Inner Mongolia
For a less traveled route in China, Inner Mongolia is a great destination, especially during the summer months. Both Mongolian and Chinese are used in everyday communication in Inner Mongolia, so you can see words are written in both languages on street signs, store signs, etc., especially in the capital Hohot and Mandarin works fine on the streets. With the vast grasslands stretching across Mongolia, there’s no shortage of cows, horses and sheep. Just as ubiquitous are hot pot restaurants, dairy producers and delicious lamb on the streets of Hohot. To get a sense of living like a nomad, check out The Xilamuren Grasslands, only a few hours drive away from the city. While I first envisioned these to be vast grasslands, many parts of it were parched, so they weren’t as rugged and green as I imagined them to be. During our time on the grasslands, we stayed in modernized versions of traditional Mongolian huts, which basically means the exteriors look like huts but the interiors have everything from hot water to soft comfy beds and electricity. Not as nomadic as I thought but can’t complain about these necessities of comfort. We were warmly greeted by plenty of singing, dancing and there’s no shortage of alcohol. There’s plenty of fun on the grasslands-from watching locals wrestling and horse racing to karoke-singing around bonfires after dinner. But nothing beats galloping across the grasslands on a horse. For a desert experience in Inner Monglia, Xiangshawan is the place to be, which translates to singing sand dunes bay. This neat spot in the Gobi desert is apparently where the dry grains of sand sounds off rumbling murmurs of bells, but only those lucky enough will witness this. Sand sledding, camel riding and live dance performances make this a popular spot for old and young alike.
