Question: Was 42 hours on a train, to and from Inner Mongolia, worth my time?
Answer: Without a doubt!
Last week, eight of us packed out bags and set out for a desert adventure in Inner Mongolia. We opted out of seeing the grasslands and hopped on a 21 hour train to Western Inner Mongolia. Flying would have been ideal but not easy on the wallet.
This was my first overnight train ride experience in China, and I survived, with few scars. Sleeping accommodations were fine. Like everywhere in China, there were a lot of people in a small space. There were six beds in one sleeper. We were all assigned to the top bed in different sleepers, which meant we didn't have a space where we could all fit. Thankfully, some very nice Chinese teachers allowed us to share their bottom bunk. They were playing card games the entire ride, and when the invitation to play with them was extended, I joined. If you're wondering what I learned, here it is: my Chinese is terrible; my Chinglish is also terrible; always have a fluent bilingual friend to explain card rules; I can now play euchre.
We finally arrived in Alxa Youqi, where we were able to get cleaned up, eat and wander around the town. It seemed like the entire community was at the town square dancing, chatting and allowing their children to play. You can imagine that a group of laowai's attracted a lot of attention. We mingled with the locals, played frisbee with the children and had our pictures taken. Picture taking with foreigners is a regular occurrence. I don't look foreign enough to experience this, but I do encounter a lot of confused looks, as if they are trying to figure out where I come from.
In the morning, we packed up the Jeeps and set out for the desert. I was in awe of the desert and the magnificent sand dunes. We drove up and down the dunes for the first day, stopping along the way to throw the frisbee and take in the scenery. We were not alone in the desert; a group on dirt bikes, four wheelers and 4x4s were great company.
Our accommodations, while in the desert, were with local Mongolian families. Their homes are built beside bodies of water that are scattered throughout the desert. I was amazed to see as many lakes/oases as I did. The first family we stayed with had two five year old boys staying with them. These children had so much energy. At first, they were cute, and then they ate candy.. and turned into monsters.
We had a camp fire, where we able to 'party freely'. I brought the supplies for s'mores because a camp fire just isn't complete without s'mores. We made the mistake of giving the children more sugar (marshmallows and chocolate). Hyper kids and fire is not a good combination. Not long after we put out their sticks of fire, we all hit the hay.
Day two was camel riding day. The two boys hopped on their own camels and rode with us. I named my camel Cindy Lou Who. Her humps reminded me of her hairdo. The trek was a lot of fun and worth every moment. I now want to go horseback riding when I get back to Canada.
Family number two had the best meals! Our host looked like Mao Zedong, which is what everyone referred to him as. We were all quite tired at this point, so some of us decided to nap while others went for a walk. I was anticipating a nice stroll, but I somehow was coaxed into climbing up the sand dune that overlooked the property. It was well worth the trek. It is difficult to capture the wonder of the desert in a picture, but the image will always be imprinted in my mind.
Our dinner was 很好吃. We finished off a couple bottles of baijiu and ate like royals. Our hosts started making dumplings; something I've been wanting to try to make these since I arrived in China. I discovered that I am terrible at it but I didn't mind - they were still delicious!
I was tuckered out at this point and I in bed by midnight. This was the first night that I had a decent sleep since we left. The morning brought us another glorious meal (thank you Mrs. Mao). We were also lucky enough to witness their annual camel shearing and goat shearing - so cool! Sadly, this was our last day in the desert and we spent the day driving back to the city. We stopped at several other homes along the way.
The previous night's alcohol consumption didn't do anyone well. One experienced motion sickness and was ill and the others felt nauseated. So, what did we learn this trip?
Baijio + Hot Weather + 4x4 = BAD IDEA!
We arrived at the hotel and took a much needed shower. There were no washroom facilities in the desert, so it was nice to use a western style washroom again. Overall, this trip was AMAZING! The people I traveled with were fantastic, the food was delicious, the guides were hysterical and the weather was perfect.
To recap the itinerary:
-21 hour train ride + 3 hours driving to Alxa
-1 night in Alxa
-1 day of 4x4 over sand dunes
-2 nights in the desert with two different Mongolian families
-1 day of camel riding
-Another day of 4x4 (we omitted our trekking)
-Another night in Alxa
-Back to Beijing on another 21 hour train
I would love to be able to put all the memories into a list but it would go on for ages. If the opportunity to travel to this particular area of Inner Mongolia presents itself, take it!
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| After a few days in the desert, I am super stoked to be back at the hotel to shower! |
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