The eleventh stage of the XWORLD Tour 2008/2009 was a journey rich in experiences, but with obstacles. From Ulan-Bator it went via the desert regions of country-regionMongolia and finally by air to the Olympic Games in Peking – entry into China with the off-road vehicles was not possible.

A report on the journey by the participants who drove through sandstorms and stony deserts together with a DSF film team. “Our first day begins with hindrances. We had planned to get to know each other in Ulan-Bator – unfortunately not all of the participants arrived at the Mongolian airport. We hear that the flight of one of the members had been cancelled. Because of this, the group is not complete when we meet for our evening meal to discuss the journey and the route.

After a good night’s sleep and a pleasant breakfast we are ready: for the first time we get into the off-road vehicles which will take us on our adventure. Our guides give brief instructions on technique, then we start our engines and drive into the centre of Ulan-Bator together.

This young city has many facets. Only 30 years ago, the population grew almost explosively, so that a small Mongolian town without surfaced roads and with an inadequate electricity supply developed into the capital city with over 1 million inhabitants. Since then the town has changed considerably. The city centre seems relatively modern – however, town planning as we know it in Europe does not exist in Ulan-Bator.

Our sightseeing tour concentrates on the historical buildings – and we start with the Gandan monastery. The building with the magnificent curved roof is located above a yurt settlement and bears witness to the period of Lamaism (a Tibetan form of Buddhism, we are told). Our tour takes us even deeper into the past with a visit to the natural history and hunting museum, in which, among other things, we see dinosaur skeletons.

After so much history we are glad to be able to have a change and immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the present by admiring the enormous range of goods on offer on the "black market": clothing, yurt furniture and screws – the large market in Ulan-Bator seems to have everything one could wish for. After a short excursion to the Russian Monument, from which we enjoy the view over the city, we end the programme of this eventful second day – unfortunately still without our missing member. The flight had been cancelled yet again...

The next day we drive to the airport again full of hope, and guess what: good luch after three times! After an adventurous outward journey he finally lands in Ulan-Bator to complete our group.

At about eleven in the morning we leave the city behind us and travel west. Soon the asphalt roads have gone, and we bump over gravel and sharp stones. After a few kilometres we have our first flat tyre. Some of the stones have managed to penetrate the hard rubber ... fortunately our guides are prepared for this and quickly have a spare tyre at hand.

A few kilometres further on (again with a very bumpy ride) we are rewarded with a wonderful view: the Oggii Nuur lake surrounded by broad green meadows is a welcome refreshment in the July heat. We move into a yurt camp, which consists of white tents, and at 28 degrees Centigrade we enjoy a great bathing holiday in Mongolia.

Next morning, after a lavish breakfast, we set out on our adventure again. Our route takes us to the south, through terrain which in places is very muddy. Twice we have to rescue the ‘Hilux’ with the aid of winches and salvage equipment. However, the route also provides us with wonderful impressions: on our way to Karakorum there are meadows full of Edelweiss and several rivers, three of which we ford with our off-road vehicles. With 40 degrees and sunshine we arrive safely in Karakorum.

The former capital of the Mongolian Empire has had a turbulent history: founded by Ghengis Khan, it has continually experienced both highs and lows. The monastery of Erdene Zuu, which was declared a World Heritage site by the UNESCO, bears witness to the past centuries. In earlier times, the square external walls were surrounded by about 62 temples in a mixed Chinese-Mongolian style. Unfortunately many of these temples have now been destroyed. What can still be seen (original or restored) greatly impresses us – we still have the images in our minds as we drive on to the Tövkhön Süm monastery. This gives us an opportunity to thoroughly test the off-road capabilities of our vehicles. In the evening we finally set up camp by the River Orchon and are pleased that we have a visit from a family of nomads after this very successful day. As a surprise for us, the two daughters of the family show us a typical Mongolian folk dance.

On the fifth day we travel 320 kilometres. Our route takes us along the “Khuislin Naiman Nuur Natural Reserve” to the gigantic Orchon waterfall. At our next stop, in the town of Arvaikheer, we buy bread and drinks and use the opportunity to refuel the vehicles before we set off towards the Gobi. Our journey for the day ends near Mandal-Ovoo, where we once again spend the night in a yurt camp.

The sixth day takes us into the southern Gobi, to Aimak. The Gobi Desert is larger than Germany, Austria and Switzerland together, and the climate is extreme. Swelteringly hot summers, and in winter the temperature falls as low as minus 40 degrees. Fortunately, on this July day we do not see any of this … instead we are amazed by the large number of camels. About 200,000 camels are said to live in this Mongolian province. A family invites us for camel milk and some food. Then they let us ride on their camels and test this completely unfamiliar means of off-road transport. Overwhelmed by this hospitality we drive on to our overnight camp (once again a yurt camp), which offers us true luxury in the form of massages, opulent food and a panoramic view over the Gobi Desert.

Refreshed, we continue on the seventh day of our journey – the first of August. We drive over the Gurvan Saykhan Mountains to the national park of the same name. Green plateaux and breathtaking scenery accompany us towards the Khongoryn sand dunes, which we can see from a great distance. At a suitable place we park the Landcruisers and climb to the top of the dunes on foot – a real challenge at 40 degrees in the shade. However, our exertion is rewarded with a breathtaking view over the sand dunes. This is not the only natural spectacle which we are to experience today: in the evening, in the yurt camp, two small girls show us a black spot on the sun. 2,000 kilometres further west an eclipse of the sun is taking place.

Day eight – once again we are climbing up sand dunes. But not on foot, instead, with our off-road vehicles, with which we drive through the sandy hills. Our route takes us towards Sevrey, where we admire the rock paintings. Then we continue towards the Vulture Gorge. The roads are terrible and are hard on the vehicles: on the bumpy tracks the ‘Hilux’ breaks a spring, which is important for the wheel suspension. We drive on very slowly and carefully, and in Bayandalay we find a workshop which welds the spring for us - with an assurance that we could drive to Germany and back without any problems. Let’s wait and see …

After the repair we continue towards our actual destination: the Vulture Gorge. However, it has become late. We set up our camp near the gorge and first of all relax from the events of the day. Because of our delay, the schedule for the next day is very tight: tomorrow there are 420 kilometres ahead of us.

The first item on the programme for the new day: the gigantic Vulture Gorge, which we did not reach the previous day. The route is worthwhile – because in spite of high summer and the desert, there is snow and ice in the narrow gorges. After a short rest we drive on towards our destination for the day: Mandalgobi – a ger camp on Baga Gazarin Uul (Mountain). We make surprisingly good progress in spite of the strong wind and small sandstorms. In Mandalgobi, a town with about 10,000 inhabitants, we once again fill up the vehicles before setting off on the final eighty kilometres to our camp.

However, after forty kilometres we have a shock: the repaired spring has not lasted back to Germany, but only as far as just beyond Mandalgobi. We don’t want to take any risks, so we turn back and on Saturday evening at 20:30 we manage to find a workshop which will repair the vehicle during the night. We find a hotel for the unplanned stay, and at 23:00 we are able to pick up the 'Hilux' again, with a repaired spring.

The tenth day takes us towards the capital again, past camels and herds of goats and sheep. In spite of the gravel road we make very rapid progress and in the afternoon, about 70 kilometres from Ulan-Bator we visit the riding games. In the early evening we finally reach Ulan-Bator and are glad to enjoy a warm shower in the hotel. We have had interesting and exciting days – and we still have the Olympic Games in Peking before us.

Although the 11th stage of the XWORLD Tour was intended to take the vehicles from Ulan-Bator to Peking – there was a change in plan, as entry into China was no longer possible. We leave the vehicles behind in Ulan-Bator and fly to Peking. At midday we land at the ultra-modern, newly opened Terminal 3 of Peking Airport, where we are met by a Chinese guide and driven to our hotel in the centre of Peking. For our evening meal we go to a lake in the centre of the city.

Peking looks its best in the days to come: the people are very polite and helpful, the streets are clean – and just before the opening of the Olympic Games, there is a very special tingling in the air, which we often notice on our sightseeing tours of the city. Our tour for the day takes us to the “Square of Heavenly Peace" and into the Forbidden City. Temperatures of more than 30 degrees and extreme humidity make any form of movement into an extreme sport. Therefore the break in the form of a traditional tea ceremony is just right. We also insist on our evening experience: in the traditional way, we eat the well-known Peking duck in the capital.

On the 14th day we travel about 70 kilometres from the hotel to the Great Wall, and are overwhelmed by this building. For about an hour we walk along the former defensive wall in stiflingly hot air, but despite the oppressive heat we insist on walking to the end of this restored section. Lucky are those who have brought a second T-shirt with them … Exhausted and sweaty we go back to the hotel in the late afternoon to freshen up. Then there is a very special event: the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. While the entire world excitedly looks towards Peking and the countdown for the opening ceremony, we travel to the “Champions Club” on the metro. From here, we watch the gigantic spectacle together with German athletes and RTL reporters.

After the opening ceremony, on the our last day of Stage 11, we are able to experience Olympia live! Somewhat sad about the coming end of our tour, we travel to the arenas and are able to watch two games of hand-ball: country-regionRumania versus country-regionKazakhstan and country-regionRussia versus Korea. Excited by the infectious atmosphere we then set off home, and we are all certain that we will never forget this journey.”