M
ongolia, the very word con-
jures up images of wild
horseman galloping across
an ancient empty steppe
landscape, with bow & ar-
row in hand. Today, it isn’t
that far from reality in what is the most
sparsely populated country on earth
and where the locals still practice the
three “manly” sports of horse-riding,
archery & wrestling.
The plane broke through a thick
blanket of cloud to a worrying sight.
As we made the final approach into
Chinngis Khan International Airport
the view from the window revealed
swollen rivers, flooded roads and in-
undated buildings. The countryside,
it seemed, had turned into a flooded
quagmire. We knew we were in for
the ride of a lifetime with some seri-
ous challenges, if the view from the
plane predicated what lay ahead of us?
Riders from around the world had
gathered in Ulaan Baatar for an epic
14-day ride that travelled over 2500kms
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