Ch 12: Where the Sky Meets the Earth

July 11th:

We arrived in Hohhot in the morning and promptly looked for a hotel/hostel to stay in. Sadly there were no hostels to be found the hotels rooms looked like crime scenes. We decided to skip the city and head out into the Mongolian grasslands to live in a Yurt. That's right, a yurt, a tent set up in the middle of the grass lands. The trip itself was roughly 2 hours. We arrived to a chorus of Mongolian chants that sounded to me like Korean but I was assured it was Mongolian. I felt like I was on a Native American reservation. How authentic could it really be? I suppose a trip to Mongolia was the only way to find out- that would have to wait for a future date.

My hessitation was immediately but aside when I looked up. The sky looked and felt very close to me, closer then I had ever scene it. Mixed in the rolling green hills and you don't have to wonder why the Mongolians worshipped the god of the sky- it was something immediate and almost within their grasp. It was almost within my grasp as well, or at least that's how I felt. Watching "traditional" Mongolian dances and eating their food was a great experience. I don't know how authentic it all was but I had a good time. The next morning we went for another ride on Mongolian horses on the plains (they did not run as fast as the ones in Baotao). I didn't mind, the pace was fine with me.