The White Lake

The 6am alarm went off, we caught trolley bus number 2 to the bus station and having paid 4,000T to get our luggage on-board (not that the locals seem to pay anything mind) we were on our way to the Tsetserleg. The next 10 hours saw us pass across the grassland steppe, with it stretching as far as the eye could see. The only interruption was the odd ger and their livestock and the band of sand dunes known as Mongol Els. A brief stop for lunch, consuming Huushuur (like fried pasties), broke the journey and as we pulled into town the sun was shining and it appeared quite pretty but also very small for a regional capital. On closer inspection the town appeared a bit rundown with its glory days behind it. This may however be a result of the global recession as in UB we heard a number of times that visitors were down significantly resulting in tour companies and other service providers closing down for the season to try their luck again next year. Our intended hostel being full, we decided to walk a km north of town to pitch the tent in a pretty valley behind some rocks and trees to give us some privacy from prying eyes.
A good nights sleep was had and we went to the British run cafe, The Fairfield, for a bacon sarnie and ended up organising a 4x4 to take us to our intended destination of the White Lake. The total cost was 140,000T (70 pounds with 30 for the driver and the rest for the petrol paying for the drivers return too) for although it is only a 200km journey the fuel economy on the roads (more like rutted, pot-holed, rock strewn dirt tracks) is terrible and petrol is expensive. The average speed is also around 30-35km per hour so an uncomfortable, bone jarring 6 hours later we found ourselves at the beautiful White Lake.
The lake is in a spectacular volcanic landscape of lava flows, pine forests, grassy valleys and mountainous peaks so we felt we were in for a treat. To cap it off, after walking around a small headland we pitched the tent and were treated to a lovely sunset. This improved our mood after a meal of burnt rice in veg stock! Our first morning (23rd) saw us set off to a nearby volcanic crater. There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature quickly soared and the thought of mad dogs and Englishmen did cross my mind as mid-day approached. the crater itself was more impressive than we had feared after seeing it from a distance, being 80m deep and 250m across. A couple of huushuur revived us on the was back which was followed by a dip in the lake to cool off. We ended up having fried fish in a nearby ger camp having been chased from the tent by a swarm of flying ants. The following day we moved around the lake, walking around 5 miles to camp in a slightly more isolated area away from any ger camps. On the way we passed a small shop to buy some supplies and ended up arranging a lift back to Tsetserleg for 60,000T. The rest of the day was spent wondering around the lake edge before returning for a meal of soup + noodles followed by a drift-wood bonfire. For the final day we set out into the hills covering around 15 miles and spying only 2-3 people from a distance herding their animals, we really did feel in the wilderness. When we got back, rather tired, we found that an animal must have become tangled in a guy rope, bending the peg 90 degrees and ripping the tent along the seam. I had wrapped some duck tape around my tripod before we set off and this proved useful for a temporary repair...so long as the drizzle stopped! Well it did but the clearing clouds meant that we had a cold nights sleep, waking to ground-frost and an icy tent when the 6:30 alarm went. We were this early so we could meet up with our driver for the return trip, the departure time was set for 9am...to be continued!