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We set off from Bayankhongor for the last leg of our journey to Ullaabaatar, Mongolia without any breakfast. The weather is cool and cloudy. It is nearly a 400 mile journey as we are a bit behind from yesterday but it is all tarmac. (So we are told). After paying a toll to go out of the town over the river bridge it is a joy to ride on tarmac. I shall never complain about the state of the roads in the UK again.
However, within a few miles we are diverted back onto a gravel road - oh no have we been misinformed? To top it my bike starts overheating again. We put more water into the radiator and it is pouring out. The situation looks terminal! Garry get his magic metal putty out again, dubs it over the leak area and jams an old brake pad between the repair and the cooling fan. It stops the leak but not completely. We fill the radiator back up with water and I press on, soon back on tarmac, thank goodness. Meanwhile, Garry and Steve go back searching for water - we are going to need plenty if am going to get the bike to Ulaanbaatar. I get seven miles before the bike overheats again, seven more miles and the same again, so some metal epoxy putty I was carrying gets put on over the leak area. This time when I set off I get 30 miles before overheating. Garry and Steve catch up with bottles of water. Garry suggest we put the contents of a tea bag in the radiator - success I get 40 miles this time before overheating. It must have been the quality of the tea - Earl Grey!
We plod on and stop for lunch after about 200 miles - an ommlette - first proper meal for two days! The landscape now is completely With lush green fields and grazing animals, everything from camels to horses. There are even some cultivated crops starting to appear. There is a sweet smell in the air and we notice a sign saying that you are now leaving the sweet Gobi.
40 miles at a time and regular fill ups with water, my bike gets me to Ullaatabaar. We then have fun riding right through the city centre at a busy time. Three times I had to stop to fill the radiator with water.
Finally and it was dark, we find our destination, the Oasis cafe and guesthouse, the end of our epic motorcycle journey. Quite an emotional moment to have eventually got here after nearly 12000 miles of travelling and the last 200 miles with an overheating bike. Our bed for the night and tomorrow night is a six bed gert. There are four of us (me, Steve, Garry and Nick), so plenty of space. No food however as we are too late.
We are specially pleased that we have made it and congratulate each other for our mutual support on our epic journey.
Only one beer for me tonight and we did watch the 3rd 4th place world cup play off match between England and Belgium. England didn't play well unfortunately and lost 2-0. Overall however I believe England can be proud of their performance in the 2018 world cup.
Into the comfy bed in the gert and I don't take much nodding off.
We heard that Chris who broke his leg earlier in the week is now back in the UK and the good news is that it doesn't require any surgery. John Bruce is staying in a hotel in town and we will be tying up with him on Monday.
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