Sloane in Shanghai : Grasslands of Mongolia

In the morning before we left Hohhot! Thought is was a Muslim temple but just a Jewelry store temple was next door.

We looked so silly taking all these pictures. We were not allowed to walk around the temple because our tour guide said we were showing too much skin!

you can see hanging meat almost anywhere in China, even in the grocery store! It is a little weird that it is not refrigerated. They also eat every part of the body and usually serve the whole animal skin and all!

Then we took the bus out to the grasslands! We stayed at a small village with several yurts! The land had horses, chickens, and pigs, so kinda of like an American farm. Our yurts were solar powered and had no heat/air. So it was so cold while we were sleeping. The beds felt like hard boards with thin cotton mattress. Needless to say we were glad we only stayed for one night. When first got there they welcomed us with a shot. You had to hole the shot in your left hand and dip you right ring finger in the shot and throw a drop to the ground, to the sky, and across your forehead. Then we ate lunch in a circular yurt, while the staff serenade! The room was small and the volume on the singing was so loud we couldn't hear each other at all!

Me standing by a yurt!

Dinner!

My roommate Ashley inside our the yurt!

Then they took us and some Japanese tourist went and watched Mongolian wrestling! Which was two men rolling in the dirt with funny jackets on! It was over in about a minute!

We then went horse back riding with was terrifying and exciting all at the same time! Halfway through the ride we stopped for tea! There were small white objects on the table in different sizes, Ashley said they were for tea so we all put them in our tea. Later we found out that it was a type of Mongolian cheese. Gross!!

Kristina and I horse back riding!

prayer flags in the middle of the grasslands!

After are long ride we napped and read in the sunset! We went back to the big yurt for dinner and ended up getting a whole leg of lamb! After dinner the staff made a huge bonfire and put up a strobe light for us to have a dance party! We were the only guest because it was late in the season and no one but the crazy Americans would stay the night in yurt when it was so cold!