Woke up feeling pretty cranky this morning; four days without a shower definitely catches up to you! There was no point in changing into clean clothes before showering, and while the lake water was crystal clear, it smelled slightly fishy. Speaking of fish:
Alta got up early and caught a stringer of small fish (around 7–8 inches long, locally called "black fish"), which she fried up for breakfast. They were delicious!
After breakfast and coffee, the great spirits returned, and Khoz led us up the hill right above our campsite to check out local petroglyphs. We were staying in a gorgeous section of the national park, great for fishing and featuring ancient rock carvings right on the hillside overlooking Khurgan Lake (
Khurgan means "earring" in Kazakh).
We spent an hour hiking around, spotting ancient carvings and taking photos of the lake. While up there, Danik received a message from his cousin Zol'ka sharing her travel plans for the coming months; we're hoping to coordinate a meetup soon, which would be amazing.
After hiking back down to the cars, we set off toward the Baga Turgen waterfall. As usual, the journey was a mix of rugged off-road driving and incredible views. Almost every turn offered another photo-worthy landscape, though pictures never quite do it justice.
Sometime during the night, Kairat had managed to fix our vehicle’s brakes. When we entered the national park area, he asked some local mechanics for assistance (there always seem to be drivers working on cars or swapping parts out in the wild; at one point, we even lent a spare wheel from our car to another vehicle for a few hours!). A mechanic supplied a few specialized metal nails to secure the brake issue. Kairat reassured us the brakes were back in working order, and we chose to trust our local expert without overthinking the mechanics of driving a heavy 4x4 with field-repaired brakes!
Our Lexus LX450 has certainly seen some history. Kairat spends plenty of time under the hood and beneath the frame fixing the starter, suspension bits, and brakes. He carries multiple spare batteries that he swaps out, several toolboxes, and a metal box full of spare hardware, including the metal pins he used for the brake fix.
We eventually arrived at the trail access point for Baga Turgen waterfall. The scenery here shifted, looking much more like an alpine forest filled with pine trees, fresh streams, and lush green hills.
The three of us went on a lovely hike along the stream toward the waterfall. Along the way, we passed local herders and visitors on horseback. Livestock grazed everywhere in the high-altitude meadows (around 2,100–2,200 meters). Thanks to the mineral-rich mountain grasses and abundant water, the cattle and horses here look remarkably healthy and well-fed, almost like a scene from the Swiss Alps.
On the hike back, we chatted and reminisced about favorite family movies. When we reached the trailhead, lunch was waiting for us. The cook outdid herself once again, serving hot soup, meatballs with pasta, and fresh milk tea (this time brewed with a higher ratio of tea to milk, which we preferred!).
We remembered that today was Khoz’s birthday! We packed up and began the drive back to Ölgii to celebrate with her entire crew and husband. We learned that we would be staying at an apartment owned by her family, with her brother-in-law promising to make us a traditional Turkish breakfast the next morning. It feels as though we’ve been unofficially adopted by her family at this point!
As we made about 70km of the 180km drive back to Olgii, our car died once and for all. Cairot spent some more time under it and then found a local family having a picnic nearby. The dad drove all of us several km to our Buhanka, where Alta and the cook were waiting - we have always been driving nearly in tandem a few km apart not to dust each other up but also to be able to reconnect if something happens to one of the cars.
So we all transferred into Buhanka and started driving. Khoz was super worried, but we did have a second car, and it was a great adventure. By the way, our Buhanka did not have any more covers on anything - you can touch all of the controls, you can prob touch the engine too. There was a lock on the fuel cap. All of us crammed into this device, which made funny sounds while it drove was something from the Kin Dza Dza movie. At one point, I heard a high-pitched squeal and asked if it was the brakes. Danik joked that it was probably a car gnome that only functions if you offer it constant worship! Alta turned up Modern Talking and other old gems on the stereo, which further added to the weird but fun effect.
Upon reaching Ölgii, Khoz hosted us in a modern apartment belonging to her sister and brother-in-law. Her relatives had previously lived in Turkey for 15 years before returning to Mongolia due to changing political and social dynamics there. The family was away, so we had the place to ourselves.
The apartment was located in a newly constructed high-rise with marble-tiled hallways. Inside, it featured a brand-new layout with bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, generous space, and modern kitchen/bathroom fixtures, though, in typical recent construction style, there were no closets or shower curtains installed yet. The family had thoughtfully left out new toothbrushes, soap, and shampoo for us.
Before heading out for dinner, I snuck a quick shower to wash off four days of trail dust, only to realize the towel turned brown when I dried off; layers of fine mountain dust take more than one quick rinse to remove!
We met Khoz, Alta, and Kairat outside and walked to Mediana, a brand-new restaurant on the 10th floor a few blocks away. The venue was fancy, offering views of the city lights set against the dark silhouettes of the surrounding mountains, complete with live traditional music and dancing.
Khoz’s husband ordered a massive meat platter, and we all dug in since it was already past 10:00pm. Around 11:00pm, the staff brought out a birthday cake for Khoz, accompanied by toasts and well wishes.
We returned to the apartment around midnight, caught up with family back home via Wi-Fi, and I took a proper, thorough shower, washing my hair twice until the water ran completely clear. Absolute bliss!
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