May 14

Today we started another gorgeous morning in Huhhot, after our five star breakfast, all 21 of us and our tour guides loaded the bus.  Enroute to the herdsman’s home, we experienced many more rough roads of Huhhot. The scenery along the way was very different then what we have grown used to seeing in China so far. Many fields were in sight as farmers were busy planting their potatoes, with equipment comparable in size to that used in the 1960s. We also drove through the blue mountains on narrow roads which seemed almost unreal, seeing many animals along the way including Angora goats. Once past the mountains, we reached the rolling hill and pasture land of the herdsman, comparable to western South Dakota. The climate was very comparable as well, windy and temperatures ranging from -30 to 90 degrees throughout the year. 

Once at the village of Yurts we partook in drinking the local milk tea. The locals drink the tea to help get their daily vitamins and to settle their stomachs. It was very interesting because we also got to add millet and sugar to the tea. Along with the tea we got some local cheese, cookies, and butter. The village was also home to many animals including horses, sheep, and chickens. One interesting fact we learned is that they don't have identification for their animals; they just know whose they are by the way they look. The exception is horses as they get a brand on their hind quarters. The home is very popular for tourists in the summer when people from south China come to visit. All of the village Yurts are booked for June, July and August.               

We left the farm with the Yurts and headed up the hill to the local temple.  The local people use the temple to pray for good weather - mostly rain.  We each took a rock to place at the temple and walked around the stone structure 3 times before putting our rock on the structure.  We were told this would make our dreams come true! 

We left the temple for a tourist place where we were served a traditional roasted Mongolian Lamb dinner. We started with vegetable dishes, then progressed to pork and chicken dishes culminating in a fully roasted lamb. This was served with 2 sauces. Very delicious! We were greeted by Mongolian singers who blessed our arrival and lunch with song. We left the lunch area and headed to another tourist attraction that included seeing local animals, and participating in Mongolian activities. We built a hut, played tug of war, tried our hand at archery, and so much more! We ended our visit with a traditional milk tea and Chinese cookies - they tasted a lot like pretzels without the salt. 

The group ended the day with a two hour drive back to our hotel in Huhhot, and another great meal. 

 Cows

 

 Lamb lunch

 

 Planting potatoes

 

 Roasted lamb

 

 Yurt

 

Yurt building