Mongolia > The Genghis Khan equestrian statue

Day eighty. A strange feeling. Today we leave Ulaanbaatar and head east toward Vladivostok—a distance of 4,000 kilometers. In Vladivostok, we need to catch the boat to Japan on August 3. In three weeks, we’ll be in Tokyo, and the journey will be over. The trip sometimes seems to fly by. Leaving Ulaanbaatar, the traffic is still hectic. A small van doesn’t want to let us merge, and our mirrors touch.

Mongolia - The striking turtleshaped rock formation

Fortunately, no damage. Outside the city, the traffic eases. Everyone is heading in the same direction. About fifty kilometers outside Ulaanbaatar lies Terelj National Park. This natural area is popular with Ulaanbaatar residents. It’s relatively close, and there are many overnight options. Numerous ger camps line up in a row. In the middle of the park stands the Turtle Rock. From a distance, the enormous rock looks exactly like a turtle. During the time of Genghis Khan, the turtle was the most important symbol. As we approach the rock, the turtle shape becomes unmistakably clear. Amusing. Just outside the park, along the main road, stands the statue of Genghis Khan. The forty-meter-high statue is visible from far away.

Mongolia - The massive equestrian statue of Genghis Khan is forty meters high

What a massive figure. You really only appreciate its scale compared to the people walking beneath it. The equestrian statue was built in 2008 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol Empire by Genghis Khan. The statue can also be visited from the inside. In the small museum, a video shows how the steel statue was constructed. Then I take the elevator up through the horse’s tail. A staircase leads me to above the horse’s head, where I have an impressive view of the wide surroundings. On the platform, I meet a Dutch traveler. She is traveling via the Trans-Siberian Express with two Spaniards, making a short stop of a few days in Ulaanbaatar. It’s still early afternoon. We decide to drive for another two hours, so we’ll have less to cover tomorrow. The road eastward is still good. Occasionally there’s a pothole, but we hardly even notice anymore. About eighty kilometers before Undorhaan, we take a small path. Out of sight of the main road, we set up camp. No one is around. On the small stove, we prepare nasi and drink a beer. Above us hangs the nearly full moon.