We set off on our 12 day trip in the Mongolian countryside on Tuesday morning and left paved roads almost as soon as we got out of Ulaanbaatar. We had Uugana our guide and Damda our driver to accompany us in a 4WD vehicle as you certainly wouldn't be able to navigate yourself. We were amazed as mud tracks weaved across wide open spaces of nothing criss-crossing with other mud tracks, that the driver knew where to go, without landmarks, signposts or GPS. We were told that as they are unsurfaced, the roads change from year to year. We passed many gers in isolated spots and nomadic herdsmen on horseback looking after, cows, sheep, horses or goats. We were supposed to camp that night but it became quite windy, so as night neared our driver looked out for a guest ger (a spare ger with several beds that a family charge travellers to stay in). We found a place but the two guest gers were full, the family however told him and our guide that they were not sleeping in their ger that night so we could stay there. There was nothing else for miles around so we have no idea where they went that night. They had a satellite dish outside and a solar panel to charge a battery which powered a single light bulb and the TV. The lady cooked their tea on the stove in the centre of the ger and we sat on the floor and ate our soup cooked by Uugana the guide, a goat hoped in through the open door and was quickly shooed out. After eating their food they left, it was surprisingly warm inside from the stove despite the cold wind outside. We settled down for the night to the sound of Damda the driver snoring, grinding his teeth and passing wind at regular intervals. We were woken at 5.15am as the lady of the Ger returned to clean out the stove, get the fire going (by burning dried animal dung which surprisingly didn't stink like you'd expect!) and get the breakfast on for the rest of her family. They just carried on their business almost as if we weren't there as we got up and dressed.

The second day we got into the Gobi desert and it seemed particularly bleak and barren in the cold and windy weather. We started seeing a few camels which are the two humped extremely hairy type. We drove for miles just seeing the occasional flock of sheep and goats, Gers and discarded empty vodka bottles. We stopped at a Ger of a nomadic family late in the afternoon as the driver wanted to ask a question, possibly directions to our Ger Camp. The family were separating the goats that were for milking and their little boy, who must only have been about 6 years old was on horseback rounding them up. Mongolians seem to be born in the saddle, we were told in Ulaanbaatar that 'Mongolians very good on horse, but cannot drive car!' Another even younger little boy, probably about 4 years old was also out there in the cold standing waving his arms and guiding the goats into the pen. All the milking would later be done by hand. Our Ger camp that night was about 40kms from Dalanzadgad, Ger camps are more up market than Guest Gers as you don't have to share with anyone else, there is usually a toilet block and sometimes showers although they are not guaranteed to be warm or be much more than a dribble of water! Our Ger was freezing cold when we arrived but was soon warm and cosy after the stove was lit. Our evening meal was in the camps Ger restaurant and consisted of mutton dumplings. Mongolian food is not a gourmet delight, they love meat, especially fatty meat and are particularly fond of mutton. This is in big quantities and usually accompanied by a generous helping of carbohydrates - rice, potato, noodles, pasta or bread. Vegetables are usually non existent as they are difficult to grow there and if you are lucky enough to get some they are usually the canned or pickled variety.

The following morning we woke to see snow on the mountains. We drove to Yoliin Am Valley in Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. It was sunny and clear but slightly cold when we arrived and took the short walk into the valley where there is still ice on the valley floor. By the time we got back half an hour later it was snowing hard and visibility was poor, soon everywhere was white, this was our first taste of how changeable and erratic Mongolia's weather is. As we continued our journey we gradually left the snow behind although it remained cold and got so windy there was a sandstorm. For the second time we had to abandon the idea of camping and find a Ger Camp. Later after we found refuge in our Ger from the wind and cold by a warm stove, the wind abruptly stopped, the cloud cleared and it was a beautiful still, starry night!

We set off the next day for Khongoryn Els the 100km long sand dunes. It was a beautiful clear sunny day without a cloud in the sky and much warmer than the day before. We drove to the area where the dunes are the highest at 300m and started to climb. It was a bit like trying to climb up an escalator that is going down as the sand constantly moves as you try to walk up and you don't get very far. I gave up after getting about a third of the way up but Martin kept going until he got to the top - eventually!

Our next destination was Bayanzag, or the Flaming Cliffs, the place where apparently hundreds of dinosaur remains and eggs were found in the 1920's. In the morning we went to a nomadic family who owned camels so that we could go camel riding. The family also had sheep and goats too and we stayed and helped a little while they separated the mother goats for milking, they had 5 children and all were out helping. They caught a lamb and kid for us to hold and Martin played football for a while with one of the boys. Afterwards we were invited into their Ger to try some camel milk. They store it in a drum in the Ger and leave it to ferment, it tastes quite disgusting, a bit like you would imagine a cross between sour milk and horrible tasting natural yoghurt! A large bowl was filled with the frothy liquid and passed around for all to have some and at the end one of the little boys licked the bowl clean and put it on the side ready for next time!

After leaving the family we briefly stopped at another Ger of a family our driver knew. The man claimed he knew where a dinosaur head was that he had kept secret and he offered to show us - for a fee of £1. We followed him to a heap of stones and he slowly removed them, dug a little to a sheet of plastic and showed us some bones beneath, we could make out a jaw and teeth but the rest remained uncovered and could have been anything. We then drove to the Flaming Cliffs and walked around there, climbed up to the top and also saw the round objects stuck on the side of the cliff which locals believe are fossilised dinosaur eggs. After we returned to our Ger camp the owners were putting up some more Gers in preparation for the main tourist which starts at the beginning of June, so we lent a hand.