This Part 2 of the Inner Mongolia trip took a little longer to write than expected because I have been highly distracted at work and on weekends. And also because the adventure in the Singing Desert was a lot more sedate than our time in the grasslands. The desert tour was organised very much like a theme park with the various stations – quad bike, camel ride etc. And we were herded around so there wasn’t much running off or trying something funny. We tried to con the quad bike folks into letting us do one person on each bike but nothing worked. Darn.
So here are pictures of the fab rides we had:
1. Quad bike
Me and Chen Ann. For 2 mins, we thought we succeeded in getting one quad bike each but no go.
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| Yes, the driver had his leg crossed the entire time and he was driving like he was on some kiddy ride. |
2. Camel ride
It was a very leisurely ride and the camels were so calm and almost stoned. I actually sat on a camel in Egypt and that was a very fidgety and pissed off camel who tried to bite at my ankles at every chance. It was also much taller than the Inner Mongolian camel so sitting on it was way scarier.
3. Four-wheel drive
A bit thrilling but over too quickly. Mega ate sand here. And in case you are wondering what sand in Inner Mongolia tastes like, its fine but crunchy, with a touch of pepper and salt.
4. Sand sliding?
This was the most fun! Each of us sat on the flimsy board and used our hands to balance our way down. I think I almost flipped (in my mind la) a few times and I had to keep shouting to myself (in my mind again) “Right! No no… left left! SHIT! Should have learned how to drive”. Don’t know why that popped up but in that short but felt like long way down, I could only keep thinking how if I only knew how to drive, I wouldn’t have any of these motor issues.
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| That's me! Do you see the panic in my body language? |
The sand sliding episode, albeit short, was probably a good life lesson for me. There is no way but down to the goal so I should get my ass on the board and do it. The road is super bumpy and there is danger of flipping at every turn, but once I get the hang of it, I can probably steer my way down the road somewhat safely. The adrenalin is keeping me going and I am sure, when I hit the end of the road, the sense of achievement of doing so without killing myself will stay with me for some time. And hopefully I end with a flourish (without falling on my face)!
Anyway, that was the perfect end to a great break.
As the first China hol since I got posted to China, this trip is unforgettable. For one, it reminded me again how much I cannot tahan hardship (don’t know why I even doubted that about myself); how much fun one can have in a great group; and the limitless possibilities of China. Am so looking forward to the rest of the 3 years here!
Xoxo,
Tracy
P.S. As I complete writing this post, we are planning the next holiday to Guilin! Woo hoo…
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| Pursed lip = no sand in mouth. But I forgot about the other crevices.. |
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