Day five ended in the small regional centre of Uliastai, the location of our well-deserved rest day and our first (and only) hotel stay during the rally! We have already travelled 900km across a variety of off-road terrain, and both bodies and bikes are ready for a break. Uliastai, at first glance, seemed like a grim former Soviet town, but we have quickly immersed ourselves in everyday life with trips to the laundromat, supermarket, bazaar, local museum and, of course, pub! While the architecture may not have been warm and inviting, the people are, and it’s been a pleasure to visit this regional outpost that most foreigners never venture to. Tomorrow the rally route will head due east – through the Khangai Mountains and the Arkhangai Province, all the way back to Ulaanbaatar and civilization some 1,100km away!
