6 Chapter 6
Desert of Gobi
Chapter 6
The trip from New York City to Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator), the capital of the Republic of Mongolia had lasted a total of 18 hours, slightly longer than the established time, due to a snow storm that had delayed the departure from the Moscow airport. The two flights had been carried out on aircrafts of Aeroflot, the Russian airline. The second part, performed on a smaller aircraft, had been tiring, so when arriving at the Genghis Khan Airport in Ulaanbaatar they were exhausted. On the bus trip to the city and the hotel where they would stay for two days, both Selma and Martín fell asleep.
When they all woke up at noon the next day, the prolonged fast caused them to devour their breakfast and go to a neighboring inn to eat again. At the hotel they helped them obtain tickets on the Transmongolian Railway, which actually complemented the route of the famous Trans-Siberian Railway in Mongolian territory, on a total trip that stretches from Russia to China. The crossing on Mongolian soil follows the old Tea Route that entered the Celestial Empire.
The train journey continues to Beijing, although Zamyn Uud is the last station where passengers arrive on the Chinese-Mongolian border. The panorama is both picturesque and monotonous due to the aridity of the Mongolian landscape, where the only attractive visual element are the yurts, the traditional transportable dwellings of the Mongols and other peoples of Central Asia, made up of a network of woods arranged on a circular floor, forming a cylinder with a higher in the center. This structure is then covered with canvas and woolen fabrics, and sometimes with straw, which allows the users to add or remove layers according to the season of the year and thus withstand the harsh Mongolian winters. This type of housing, easy to disassemble and carry, is an essential element to the nomadic lifestyle of many of the Mongolian tribes even today. As it was said, their geometric designs and often bright colors were the only factor of distraction of the trip.
The long train ran through the immense steppe at high speed and once the attraction for the landscape was exhausted, the four travelers went to lunch at the picturesque dining car of the convoy, a spacious and comfortable place with wooden coatings of geometric designs and with upholstered seats with Mongol motifs.
After a few dozen miles the route began to gain altitude with a significant slope that lasted a couple of hours and once reached the point of maximum altitude began a descent in the middle of a winding path that produced vertigo to sensitive passengers and at the same time it offered attractive panoramic views.
From then on, the route entered the Gobi desert, one of the largest and most arid of the planet. It is surrounded by the Altai Mountains and the Mongolian steppes to the north, the Tibetan plateau to the southwest and the Chinese plains to the southeast.
Finally the train arrived at the station called Chojr, a former air base during the Soviet period, located in the middle of the Gobi Desert. In that place the travelers got off the train and rushed inside the station to escape the intense cold of the outside environment. In that place they had to wait to be picked up by the local organizers of the trip. Several hours passed without major events which began to cause a certain boredom mainly to the younger members.
“How does our trip continue from here?” asked Martín. In fact, the plan they were following was a mystery for the two youngsters and had not been made explicit until then.
“For reasons of confidentiality, the entire project is being handled with a great deal of secrecy.” answered Dennis. “As far as I know, Jack Berglund will join us on this site, because for his safety he had to travel in a way that I ignore and that no doubt he will explain to us. I hope Jack knows more details of the successive steps. He is the person in contact with the members of Bluthund who organize and finance this entire expedition."
Another couple of hours passed without alternatives and this time also Dennis had fallen asleep along with the young people on the uncomfortable banks of the station. Everyone was awakened by the festive cries of Deborah, who was approaching a glass door of the station and hugging a newcomer. As he was covered by a heavy Russian coat with furs, one could scarcely see his face, although by his height and physique they soon discovered that it was Berglund, so they all came out to greet him.
“I finally left the United States through the Canadian border, and once in Toronto I also took a flight from Aeroflot to Moscow. From there my trip was similar to yours."
“ Do you know how our itinerary continues from here?"
“ Only partially. Now we must wait at this station to be joined by the Siberian seer I told you about in New York. As he arrives we must all go to a hotel in this city where we already have reservations and tomorrow we will meet the man who will be our guide, a Mongol whose name I do not remember though I have written it down."
Waiting at the desolate Chojr station was undoubtedly the most tedious stretch of the trip up to that point mainly due to the absence of activities to carry out, so travelers were dozing most of the time while trying to protect themselves from the cold through the blankets they carried in their luggage. At about 11 p.m. Dennis, the only one who was awake shook each of his companions and managed to wake them up.
"He's arrived and now is entering the station." He whispered in Debbie's ear.
“Who? The Russian?"
"Yes, Bodniev."
The character that had actually made his entry into the expanded space of the station was impressive. Although not so tall as Jack Berglund, his physique was nevertheless more massive, which was enhanced by the thick Russian wool coat with fur collar and a classic conical cap, also made of furs. His features were clearly Eastern showing an influx of the various ethnic groups of Eastern Siberia; his beard was bushy, long and gray. In spite of its volume the man moved with agility and went without doubting towards the group of five travelers, really the only occupants of the station at that hour.
"Jack Berglund?" He asked.
“Yes, it's me.” answered the aforementioned standing up.
“He speaks English.” Selma said in a low voice that obvious relief.
“Yes." answered her sister. “Do not let yourself be guided by appearances. In another life, decades ago, he was a professor of physics at the State University of Irkutsk. Since that time he stayed connected with Bluthund."
Jack and the newcomer approached the remaining members of the group who stood up. The former made the presentations.
“Welcome to the group.” answered Debbie.” How should we call you?"
“My first name is Aman. You can call me that." answered Bodniev with a heavy Russian accent.
He left a kind of bag made also with skins that he used as a backpack and sat on one of the station benches.
“I've walked all afternoon.” He excused himself.
His presence demanded respect and the others did not dare to ask him from where or how he had traveled. However, the conversation progressively evolved and Jack sought to deftly channel it towards the activities to be developed. At one point he said.
“We have reservations made for everyone in a hotel at the village. There we can leave our belongings and have dinner. Then we will spend the night in that place. We can chat at dinner."
Only when they left the station did they notice how dark it was, and what the night meant in the Gobi Desert. The cold was intense, a wind blew dragging particles of sand and forced them to walk inclined and covering their faces; they all looked at Aman to see how he behaved before the hostile nature, in the belief that he was the one to be imitated.
Selma raised her eyes to the dark sky with the new moon. Seeing the huge amount of stars that studded her the girl could not help but utter a moan and instinctively touched Martín's arm in order to share the show with him. The boy smiled, pleased with the gesture and Selma hung on his arm to overcome the resistance of the wind.
