In the end, our trip was fun, but I would definitely like to go to Mongolia with Matt in the future. (Preferably in the summer when it is warm!) Inner Mongolia is supposed to be just like Mongolia, except that it is part of the People's Republic of China, The government relocated many Han Chinese there, and now only 15% of the population is actually Mongolian. The places we went were overrun with Chinese tourists, which could have to do with the fact that we were there during Golden Week. Or, it could have to do with the fact that it is a place that the Chinese can go to easily that is a little bit different than the rest of China, and hence it is interesting to them. Hopefully in Mongolia, it would be less crowded, less geared towards tourists, and more Mongolian. Still, I am glad that I saw Inner Mongolia.
In Hohhot we went to a Buddhist temple that was sort of cool, but honestly, I have seen countless Buddhist temples in China and this was probably one of the least inspiring. It did have really cool inscriptions in several languages and a map of the stars. Also, it has some interesting hanging plants in the entrance, I think they were what loofahs are made out of, but I am not sure.
Temple in Hohhot
My reflection in a map of the stars
Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian and Urdu all on one temple...very cool
Hanging Loofahs?
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