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We got through customs a lot quicker than expected.
Due at around 3:00 :)

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Our flight was delayed by 1 hour, but we are now only 30 minutes away from landing.
Assuming the worst for getting through the airport; we are expecting to be back in Abu Dhabi at 3:45 😀

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Though foggy, misty and humid, our group absolutely loved the Great Wall; and for some it was their first Wonder of the World!
We trekked as far as we could in one hour, before turning back; having roaring thunder above us made that an easy decision!
We got a unique experience in that we used a canopy top chair lift to get us to and from our wall starting point.

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Team 2 is about to leave for the Airport; drawing to an end our amazing time in Mongolia!

Next update will be from Beijing 👍

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Both team 1 and team 2 have arrived in Ulaanbaatar after an amazing overnight train experience!

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Photos don’t do justice to the views we saw!

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We had been warned that the weather in Mongolia was very unpredictable and that proved true throughout the trek! We would start trekking in blistering heat and within 20 minutes we would be scrambling for our rain coats and ponchos.
Just now, we have gone from high temperatures and blinding sunlight to heavy thunder!
This didn’t deter the lads from completing their trek though!

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Joseph loved the horseriding

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Mr McGrah and I were woken early to the sound of brushing against each of our tents. We had a herd of cattle passing between each of the tents at 5:30 this morning.

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One of the best views from the horse trek.

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Having left the kindergarten the group stared their horseback trek straight away. We covered 25 km on the first day; the lads had no issue with the horse riding at all! We had trekked across bridges, through streams, alongside the lake, through dense woodland and across vast plains! We swam in ice cold water of Khovsgul Lake and enjoyed more local food after the first day on horse back. The lads camped and cooked on each night, and we were never hungry on the Mongolian diet.
After the third day of horse trekking, we got to take a dip in a local hot spring, which was excellent for the aching muscles before starting the 3 day foot trek; which was very draining and tiring; but worth it for the views. The horsemen that accompanied us were excellent, and they supported with cutting wood for the fire, carrying extra materials and telling us stories of their life around the campfire at night.
We have now arrived in Murun, and are getting ready to hear back to Ulaanbaatar.
Lads are tired, but well, and say hello!

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Crazy to believe, but the ger was built from scratch in less than 2 hours.
We were invited to a warming ceremony with the family we provide for; a lovely local woman with 3 kids.

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Team 2 have just completed their community project; repairing and painting a local kindergartens outside play area.
The group also built a ger and furnished this with the money fundraised throughout the year! Still some funds left that we will use to buy a TV for the kindergarten.
Students are still saying “I can’t believe i’m in Mongolia”; don’t think it has sunk in yet!
Students have been working extremely well as a group, and we have not had 1 bad meal, they’ve really impressed!
We have explored the local town of Khovsgul, and are now getting ready to start our horse trek.
Next update should be in 6 days :)
All the lads say hello!

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Having met with our in-country agent this morning, the group were able to get a lot of the admin done for the next few days!
- Cash converted
- Materials purchased for building a ger
- Materials for the kindergarten renovation purchased
- SIM cards for incountry contact were bought
- Lots of food for the 14 hour bus journey ahead of us was picked up
- Had one final restaurant meal before we are all dependant on the lads for the next 2 weeks!

Group has been in great form all day!
Even managed to get some sight seeing in before bed as we have to be up and gone at 6:30 am!

Afraid our next update will be in quite a long time as we will be going rural, but that just means more photos for you to look forward to! 😁
All the lads say hello!

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And we are all up after a surprisingly nice hotel for the first night! Very busy day ahead of us today as we plan transport, pre-book accommodation for next week and buy food for the next 7-8 days; no easy task for a group of 14 hungry lads🙂
Next update will be this evening with our days haul 👍

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So very happy to hear from you all. Take care and have a good rest.

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After a long day of travelling and lots of waiting, we have finally arrived at the first hotel! The lads are excited to be in Mongolia, and more excited about getting to bed! Now 00:45 on Friday morning!