Inner Mongolia

Oct. 1: We met up at the FSD lobby then headed to JiangWan Town Station by 10:30. We got to Shanghai South Railway by around 12 which was enough for us to eat lunch before boarding a train to Hohhot. We were pretty happy with how the hard sleeper accommodations were. We expected worse so it was definitely a relief. It was a 31 hour ride with stopovers in Beijing, SuZhou and other areas going north. We just ate and mingled with the other travellers.

Oct. 2: We arrived at Hohhot at around 8 PM. Our tour guide, Rocky, greeted us upon arrival and took us to our dinner place. It was a nice start to our tour. After the meal, we headed to our hotel. It was really nice. We then decided to walk for awhile and check the area. It was pretty cold outside probably below 15 degrees.

Oct. 3: We had our breakfast at the hotel then had a 2 hour drive to the grasslands where we will be staying for the night. The weather was pretty cold already. We had a very long and tiring horse ride which probably took around 4 hours including stopovers. It was really grass all over the place. It was like those grasslands in the movies with just horses and cows. The weather was pretty cold also. We were pretty much tired during the afternoon. The place also had a short horse race for the visitors. By night time, it was already freaking cold. That was probably between 5-10 degrees. I had to sleep with a sweater and thermal pants despite being already covered by a very thick blanket. We stayed in Mongolian Yurts which were circular rooms culturally similar to the Bahay Kubo of the Philippines.

Oct. 4: The guys woke up to eat breakfast while the girls were so tired from the horse ride and had problems with the food. It was getting colder. We went to Baotou to have our lunch. The girls were still very tired so it was the guys again who were eating. After lunch, we went straight to the desert! It was really really cold. I couldn't feel my nose dripping anymore. It wasn't funny anymore. The desert was amazing. We rode a cable car to get there then got a 1 hour camel ride. We stopped by to view some very nice sand sculptures. After withstanding the cold weather, we stayed for a short while in a house. The guys then decided to try the ATV. It was great! It was like Aga Muhlach in Dubai! Hahaha! Afterwards we tried the sandslide. Basically we rode a sled going down the sand slope. We finished at 5 then headed back to Hohhot.

Oct. 5: After our breakfast, we visited a Lamastery and had a look at Tibetan culture. We then visited a museum although I forgot the name. Then we went to a handicraft factory and had a short glimpse of how they make winter wear items as well as popular souvenirs. We then had our last lunch before heading to the train station. We arrived right on time for our train. It was a little different from the first one.

Oct.6: We arrived in Shanghai South Railway Station at around 7 PM. It was quite delayed since the scheduled arrival was 6:15. We got back to the dorm by 8:30.

Here are some pics of the whole trip.