It has only taken me 3 days to get back to Ulaan Baatar! I head out to the east of Ulaan Baatar to FlyMongolia, run by Alex Amir (email: flymongolia@magicnet.mn). A sweet camp on the bank of the Tuul river and directly below Bayanzuk Mtn. this camp is 1600' below the take off. I spent the next 5 days hiking and driving up the hill. Got to fly every day in some form or other. The 1st days flyuing was the best. I took off at 10:30 am after Alex, owner of FM, and had the extended sleddy to the valley! I knew it was to early but at the bottem decided that i would put my bivi equipment on my shoulder and hike up again. 50 minutes later and I'm at a loweer launch, slightly to the north of the upper launch, and get right after it as it is now noon. The thermals are scrappy and as soon as i start to climb I feel rain!! i decide to bin the flight and fly over to a lower peak and watch the Virgra slowly stop, I now change my mind and work back up to Bayanzuk and after 30 mins of fierce scratching find the climb i need to go XC. as i climb I'm all to aware of the ever darkening cloud, looking around I see no other clouds that are as dark and non are towering up. I decide that at 7500' I'm good to run away from the black cloud(Old Blackie from here in) and stay up. I get to the next peak south and start to climb again. Old Blackie arrives as i get to 9,500' and I scurry away again! I have now passed on town and can see a runway appear to the SW of me. The next climb and i decide to stick with it and get to the base of Old Blackie at 11,700'. I have now drifted closer to the runway that i really want (It is a military base I find out later, and we all know what happens if you land there, eh Jim!) I now push East towards the Terelj mtns but as i arrive under the neighbouring cloud it collapses and I find my self scratching on some small bumps. I manage to extend the flight by 5–6 km by using these slight blips of lift but nothing really develops from this. I land at 30km out at a small sand excavating operation. As usual everyone stops work and come over to watch and help pack up. I am then treated to tea and cooked lunch before the old guy drives me to the highway and hooks me up with a free ride back to the road end that leads to Fly Mongolia. I'm back at the ger and a warm shower by 5:30pm, what a sweet days flying. The next 3 days i hike the hill and have varying degrees of success one day I'm 30mins to late and the wind is ripping through. I put up the tent and cook lunch and several brews before the wind drops and i get a sweet evening soaring flight. The last day and i have to wait for the evening to fly. Alex asks me if i could do a tandem for him? As i believe that i am his guest and hence living for free i feel obliged to help him out. I point out the recent surgery i have had to my knee and tell him the passenger cannot fall!!!!! The passenger turns out to be a 100kg mini sumo guy! Against my better judgement i say ok. The sumo falls as soon as the wing comes up and takes me with him, i feel a tweek in my bad knee but controll the wing and get into the air. Bad news gets worse as with a no wind landing the two steps are too much and he falls again!!!! not good ! I now have a swollen knee and will have to take things easy for a few days to see how it reacts. I am soon to get back on board the train and head up into Russia. First stop will be Irkutsk and Olkhon island. I have heard of no paragliding here and so will have a look around for and site that looks good. A few days after this i will head to Moscow and a possible invite out to a towing club to the north of the city.
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