Sunday June 21 - Father's Day and The Inner Mongolian Steppes

Breakfast in the hotel was the standard Chinese affair - which we haven't yet taken to - soup, pickles, dumplings, and rice, mmmmm, may all be good......but not for breakfast!! So, Ray and I beetled off on a 20 minute walk to.......oh no, KFC! Had a lovely egg/cheese muffin and two cups of coffee, then back to the Truck ready for 8:30 a.m. departure. Today we are "exploring". As we have a spare day, we are heading to explore the Mongolian Grasslands. This is uncharted territory for Dragoman, but we are hoping that since it is a tourist area, we won't be stopped/turned back by the police. The Chinese government strictly controls where we go. Permits are issued to the Truck and our progress is monitored. We are not allowed to visit certain cities and areas. Don't know exact reasons: "political" hot-spots, for example Xiahe due to Tibtan discontent; other not sure. According to the Lonely Planet Guide, China has suffered from increasing rural protests in recent years (74000 riots or demonstrations in 2004) due mainly to land confiscations, environmental pollution, and high taxes extracted by corrupt officials. LP says that "Beijing plans to install special police units in 36 Chinese cities, specifically targetted at quelling riots and disturbances." I guess this is what we experienced in Lhasa and may be the reason tourists are blockd from certain cities/areas. Despite this, we haven't "felt" any of this unrest, and the economic achievement of China, and its flirtation with capitalism is very evident. If it all holds together there is no doubt China will be an incredible force to reckon with - and a "force" that might be fun to be part of. Books such as "The Coming China Wars" succintly outline the author's perception of the "hot-spots", but more of that later. Our route followed through the flat grassland bordered on our left by a ridge of unusual looking hills. They look sandy/muddy, lightly grassy, with scatterings of darker green clumps of vegetation. Frequent service centres, and toll booths. We climbed up on to what looks like a huge "moorland". Probably the true Mongolian Steppe; passed some modern industrial areas spewing pollution into the air. Along the Truck journey, Will opened his "father's day card" which his two daughters had tucked away in his luggage and we all shared his emotion as he read it. As we roll along surrounded by wanton, rolling, grasslands, herds of sheep and little communities of mud houses and terra cotta tiled rooves, I realize that although I am excited by the hustle and bustle, and glitz and glamour of the cities, it is the desolation of some of the rural areas that captures my soul. I day-dream of gallopping across the fields and up onto the crest of the hills on my sturdy Mongolian pony, racing the wind. I think it is the feeling of freedom, abandonment, that mesmerizes me. We arrive at a tourist yurt camp north of Hohot at Cxi Liia Mu Ren Grassland. An amazing open space of rolling grass filled with white yurts. The yurts are rounded huts made of canvas-like material and set up with a low table for eating or sitting at cross-legged on comfy floor mats. Even has electricity for a light. The toilet tent is a concrete structure with smelly squat toilets guarded by the toilet-man who charges Y1 and then gives you a big hand shake after you have been to the loo, and washed your hands. One way of drying your hands, I guess!! He closes up at 7 pm, locks, the door, and disappears. So, talk about "shit"; there is plenty around but I think its mostly horse pooh. The mangy-looking horses wander around free - everywhere, tons of them - some were tied up but most wandered around - with their saddles on. This seems to be a very popular "tourist" area for the Chinese. We went out on the steppe for an hour on horseback; but it was an anti-climax. We walked along sedately, with my knees up to my waist, jockey-style, because they couldn't lengthen the stirrups, totally unable to make our horses do anything we wanted despite a wide range of equestrian ability amonst us. But if the Mongolian leader came up behind your horse, its ears went up, and its whole body became alert. Ant suggested because we were "westerners" they didn't want anything to happen to us. Every other group we passed was "running" along at a good pace, but when we motioned to our guide to allow us to "quicken-up the pace", he seemed either asleep, or trying hard to ignore our pleas. The other Chinese riders were fascinated to see us however, and gave us big waves, and "hellos", as they trotted past us! Very disappointing, but nonetheless, it was fabulous to be out there on the Inner Mongolian grasslands, in the fresh, rather chilly air. The saddles were weird, rather small, uncomfortable wooden structures with a metal semi circular bar as a handle and English style stirrups. The bridles were made of rope and included a bit. We ate dinner in the dining tent around 7 pm, consumed large quantities of beer and even wine which the "women" had finally broken down and bought bored of drinking beer - Y38 a bottle! After dinner, we sat and chatted and listened to music, and some of us wrote our journals, sat taking photos, etc., and finally rolled into our sleeping bags in our yurts.