Fjällbonäs-FarAwayistan: 070624 The trip is the goal There are signposts that can easily be felt to be a bit of an over-kill. This one in the middle of nowhere definitely felt unnecessary. There was no crossing to be seen, just a maze of tracks in all directions to avoid the bumps and breaking up the same ground. Lukas can usually smell a bank miles away, but this time he failed miserably. With body language I asked a local if his village had a bank. You know how it is in desolate areas; as long as there is a post office and a bank there is some sort of life left. This little lot, whose name was not even on the map, had two banks. What a dream to be a bank robber here! You wouldn’t need dynamite to get at the money, just a chain saw. Lukas gave me a strange look when I rode towards this little hut, saying it was a bank. All through Mongolia I have chased my boys in the proper Farmer Lips manner. They all look like extras in a Clint Eastwood epic, just before the final countdown. 100kms before UlanBator we met these Finns, each on a Ural sidecar – a funny lot. They had sent a container with four complete bikes in parts to then run from Ulan Bator back to Finland. Hard men all, directly from the battles of times past. I expect them to be so tough that they always stand in the bathroom, no matter what needs have to be satisfied. Then, suddenly, the trip was over and the sign was there, hanging straight across the road so you shouldn’t miss it. Ulan Bator, here we are! In the evening, I was pushed back to a position as pupil. Nash felt it was time to even the stakes and I had to take a ground course in city slicker life. We went into the concrete centre of UB and for the first time in my life I was far outside my comfort zone when we ended up in the middle of scantily dressed ladies, snaking around all over us, like a swarm of bees. I felt like a fish on dry ground, trying to catch my breath. After 20 minutes basic concrete Nash Jiwa training I was healed from all sorts of dreams of switching between woods and concrete, like the famous Dundee crocodile hunter on film. I am an outdoorsman from Lappland. Thanks anyway, Nash, for taking on a hopeless case and going through with the basic introduction. You never know until you tried and now I have one experience more. What about my mission? Well, as always it ended with instant coffee in the hotel room, but if I wanted a proper cup of coffee, I at least know where Ulan Bator is. And we all agree, that when it comes to bike riding, the trip is the goal. Thanks Lukas, Cam, Nash and Shelina for the experience of doing this. << Previous All chronicles High Performance Riding www.pgdakar.com Per-Gunnar Lundmark Fjällbonäs 15 933 91 Arvidsjaur Per-Gunnar Lundmark Eva.PG.Lundmark@swipnet.se Updated 2007-06-25