I am currently in Ulanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, spending my Sunday with Vedi in a café. Soon we should (hopefully) be able to pick up the official export papers from the vet and then head back west. From here, we have over 1,600 kilometers ahead of us to the Chinese border, back towards home, back towards Europe.
We have been in Mongolia since June and experienced a lot. From Almaty, we drove to the Northeast of Kazakhstan, traveled through the Russian Altai Mountains on a transit visa for eight days, and finally entered Mongolia. We spent almost two weeks on the Mongolian side of the Altai Mountains before we headed east via Ölgii, Khovd, and Kharkhorin. We then spent the traditional Naadam festival in the small town of Dsuunmod as well as in Ulanbaatar before I travelled by train to Beijing in China for almost two weeks.
After re-entering the country, the next adventure was coming up, my childhood dream. Together with Maren, I went on a 15-day trail ride, just the two of us without a guide, with three horses. Don’t panic—I’ll try to upload individual posts with more details about all these adventures soon. So I achieved the goal of my trip, riding in Mongolia, and that’s how I got to close the trip for myself.
Of course, it’s not quite that simple, because Fred, Vedi, and I have to find our way back somehow. Right? With every meter we drive, we get a little closer to Europe and pass by many of the places and people that made this trip so special. It already feels like coming home – to Almaty, where I lived for the entire winter of 2024/25, to the Caucasus and Turkey, where I traveled for almost a year in total.
But: I’m done (and honestly exhausted). This year, once again, brought up one adventure after another, and since March I’ve been busy experiencing it all without burning out. I’m done, at least for now, just like I always am at the end of a year. That’s why I’m now flipping the switch from traveling to just being, from experiencing to resting, from input to output. I still have to keep moving, with 10,000 kilometers to go before I reach Germany, but I don’t want to travel anymore, no more new experiences, just living in my car. Cozy diesel heater Sundays in the van, long mornings cuddling with Vedi, autumn romance with candles and herbal tea.
Besides, as far as output is concerned, the next project is already planned. I’ll reveal more about that when it’s finally ready to be announced. So: stay tuned!
(Photo by Lukas Schillinger)
das leben geht vor 