This three page article was printed in the Sept issue of Daegu Compass, a monthly expat publication, starting on page 46
http://www.daegucompass.com/sept2012

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The first places in China people will visit are Beijing and Shanghai. However, China is a vast country the size of the US, with multiple time zones, and home to 57 officially recognized minorities. The Great Wall was designed to separate the heartland from border provinces, yet here we discover a rich cultural heritage distinct from what we know of mainland China.

Last Chuseok I chose to goto Inner Mongolia Province China. Confusingly there are two Mongolia's, the country of Mongolia and the Chinese Province Inner Mongolia bordering the country to the south. I first learnt about the province when I was looking at teaching jobs but the winters were too cold so I chose warmer Daegu. However, the curiosity remained as somewhere I still wanted to explore.

Getting to the main city Hohhot is quite easy. Daegu airport has almost daily afternoon flights to Beijing. From there flights are almost hourly to Hohhot for another $80. For Chuseok I was able to catch a Friday night flight to Jeju then connect to Beijing.

After a Saturday layover in Beijing I reached Hohhot on Saturday nite. My accommodation was with www.andaguesthouse.com which is friendly family run Mongolian guesthouse easy to book on Hostelbookers. Their home is Mongolian themed and they offer a selection of tours to the grasslands, Gobi desert, and Great Wall.

Sunday I spent exploring Hohhot City. The hostel will provide a city map showing the landmarks, bus stops and routes from the hostel. The town centre has several interesting temples rich in Tibetan style Buddhist culture.

The Wu Ta (five pagoda temple) is more Indian style with rows of tiny figures carved into the outer wall on all sides to the top. Nearby DaZhao and XilituZhao Temples are more Tibetan style with hanging fabrics, wall art, spinning wheels, and home to communities of monks of all ages. Outside DaZhao Temple is a tourist market filled with Mongolian and Genghis Khan merchandise.

A short walk north of the temples you can see Arabian domes in the distance. The city is also home to a Hui Muslim quarter, who are ethnic Chinese but follow Islam. They have adopted Arabian architecture in their district but the main mosque is traditional Chinese pagoda style except for a minaret.

Outside the mosque vendors sell local mooncakes, a CD sized shortbread outer biscuit filled with raisins, dates, almonds, and nuts. The side streets also have local bazaars selling grilled kebabs, and whole roasted chicken with head and feet still attached.

Monday/Tues I did the overnight grasslands tour with the hostel which was reasonably priced at $40. After driving for over an hour we reached the flat grasslands which stretch across the horizon. Wild horses roam and there are many traditional yurt tent communities.

Lunch was with a local family who made a beef and noodle stew with many other dishes. After hiking and exploring the landscape we saddled up on Mongolian Horses and rode for another hour.

After evening dinner with the family we collected dried cow dung to light a fire at sunset. It was very difficult to light due to the wind and it burns very quickly so no raging fires. However it was an interesting experience as the hosts sang traditional Mongolian songs as we huddled by the fire.

Sleeping was in a traditional yurt tent. Sleeping bags and blankets are provided, and it had electricity for light and to recharge batteries. However, there is no running water so remember to bring an extra bottle for cleaning and some wet wipes.

Watching the sunset it was surprising how noisy it is in the wilderness with the sounds of distant geese and horses grazing. The morning rooster call will awake you at first light. It was interesting watching the moon set on one side of the horizon while the sun rises on the other.

Morning breakfast was again with the host family as we returned back to the city to shower in the hostel. There is an extremely large Genghis Khan Museum of Mongolian History in the city but it was closed on the day I visited. The Baitou Stupa is also a giant monument visible from the plane but only accessible by taxi.

That evening the hostel had arranged a traditional mongolian hot pot dinner with folk singalong. If you can deal with the hassle of getting a China visa from Korea then visiting Mongolia province would be a really interesting experience to have and to share with your friends.

Read my complete blog http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/l ondone7/17/tpod.html