The 34th stage of XWORLD led from Beijing to Ulan Bator and held an extraordinary challenge for the eight participants: Their mission was to drive across the Gobi Desert! The Gobi consists mostly of bare rocks or desert steppe. One of the participants wrote an account of how she and her fellow adventurers handled these conditions and everything else they experienced:

„At about six o'clock on the evening of the first day (14.06.2009), the participants all met in the hotel lobby for a friendly drink and introductions. After a short briefing on our itinerary, we had supper. Peking duck in a five-storey restaurant that numbers Helmut Kohl and other luminaries among its former guests.

The next morning, we ate a hearty breakfast and set out early for the hospital. We had to undergo a medical checkup to obtain our Chinese driving licences. We all passed the tests and returned to the hotel for lunch. The Chinese press was already waiting for us. They took photos of us, the vehicles and a big HANSA-FLEX banner. It wasn't long before we appeared in all the major Chinese newspapers.
In the afternoon: Sightseeing. The Forbidden City and the Square of Heavenly Peace were just two unmissable stops. We ended the day with supper al fresco.

Today we are going to the Great Wall. The sky is overcast, but it is still dry. It doesn't start raining until we arrive in Badaking, in the shadow of the wall. Even so, there are people everywhere. They are apparently all heeding the words of Chairman Mao: "Only one has who has walked on the wall can call himself a true man". We too thread our way through the sea of humanity and climb onto the Wall. By now the rain is falling in buckets. Some of us beat a retreat after just a few metres. The rest are not so easily daunted. The view from the top of the Wall is almost mystical: Lowering clouds hide portions of the structure fleetingly.
We drive back through the rain on the motorway towards Datong. We eat lunch in a small restaurant that has doubtless seen better days. But the noodle soup is good. In the afternoon, the clouds part and by the time we reach Datong the roads are already dry. For supper, we are served hotpot, which seems to have appealed particularly to our Chinese guides Li and Melina.

After another hearty breakfast, we begin the day. The first item on our agenda is the Yugang Grottoes, which have been declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. We marvel at more than 50,000 Buddha statues standing up to 15 metres high. Unfortunately, many of the statues were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but still everyone was deeply impressed by this place. We returned along backstreets, passing through a region dominated by coal mining. The area is uninspired, even the inhabitants seem somehow resigned. At midday we reach Yingxian. This city is famous for its wooden pagoda. The most ancient in China, it has stood undamaged through seven earthquakes. We eat lunch before visiting the pagoda. Next, we make for the hanging monasteries on Heng Shan Mountain. Still in wonder at the marvels people can build, we drive back to Datong. This eventful day is closed with a good buffet at the hotel.
 
While one of our number lies in bed with a stomach disorder and waits for the grand departure there, we visit the Wall of the Nine Dragons. This is considered to be the emblem of the city of Datong. This is followed by a trip to Erenhot. The road is good, well paved, and we make good time. We eat lunch in a small but well kept establishment on the side of the road. We can watch as our food is prepared. The meal is delicious and filling. By evening, we have reached Erenhot, a distance of just under 400 kilometres. We eat supper together and end the day over a cool beer in the hotel lobby.

We can sleep in! The Chinese like Chinese breakfast as well. We are pleased that the Chinese eat watermelon for breakfast. Unfortunately we must wait a little longer for our exit permits, and we keep ourselves busy by refuelling the cars again. It looks as if the permits will take a little longer than expected…
So we visit a massage parlour and are treated to a typical Chinese massage. Now completely relaxed physically, we learn that the exit permits are still not ready. By the good offices of our guide, we find a pleasant restaurant and drink a good cup of coffee. Unfortunately there has been a power failure and the splendid espresso machine is not working. Instead we are given a cappuchino prepared by hand. By Chinese standards, it is very good. At half past three in the afternoon, we at last make our way to the Customs Office. Half an hour later, our papers are finally handed over. Leaving China took suprisingly little time. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of entering Mongolia. This takes another hour and a half…

Before beginning our journey proper, we fill the reserve tanks one more time. We buy bread, apples, sweetened drinks, we even find Spreewald pickles. We set off, with a small reminder of home in our luggage. The tarmac road peters out quickly and is replaced by a gravel track. The sheer expanse of the country is fascinating. We begin to understand why our vehicles have been modified in the way they have, and how well adapted they are to these roads. At lunchtime, we stop for a picnic, and in the evening we set up camp somewhere out on the vast steppe. Melina shows us how to pitch the tents. After about an hour, the camp is complete, including the communal tent. Cooking proves to be more difficult than expected. Ten o'clock is approaching – and the first bottle of Ballantines almost empty – before the pasta is edible.

After a generous breakfast in camp, we take the tents down and prepare to greet the day. The road leads on through the central and southern Gobi regions. On gravel tracks towards the setting sun. In the middle of this inhospitable landscape, we suddenly spy two yurts, and we stop. The inhabitants warmly bid us enter. The inside of these dwellings yields a glimpse of how hard life is in this rock-strewn desert. Like most nomads, the family lives from its livestock. We watch as the goats and sheep are shorn. And there are camels. The yurt dwellers are in the process of making butter from camel milk.
We press on over the steppe and by evening we reach Dalanzargad. We fill up with petrol again and carry on to our Gercamp. After the night under canvas, our first and most urgent visit was to the showers.

Fortified with a good breakfast of omelette, bread, butter, marmelade, pancakes, cheese and sausage, we set out for Vulture Canyon. We spend a short time in the National Park Museum, and then drive the last few kilometres to the entrance to the canyon. Here we must leave the vehicles – driving would be impossible. The last kilometre is must be hiked. In the rain. After 30 minutes' walking, we reach the ice. We edge forwards cautiously, and are even rewarded with sunshine. Back to the cars, and onwards into the West. Over roads paved with corrugated iron and hilltops, we reach the singing sand dunes and test the cars' driving capabilities on sand - enormous fun for everyone. The Gercamp comes in sight at six in the evening. Over a cold beer, we talk about the day's events. The night sky is crystalline and studded with stars such as are rarely seen anywhere in Europe. Out here in the desert, far from the city lights, countless stars appear, and seem so close that you could reach out and touch them.

Well rested, we continue our journey. We head north out of the South Gobi region. The roads are gradually getting better and we are able to drive at a heady 80 kph through the Mongolian countryside. We reach our destination for today shortly after lunch. A Gercamp beside the ruins of the Ongiyn Monastery. This monastery was once the most important in all of Mongolia. The Russians did not leave much. After a communal supper, we make use of the billiards tables and enjoy the evening warmth.

Today will be a busy one, so we are starting early. The road to Avaikheer is good for driving. After a brief stop to replenish our provisions, we are back on the road. The road is asphalted for another 20 kilometres. After the endless gravel and the constant shaking, this is a welcome change. Unfortunately, this particular pleasure is all too brief. We turn off the metalled road and see our first yak herds beside the gravel track. Our journey takes us through breathtaking river landscapes. We stop near some locals and watch them milk horses to make airak (=fermented mares' milk). Through pine forests and over riverbeds, we continue to the Orcon waterfall, which is unfortunately dry. After the steppes that surrounded us for days, the greenery of trees, flowers and river valleys is a welcome sight Our destination is the Kharakorum, the former capital of the Mongolian Empire. We spend the night at a typical Gercamp and eat typical Mongolian pasties filled with mutton in the evening.

Our next port of call is the Erdene Zuu Monastery – the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Another UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. It has been functioning again since 1990 and restoration work was begun recently. We visit the monastery and during the tour are given a fleeting glimpse of the Buddhist culture. We see monks at prayer and are fortunate enough to see two monks making music with shells. This is followed by the last stage for the day, on to Ulan Bator. The road is asphalt for the most part, and we roll quickly through the Mongolian countryside. Not far from Ulan Bator, the Hilux loses a shock absorber. Not a problem on asphalt. But we are still 150 kilometres from the city, and gravel will certainly figure heavily in 50 of them. Ths means that the Hilux must be driven slowly and carefully. Most of the group drives ahead with one of the two guides, and we meet up again at supper in the hotel. Glad to have made it, we eat and then spend the evening in a Mongolian disco.

Our last day on Mongolia. We visit the markets and monasteries in Ulan Bator and are treated to a wonderful panoramic view of city from a lookout point. The day ends with our farewell supper together.

We really wanted to travel back today. But the wind is blowing too strongly. So strongly that aircraft cannot take off. After almost 36 hours, the wind finally blows itself out and we can begin our journey home.