The whole reason to come up this way was to see the (Inner) Mongolian Grasslands, so we began our negotiations with the taxi drivers to see who could take us out there for the cheapest. Because we wanted to stay the night, it was harder to get a good fare because the camp is 40km out of town - but we got a nice driver for Y80 (by the time we got there the meter price was Y120), and soon enough we had arrived at the Jinzhanghan Grasslands. Even though it is a camp set up for tourists it is absolutely stunning, and we got to sleep in a yurt!
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!As we continued on our rather hot journey (note: sunscreen and more water would have been a good idea - but having spent the last year in the China where the sun rarely breaks through the smog, we kinda forgot about sunburn!) we suddenly found ourselves in New Zealand. Well almost. We sat perched on the river bank listening to the echoing baas of thousands of sheep grazing these lush lands, and were amazed as we saw even more herders bringing their livelihoods towards the water.
We made it back to camp after 4 hours in the grasslands that seem to go on forever and fell asleep to heat exhaustion! A few hours from sunset we managed to summon up the energy required for a mission into the hills that surround the plains, where we looked down upon the winding river that had guided us through the grasslands and across to the mountains we had made it to on the day's earlier journey.
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.As night fell the smells of petrol wafted our way, and before long loud speakers signalled the start of the night's Mongolian "traditional" song and dance performance.
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.Adlibing it in a yurt.
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