getting to the grasslands

Last month I went to the grasslands in inner Mongolia just outside of Hohhot. Getting there was a little more difficult than I expected because I ended up having to do everything on my own- the tour I thought I could do through my hostel was cancelled. I decided that I would just wake up early the day I wanted to go and go over to the bus station because I read that a city bus went to the grasslands. However, I was not looking forward to a 2 hour trip on what might be a very crowded bus….

The next morning I followed through with my plan and ran over to the bus station without eating breakfast (I had tried to order a breakfast at the hostel the night before but apparently 11 hours notice was not enough). When I arrived at the bus station I was immediately approached by 2 small Chinese men that asked me where I was going. I told them over my shoulder. My impression is that most of the guys that walk around the bus stations holding signs or shouting destinations can’t be trusted. Well, they called after me to come back and pulled out a card that apparently had the name of where I was going written in Chinese. They spoke no English. They told me that they could take me to the grasslands and back for 100 kuai in a private car. I was surprised to find myself considering it- 100 kuai for a private car is pretty cheap and it would have saved me a logistically difficult and uncomfortable ride on the bus. I was intrigued, so I told them that I wanted to see their car. On the way out I asked one of the security guards if they were good people, and she just laughed.

On the way to the car, they must have been scouting for other people to pick up because we ran into a young Chinese couple and they immediately identified them as tourists. It turns out that they were also trying to go to the grasslands. They ended up getting in the car, so I got in too. I figured that they could probably help keep the situation safe. There was already an older woman in the car and one of the little men got in to drive.


It was an interesting drive. First off, the mountain range that separates Hohhot and the grasslands is absolutely beautiful. I wish we could have stopped and hung out there for a while and walked around and taken pictures. I thought they were more beautiful than the part of the grasslands that we went to! Some of the hills were quite lush, but then others were rocky and barren. Between the mountains were deep gorges that cut through straight down into the ground. It looked like water should have been running through them but instead they were just full of very green grass.

The drive was also interesting because the guy drove like a maniac. We were on a small winding road with many slow-moving coal trucks on it so he was winding in and out of them. I don’t think they thought I spoke any Chinese until I started trying to find a seat belt and complaining that he was driving too quickly and scaring me. The girlfriend tried to help me with the seat belt but of course it was broken. They told me not to worry and that there was no problem, but in my limited Chinese I think I basically told them that I did have a problem with it, which probably came out a little harsher than I intended. The driver didn’t say anything, but the woman he was with turned around and smiled at me. So comforting.

The driver was pretty prickly. At one point during a slow moving part of the trip, he started yelling at a nearby car and they both ended up stopping and getting out. My driver got out of the car, yelled at two women for a while and then got back in the car and drove off. I had no clue what was going on.


We finally got the grasslands area and the driver went off the road onto a little path. I thought we had arrived, but it seems that it was just a short cut. We approached 3 elderly Chinese people who were standing of the side of the road. The woman was holding a chain that was connected to a large log blocking the road. Our driver gave them a few yuan and the woman pulled the log off the road. HAHA how cool! I caught the moment in the picture below.


Once we arrived at the grasslands, I had no clue what to do. It was kind of just a big open field with a few people standing around with horses. The couple started talking to the people about riding the horses, so I figured maybe I’d just tag along with them. The girlfriend asked me in really slow Chinese, “dooo youuuu wannnttt toooo ridddee a hoooorseee?” I told her I did, and ended up spending the rest of my time with them there. They didn’t speak any English, but they were super nice and patient with me, although I slowly realized throughout the day that they were possibly the vainest people I had ever met in my life. Too bad the guy smoked so much that his teeth were rotting out of his mouth!