Why?

Why Mongolia?

Gobi. Steppes. Forests. Wilderness. Cities. Extremely rich history and culture. Food exactly like I love it. <- the reasons which brought me to Mongolia.

+ People. The vibe in the country. Beauty of the locals. The feeling of utter safety. The freedom to just roam without any boundaries. Soviet stench. Cashmere. <- the reasons why I fell in love with Mongolia and will surely return.

I am so humbled by this experience.

Why april?

The rain itself is something I do not mind per se. Mother Nature sets the tone and I can only agree and adjust, but local stats say that april is the month with the least probability of rain. With only 2 days of possible rain I can easily work with. Trekking soaking wet through mud and carrying extra water weight on my gear along on planned tens of kilometers is not something I aim at.

I also prefer seasons which are not packed with tourists. I enjoy exploring the areas in peace, and not with tens or hundreds of tourists as curious as I am, who are trying to get their own piece of cake while visiting a certain POI.

Also, temperatures around 5-10 degrees are my favorites. When layered up properly I can be outside as much as I want to, as the cold does not bother me at all; the option to adjust accordingly to the conditions works beautifully.

Why alone?

Because it feels so good to execute all plans without anyone’s presence. To have the circumstances to just focus on the exploration of the local setting and do everything at my own pace and intensity. This trip showed me clearly that there are not many people who would be able to follow my beat. I am not incredibly fast, but I wake up early, walk entire days, and return late just to sleep and to repeat everything again in the morning. I broke my own records in terms of trekking while on Mongolian ground.

Why with a broken leg?

It needed to be done. People don’t get it. The good thing is – they don’t have to. Healing injuries is not being done by sitting; it relies on our motivation and inner drive for improvement. And somehow, in that morphine/pain haze I have palpated the way out of the nightmare I found myself in. I am so happy I decided to land in Mongolia, because the injury and everything connected to it healed there, and the chapter was entirely closed ten months after the fracture.