Russia
After crossing the border from Kazakhstan to Russia, I felt almost like home. The landscape looks almost the same as the outskirts of Düsseldorf and the streets in Russia are better than in Germany so far. Really a dream. Countries able to drive again comfortably. We just cut into Russia to drive into Mongolia, just over 1000km. The first night we spent in a hostel, next door a bar where we were talked to by several nice locals, in Russian of course that we do not understand a word is of course not important.
The next morning we connected again with our lost convoy from Uzbekistan, after being 5-7 days in advance.
Whether we drive through Russia or through southern Germany, the landscape looks very similar.
Attack on a small shop just before the border hunting for food. We drove until 3:30 am, because we wanted or had to cross the border into Mongolia the next morning, because the border is closed the following day (Sunday).
We stayed in the only hostel/hotel, 800m from the border and slept 4h or less. Some slept in the car before the border, with below 0 degrees outside temperature this must not be for me.
In the background you can see the snow not so far away, I was still in shorts and flip-flops, because my long jeans were stored somewhere on the roof. I mean, it’s summer, but I didn’t take into account that the temperatures in summer fluctuate around 0-10 degrees depending on location, altitude and whims of Mongolian gods, of course.
Mongolia we’re coming!