Inner Mongolia to Tianjin - Snap shots here and there

We visited some other places of interests as well at IM. We left Hohhot via a night train to Beijing. My first overnight train ride and it was very comfy coz we took the soft sleeper. For more info on the trains, you can check out this website : http://www.beijingchina.net.cn/transportation/train/from-to-hohhot.html  We got our tour guide to buy the tickets for us. Hassle free! From Beijing, we took a bullet train to Tianjin, where we board our flight back to KL the next day. We took some time to walk around Tianjin too.



A replica of Potala Palace (Wu Dang Zhao)



Nestled in the valley of greens, the other buildings of the temple



One of the temple buildings - lots of windows



One of our meals at Inner Mongolia. My favourite dish - cherry tomatoes

This is Rudolph's distant cousin. Not as fortunate as Rudolph. It's a reindeer.



At the deer farm, where they slice off the antlers for medicinal use.

Entrance of Ganges Khan Mouseleum. The pillar is really gigantic compare to the tiny person.

Local craft factory.

Mini keychains. Lots of them everywhere!

Tibetan Temple with katas hanging on robes

Contrasting colours

This guy was working at the railway tracks at the desert. Scorching hot!

Our friend always have time for good looks!

Nicely framed

Trying my hands on potraits

Dinasours at the Museum! Was awe struck!!

Our overnight train from Hohhot to Beijing. That's the walkway.

Having a cuppa in the our little compartment.

It's double deck. Only one person can walk in and out at one time. But the sleeper is comfy!

That's the bullet train. Took the train from Beijing to Tianjin, only 30mins.

This is the Ancient Culture Street at Tianjin. Lots of souvenier shops. And the architecture is like it's name - ancient.

Syrup drawing. Once it is done, the whole shape is lifted up and stuck on a stick. Then we eat it.

This is the famous "Gou bu li" bun. Since it is so famous, we had to try it. But ermm... so-so for me.

Another snack found at the Ancient Culture Street. Didn't try this one.

This is the market near our hotel in Tianjin. Guess what we found at the market - a little dental clinic! The one with the red cross.

Inner Mongolia - The Desert Xiang Sha Wan

It's also known as the Resonant Sand Gorge. It was definitely a "WOW" for me! My first encounter with a desert. Good thing it drizzled the day before. So, it was not as hot as it should be. But hey... still no harm to put on lots of protection, from sun blocks to sun hats to face mask. Was rather surprised and fascinated that there could be so many activities there. Very creative. I had a smashing time here, so did everyone.



Where the greens meets the yellow-browns



A rumbling vehicle that took us further into the activity sites




A mini train station smacked right in the middle of the desert. On the way, you can see some life replicas of the Inner Mongolians' culture. Amusing...




Sand sculpture


 

A lone photographer taking his best shots




Modernisation in the desert



This is like camel trade. Just one of the stops for the camel rides.

Different routes to the same destination - under the umbrellas or brave the sun and get a tan.

Camels in a row. This photo is blurish but I really like it. Took this while riding the camel, at the risk of falling off and got myself feeling nauseous with the bumpity-bump.

Finally, we sandboard our way out of the desert! Kidding! We still had to take the chair lift back to overland.







Inner Mongolia - Xilamuren Grassland

After our "One Night at the Airport", we finally flew out of Dalian and arrived our destination - Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia. We spent 4 days here and had a lovely time at a very good bargain! Our first stop - Xilamuren Grassland. Too bad weather was cloudy with slight drizzle. But here are the pix anyway.




It's a ceremonial welcome. Dip your finger and flick the droplets of wine into the air!

 


Our yurt for the night. Ermm... eerie? ;)





Some more yurts all in a row




The vast grassland, with little white-topped yurts far away

 



Just a variation in B&W :)

 


The main activity at the grassland - horse riding

 


Horsemen galloping away

 


On our way out of the grassland. Behold the gloomy sky!

 











Inner Mongolia - Fly, fly and down

7 adventurers with an average age of 46, excitedly board the Air Asia flight, destination - Tianjin (date 13 Aug 2011). From Tianjin, we flew to Dalian. Since we had another connecting flight to catch, we sweet talked the lady to help us prioritise our luggages. And she generously gave us the first class luggage tags! We arrived Dalian without a hitch. Then the unexpected happened - flight delayed. Ok, we were cool about it. 


We hung around (9.02pm)...

 


Watched around...

  


Entertained ourselves (11.24pm, no sign of flight resuming)



Finally we slept. My bed for the night (12.16am)

  Tips for flight delays:
1. Check frequently with the airline counter to keep informed on the flight schedule
2. Do not leave the airport until flight confirmed cancelled
3. Check with airline whether accommodation provided in the event that flight is cancelled (ours were not provided as it was due to weather condition and not the fault of the airline)
4. Check out airport hotels as these are nearest for you to come back to the airport again.
5. If you have bought travel insurance, make sure you keep all your boarding passes and get the airline to issue a letter on the delay/ cancellation.
6. Find out the first available flight the next morning and queue up early at the counter. Many people would have been affected and the queue would be horrible.
7. Stay calm. :)

Inner Mongolia - at the beginning

At the mention of Inner Mongolia, Dad's eyes will lit up and a big smile formed on his face. It's not once, but several times over ermmm.... maybe 3 years? Last year (2010), it dawned on me that Dad was not growing any younger. So the idea of a family + friends trip to IM was born. Booked the air asia tix during one of the promos.

Fast forward to 2011, and counting down! Yay!! 2 more days to go! There are 7 in our group. Suppose to have 8, but Mum decided to chicken out 2 weeks before the trip. Reason : Acrophobia  . Dad is still going and very excited. Even the Typhoon Muifa didn't dampen his spirit.

Will load more details of the trip when am back - itinerary, contacts, photos and all...

My first posting

Have to put that as a title. When I start having amnesia, I can just search through the titles and know when I started blogging. Yipee!! Finally, I have my own blog. Have been meaning to do this, well, here I am... Just wonder how long this will go on. Will see!