found it in Malaysia. As though we hadn't moved enough on this trip already, Hannah and I decided to do a trek through the jungle to Bukit Tutu. 

I should have known that it would be harder for me. For one thing--the heat. I hate being hot and sweaty (give me snow any day) but that was our guide, Amos's, mission--to get us soaking wet in sweat which did not take too long. That, the fact that 80% of the hike was completely uphill (grabbing roots and crawling on your knees type of uphill), and the fact that I am certainly not the fittest person on the planet made for a rough day. 

Where you go slowly up in the mountains, this was like a race (at one point the three Swedish guys we were with [henceforth, the Vikings] actually did run up the hill). Where Nepal was gentle, Malaysia is energetic. Where I felt like Kisu matched my pace when I needed him to and stayed by me, Amos would call back and wait for me to catch up. Along Bukit Tutu, it was all about the destination, in the Himalayas it was about the journey. They were two very different experiences but I know which one will stay with me in the long run.

Hannah, me, Frederick, Richard, and Oskar

Don't get me wrong! I loved walking through the jungle. Ever since I was a little, little girl, I've loved them, wanted to protect them, and see them for myself someday. I think (technically), I have seen rainforests before in the Caribbean and Costa Rica but this place did seem different--it really was a jungle. I half expected to see Baloo and Mowgli from "The Jungle Book" or bump into Kerchak or Tarzan. I felt just like Jane Porter, trekking through the jungle for the first time.

There were vines everywhere. Sounds of bugs and birds echoed. The bamboo grew tall but fell low, making amazing natural tunnels (the only time my shortness paid off). The sun barely reached the forest floor and I never fell (yay!). We saw tons of huge bugs (turns out the Vikings are not bug people), a viper up in the tree, and at one point, I thought I heard a panther... sadly, it was just a motorcycle in the distance. 

The best part? There were gibbons! As we were walking along the path, I could hear their hooting in the distance. I never saw them (::sad face::) but I knew them instantly by their calls. I just loved closing my eyes and listening to them, knowing that the jungle was hiding them from me but still granting me a tiny window into their wild world.

I spent the whole trek at the back of the pack which I was okay with... I moved at my own pace, stopping to look at the world around me. For me, it was definitely the journey and not the destination. The view at the top (which is what Amos kept talking about) was pretty cool (of course, I had just come from the highest mountains in the world). Plus, it was tons of fun climbing up the last four ladders to the very top of the mountains, sitting out on the rocks with the whipping our hair and blowing us back and forth.

When we finally got back down to the ground below, we were able to swim in the cold, clear water and that is what made that trek all worthwhile. The water was so cold, it knocked the wind out of me! As Hannah and I were just floating in the water, I could only think that we were like the mermaids of Neverland! 

January 29th

Our last day in Kuala Lumpur was our obligatory, see the sights type of day. 

The landmark of Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Twin Towers... Yes, that is the actual name. And yes, I had to keep saying, "Expecto patronum!" otherwise the Harry Potter nerd in me would have been very disappointed. The towers were pretty, I suppose, but nothing special. They look like the Chrysler Building in New York (except there are two). I feel like the Malaysian people looked at cities like London with Big Ben, New York with the Statue of Liberty, and Paris with the Eiffel Tower and they felt as though they needed an architectural landmark as well. Hannah and I did our obligatory "I'm in Kuala Lumpur!" photo shoot and some of the pictures came out really cute but if I had a choice to do a photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Petronas Towers (despite the fabulousness of its name), I would be booking a flight to Paris and I would never return to Kuala Lumpur. 

January 30th

We arrived in Langkawi just as the sun was setting. I have a complicated relationship with Kuala Lumpur bordering on hatred so I was thrilled to be anywhere but there... and how could you go wrong with a tropical island (even if the beach is not my natural habitat)? 

There really is something magical about  the sea and a beach at night. You don't really see much--the occasional white cap from a wave maybe. You feel the sand between your toes and hear the crashing of the waves and black nothingness as far as the eye can see. The stars were shining so bright above us... and the bioluminescence below us. It was magical... deep deep blue specks of starlight floating in the ocean, clinging to our toes. At one point, the tide was coming in and the specks of light were collecting in small pools at my feet. I ran my fingers through the sand, the specks bursting to life and following behind my fingers in glowing lines. Magic really can be found in the world. 

February 1st

My first day on my own was a quiet and slow day, except for the tornado that swept through the beach! It was small and lasted for less than ten seconds but it was terrifying (we ain't got none of those tornadoes up in New York)!! 

At night, the ladies found a lovely little restaurant and we sat back and finally watched the sun set on the beach. The Malaysians don't know how to make Piña Coladas but they know how to do sunsets.

Finished with our dinner, we ran along the beach like children, dancing, running and laughing during the blue hour. At one point, Hannah requested a sexy James Bond inspired saunter out of the water. I was all too willing until I realized that I had only my dress on without my bathing suit. The hesitation lasted only for a moment before I threw my inhibitions to the wind. I declared, "FOR ADAM!" as I scampered into the waves in my dress, flopping down into the water, and lacking all the grace in the world... Not nearly as sexy as in the movies but it's the thought that counts, right? Well, Hannah got a kick out of it, if nothing else...

February 3rd 

We had had enough of lying on the beach in the sun, it was time to get up and start moving again! Renting another motorbike, Hannah and I put our helmets on our heads, put our "Bad to the Bone" faces on, and drove all around the island. 

Hannah and I are both "journey" ladies and not necessarily focused on the "destination." In Yangshuo we just drove around and took in the sights, enjoying the ride. On Langkawi, we were with a group that thought it was unwise to drive around without a destination (though the island was too small to get too lost on) so we followed a map to a more of a touristy destination. 

Langkawi, is Malay for "Red Eagle" and according to legend an eagle landed on the island on it's journey to Asia. So there is a giant eagle statue that you can go and take a picture at. I'm sorry. I know it's supposed to be this great landmark that symbolizes the island and a great, beautiful legend, but all I could think of was that toy from the '90s. You know, the one that looks like an eagle that you can balance on your finger?

The best part? They were selling them there.

I am not too big of a fan of the kitschy touristy sights. If I am going to look at a monument, it needs to be something like the Coliseum, something ancient and rich with history and culture, not another attempt at an architectural landmark... But we made it fun anyway.

One of the places we visited on our bike ride that I did enjoy was a black sand beach. Now the beaches on Langkawi aren't too nice to walk along or swim in, garbage is just everywhere. However, one thing that was at the black sand beach was sea glass!! That is usually my calling whenever I am in the Caribbean with my family or on a beach (if I'm not hiding under a towel from the sun)--I always try to collect sea glass from all the beaches that I visit. That black sand beach was the only one on the whole island that had any glass at all. I managed to find a complete bottle--my coolest find ever!! It was nice to get away from the group for a bit and just meander along the shore with my wandering thoughts, missing Adam and the other people in my life ♥

Other than the sea glass, I just loved the actual bike ride. It is a great feeling of freedom to fly along the road (not cold), passing monkeys on the road as though they were squirrels. Patches of hot and cold air. At one point we drove through a thick jungle... I loved it! I did make the mistake of wearing my dress so I was able to show off my pasty white legs to everyone we passed on the island... >_< 

February 4th

Our last night on the island, Hannah and I had dreams of lobster and cake. We went to a "nice" seafood restaurant and our plan was to be big spenders and get our coveted lobsters... Until we realized a really small one would be over RM200 (that's $30). Our dreams slowly falling apart, Hannah ended up getting two prawn and I got crab meat scallops. But when they came out, neither of us knew how to eat them! We looked like such bums, so ridiculous but we were able to laugh at ourselves and that is all that matters.

We are poor, sunburnt, and classy.

We spent our last night on the beach, watching the stars (we saw three shooting stars!!) and just talking about life, love, and the amazing adventure that we had just shared with one another. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This really was an adventure of a lifetime. I did things that I never imagined I would do, met people that I am so thankful to now know, tried food that I never would have, pushed my body further than I ever thought I could go, and I feel like I took the chance to really live life to the fullest. 

There is a quote from the song "The Circle of Life" from the Disney movie, "The Lion King" that says, "There is more to see than can ever be seen," and I really do believe that. This world has so much to it--amazing sights, friendly people, crazy food, whacky smells. We only have one life to live, so why not live it with as much spice, energy, and longing as you possibly can? 

We really do live in this big, bright, beautiful world. It is a wonderful world!! It's a small world after all!! There's such a lot of world to see!! <-- Ten points if you can name all of those songs...

And I really do believe that. There is so much the world has to offer people... there is something for everyone whether you prefer to relax or go on an adventure, have history, food, or culture, meet people, learn languages, look at nature, architecture, animals, the ocean, or the sky. Traveling opens so many doors into other people's lives and other people's cultures. Some experiences are good and some are not so good... but there is always a lesson to be learned and a story to be told.

I am glad that I was bit by the travel bug when I was 12 years old... and I hope to never find a cure.

Thanks for going on this adventure with me... Here's to many more to come!!

Until Next Time,
Amanda