The Gobi Desert

Remember Geena Davis's famous line in the film "Thelma & Louise", when she says "we're not in the middle of nowhere, but I can see it from here". No ? Maybe its just me, because of my thing for Geena Davis.

Anyway, she must have been talking about here - the Gobi Desert, which truly is the middle of nowhere. And its absolutely stunning.

I've been in deserts before, the Arabian Desert for example is your stereotypical billowing sand dunes everywhere. This is nothing like that. Its flat, arid, dry, scrubland - and pretty much nothing else. Its a desert because it never rains here (in much the same way as Antarctica is officially a desert), and it just goes on and on and on.

















And its hot. Whereas a couple of days ago I was in Siberia in -5C, here it must be 30-40 degrees warmer than that.

I've been standing with my head out the window looking at the desert, my hair blowing in the wind (or what's left of it), and its one of the most peaceful stunning places I've ever been. Every now and again you see a road, and once in a blue moon you'll see a solitary car driving along that road - and you can't help but feel jealous. Jealous that he has the freedom to drive at his own speed wherever he wants, can stop wherever he wants, can get out of the car in the middle of nothingness and just take it all the silence, jealous that he gets to be in such a wonderful, peaceful place every single day.

Wow.