Our journey to Mongolia begins
June 12-13, 2025
9:40pm departure. We arrived to Washington Dulles International airport 2 1/2 hours early, but even with plenty of time to organize our luggage, check in, go through security, we only had a few minutes to spare before boarding began. We checked three bags, one box and carried on two Osprey backpacks. One of the three checked bags contained our Alpacka packrafts, paddles, a Big Agnes tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, water shoes, a lightweight camping stove, a waterproof camera case, and more. Once we settled into our seats, we both released a big sigh. We were finally en route to Mongolia!
Just two weeks prior, we were not sure if we would make it to Mongolia because I was diagnosed with Coccidioidomycosis aka Valley fever and I was still healing from the joint pain and swelling in my knees and ankles. For those unfamilar, Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Coccidioides that lives in the soil in the southwestern U.S., California, and parts of Mexico as well as Central and South America. It typically affects the lungs, but in my case, it went straight to my legs and joints.
Anyways, back to the first leg of our journey. Over the course of the 10+ hour flight, I made certain to get out of my seat, walk, stretch – to keep the blood flowing and reduce the onset of swelling in my ankles – which can happen very easily when sitting for long periods of time. I also stayed plenty hydrated and consumed low sodium foods and requested for gluten free meals during the flight. Dinner consisted of chicken breast, rice, salad, fruit, hummus, and a gluten free bread roll. Simple, but delicious. Kai was provided an Asian vegetarian meal. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, steamed spinach and mushrooms, half of a roasted tomato, fruit, and a gluten free bread roll. Simple, but once again delicious.
We landed in Istanbul at 12pm local time. We had a 4-hour layover, so we walked around the airport, refilled our water bottles, and enjoyed a cappuccino and some baklava, not knowing that it would cost me $20 after doing the conversion of Turkish Lira to US Dollar. Oops!
8:00am local time, we arrived to the Chingiss Khan International airport, located ~1 hour outside of Ulaanbaatar – the capital city of Mongolia. We found Mr. Bayasaa waiting with a sign “Zaya Hostel” after we retreived our luggage and made it through customs, which was literally the easiest and fastest customs experience I’ve ever had. We were also impressed with how quiet the airport was. Mr. Bayasaa drove us to our hostel, 1 hour away, he did not say much, but we exchanged a few Mongolian and English words. This was the beginning…of the Toyota Prius dominating the city, the countryside, and the mountains.