ULAANBAATAR — In front of me lay the road, only a great gray space where the occasional herd of sheep suddenly scattered a car falling on them. In the distance rose gray-green hills covered with the last remnants of winter snow on either side. And isolated every few kilometers backElsewhere in Central Asia, traditional nomadic settlements known as yurts are usually surrounded by several grazing horses or yaks.
I didn't know what to expect from Mongolia, but this was not it. Like most people who consider traveling there, I had preconceived notions of a desert country – after all, the Gobi Desert is Mongolia's most famous sight and tourist attraction. But instead of shifting sand dunes and two-humped Bactrian camels, I saw vast highlands and short green vegetation. I can't pinpoint the exact moment of epiphany, but along the seemingly endless road to Olgi in western Mongolia, I realized the extent of the country's hidden sides.