Due to the many delays, we only have 2 days left for Mongolia and try to squeeze in as much as possible. Today we started from Ulanbaatar towards the South, our first destination was Erdene Zuu monastery, the first and biggest Buddhist monastery founded in the 16th century when Mongolia officially adopted Buddhism.

But before we got there we had to get out of Ulanbaatar, together with thousands of Mongolians going home after the Nadaam celebrations.

At one of the dune fields we found some leftover Nadaam celebrators and joined them eating khuushuur (pastry filled with any kind of meat) and drinking airag (fermented horse milk, tastes like diluted yogurt, not bad)

Today is the last holiday after Nadaam, there were probably more people at Erdene Zuu monastery than on any other day of the year.

We spend the night in a traditional yurt camp

dinner in a local self service restaurant

of course with salted milk tea

After 3300 kilometers in 42 hours we have arrived at the Mongolian border again