Adlibing our way across Inner Mongolia.
At the border gate we tried our luck at just wandering as far as we could go, but were pretty quickly turned away by a guard - upon further questioning from us, it turned out foreigners weren't able to wander along the road that goes to the first checkpoint. Oh well, worth a try. We did get to see Russia and there were so many Russians around, that we might as well have been there! This is a cool little adventure if you're not paying the Y50 return price for a taxi, but in reality there wasn't much to see except the occasional concrete Russian doll statue.
Though, on the way you do pass a funny Russian Doll park with really huge dolls and painted eggs everywhere!
Adlibing it to the Russian border.
As we've been in China for a while we didn't see the need to go into the Lake Park, so our taxi veered off the main road to the right about 100m back from the ticket booth, from where we got free access to the huge lake!
We spent the next few hours wandering along the muddy/rocky banks of the lake, occasionally dipping our feet into the murky, luke-warm waters, and watching the fishermen cast their nets in search of fish and shrimp.
Dalai Lake is one of the largest lakes in China, so we only managed to walk around a small portion of it!!
On the way back to our taxi we saw a car stuck in the mud - only to find as we got closer that it was our taxi! Why she had come out onto the muddy ground, we have no idea, but lucky for her there were 6 speedo-clad swimmers nearby to help her out.
Just as we were about to head out into the night where the buildings are lit up in a slightly less-tacky way than usual the sky decided that despite 30 degree temperatures and sunny skies during the day it was time to wash the ground. So we ended up having an hour long chat with the girl at our hostel - well, Liv chatted and translated for Adam who occasionally said something other than "uh huh"!
It cost Y20 to get in, which we paid because we wanted to sleep in their yurts (Y60 each), but if you were just coming for a day trip, you could just as easily driver past the entrance onto a dirt road and walk around the grasslands for free.
After getting settled into our 'comfy' canvas portable variety yurt (we chose these smaller ones over the brick ones offered to us first) we set off into the green wilderness. 
Set amongst a 360 degree mountain enclosure, these vast flat grasslands are home to the windiest river in China, which as the day progressed we would cross many times. Next to the river we came across a small hole in the ground lined with dried grass, and in it sat a couple of eggs and a newly hatched chick - we guess out here where there are no trees, you have to improvise.
The further we wandered from the camp, the more locals and their livestock we saw - we sat and watched as a lone horseman herded hundreds of horses as they were almost lost in their own stampede-created dust trail.
At another spot we watched as a motorbike came across the grasslands straight towards us and over the river to where a horse was grazing, put a bridle over its head, and tied the rope to his motorbike and led the horse away - modern-day Mongolian herding!
Back at camp we watched as the sun slowly fell behind the distant mountains casting golden rays across the shadowy plains, and then exploding into a multitude of colours.
The night began with a fire dance of some kind that resulted in two bonfires being lit, which sent sparks off on a wind directed journey into the peaceful night, followed by an hour or so of Mongolian songs and dancing. Some people involved wore Mongolian clothing and we really into the show, and others we just merely there because it was their job to be. The night erupted into a full-on disco with techo music blasting from the speakers, sending the modern Mongolian words out into the otherwise perfectly quiet night.
This morning we woke up and remembered we now had an extra member of our team to carry around. The whole reason we ended up accepting the horse was because we didn't want to offend the family, but we felt even worse dumping something that was obviously special to them. Plus we didn't want any bad lucky. So, we reluctantly wrote Lucy a small note explaining that the gift was too expensive and special and now we will always have a part of the adlibing crew in China!
At the top of the mountain we came face to face with a jagged-edged crater, which we took our time circumnavigating - as from this high vantage point we were able to look out on many other of the 14 volcanoes in the area, the lakes created by the eruptions, and watch the National Park road snaking its way through the forest and lava fields below. 
Down the bottom of the mountain we once again ignored the roped off section of a perfectly good walkway that we had paid perfectly good money for (right in front of a security guard, who couldn't care less), and made our way to the Fairy Palace. The palace was a cave hidden under lava, but funnily enough the entrance was blocked by a steel door when we got there. However, we did get the walkway to ourselves, and got to walk out onto the hardened lava rocks, which spread for miles in all directions.
Back on the road with our driver we asked him to stop at 2 points on the map, which sounded like forests and parks, but turned out to be a few trees on the side of the road?!
The drive continued to be spectacular, as we weaved amongst the trees, and eventually popped out at what in the past would have been a river crossing but now is a lava created dam between lakes 2 and 3, of the 5 that give the Wudalian Chi (Five Big Lake) Area its name.
We stopped here for some photos, and while most other tourists would stop here for lunch of lake fish, we passed, and continued on our way.
In short, the cave was cool but probably not worth the Y40 without the sculptures. Given that we were in the caves for only 15 minutes, we're glad we didn't hire the jackets available, as our merinos did us just fine!
From there we went to the Stone Village, and explored the beautiful green forests that are intertwined amongst huge expanses of lava fields! For over an hour we had the area to ourselves and made our way along boardwalk-like pathways that skimmed the top of the sea of lava that spanned out as far as the eye could see. 
All in all, we're pretty glad we decided to make the 5 and a half hour journey from Harbin to come here (which we're doing in reverse tomorrow) - the effort was definitely rewarded!
The church is a Russian Orthodox church from 1907, with beautiful green domes, old brick work and stunning interior. Inside the ceiling is graced with giant chandeliers that light up the old paint work as well as the black and white photos of Harbin from as far back as the 1800s.
The walk up to Heaven Lake (a big crater lake at the top of one of the peaks and the supposed highlight of the park) that straddles the border of China and North Korea got even less enjoyable when we hit what can only be described as a concrete massacre leading to the top - a huge, imposing, concrete tunnel that scarred the already crumbling mountainside as it snaked its way up.
When we finally made it to Heaven Lake we were at least rewarded with the beauty we'd been expected all morning. Despite the weather up there (in summer it rains here 25 days out of 30), we enjoyed walking along the blackened volcanic rock that lined the lake and sneaking glimpses of the mountains that surround the lake amongst the cloud stricken sky. 
We hung out here having some snacks and gazing into the crystal clear waters, until the chilly wind finally broke what was left of our spirits from the climb up.
We wandered along this route for the next 5 hours, listening to birds chirping, dodging armies of insects - some friendly, some risking a swat - and following the rippling river down the valley. Now this is more like what we wanted to see!!
Along the way we blatantly ignored the roped off sections of the pathway, which would have resulted in us wandering along the road. This turned out to be a good decision on our part, as all the roped off sections were safe and managed to deposit us at our desired destinations, as well as allowing as to have huge sections of the park all to our adlibing selves.
We ended our day walking through the Underground Forest - this forest was almost like back home, with the forest floor covered in ferns. 
At the forest we saw a waterfall smashing its way through a canyon and we eventually popped out at a gigantic crater now filled with towering trees.
We had originally planned to stay overnight in Tonghua, because we weren't sure we'd make it in time for a connecting train, but we did so with not too much hassle at all, we changed our tickets, and were on the train to Baihe under 2 hours later. Just enough time to fill up our bellies!
A couple of stops later the attention was moved even further away from us as a group of deaf friends hopped on the train. With their captivating smiles, laughs and general happy attitudes there were soon pieces of paper floating around the carriage facilitating conversations. When Liv wrote New Zealand in Chinese on the back of one of our postcards, they were absolutely stoked, and this prompted a joyful period of hand gesture-led conversation, and lots of fun!
We took plenty of time to stop and gaze out, and eventually arrived at the highest point where we chatted to a Korean tour group - made up of both North and South Koreans travelling happily together. They even managed to fill us in on some Korean trivia! 
The descent down was so steep at points that the cliff face jutted through the steps - impossible to build steps that steep! At the end we wandered along the river that marks the border between the 2 countries, which at times was only several metres apart - at the most narrow point it is called "one step across" - where Adam debated doing a quick run to the other side, but that idea was put to rest pretty soon when a police officer surfaced! Though it was clear that this wasn't just a normal river - the barbed wire fences on both sides kind of gave that away! 
As Adam was moving over a grassy path a huge snake slithered within centimetres of his feet, causing him to jump back in alarm! Just another piece of adventure for the day! Luckily another couple of people came by to scare the snake further away from the path.
The bus journey from Shenyang to Dandong was really cool - we were expecting it to be quite barren and dry, but it was absolutely beautiful with lush green fields, forests and mountains everywhere!
Our first sight was to walk out onto the Sino-Korean Friendship bridge, that was blown up by American bombs during the Korean War, and now stops abruptly half way across the river, in a tangle of metal. From this end, you can look across at the remains of the Korean half of the bridge - which are now only just columns sticking out of the water. 
While staring across at the unmoving Ferris Wheel, we caught a glimpse of some Korean Soldiers marching along the riverside. There was nothing much more to see really, and the differences between the Chinese and Korean sides are vast. On the Chinese side is a huge bustling city, with skyrises and lots of commotions - on the Korean side people occasionally came into sight, and only a few buildings dotted the hilly landscape.
We ambled through the parks, watching kids to grandmas and grandpas playing hackey-sac, badminton, and even practising tai qi together. Later on we saw a group of people doing aerobics in the train station square, under the watchful gaze of a huge Mao statue. Back to the riverfront - we stopped to watch a live concert, with children playing in an open space in front of the stage, surrounded by the large crowd. Further down, we enjoyed some more music, but this time much more subdued, as a group of friends gathered under a pagoda to play and sing together. A highlight of our night was seeing a new member being welcomed into the informal group - this particular man was standing on the edge joining in, and when one of the group leaders saw and welcomed him in to play with the group. The smile that spread across the man's face as he was accepted into the group was priceless. 
This riverfront scene was enhanced, as people sent lanterns into the dark night sky. These lanterns look like mini red hot air balloons with a flame sending them floating far away.
