25 May 1999
Imagine a spaghetti Western where a cowboy rides into town in the midst of a sandstorm; tumbleweed rolling along the shuttered main street, wind howling as if to warn the weary traveler of unknown danger lying ahead. Yes, I set foot in a frontier town today; Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia.
In my attempt to catch public transport to Dalai Lake, I had almost walked all 6 blocks of streets that make up downtown Manzhouli. I resigned for lunch at the Russian restaurant of Mingzhu Hotel; where cabbage rolls, meat patty with potato mash, pancakes and beer came to RMB 20.
The town borders the ex Soviet Union and a lot of Russians visit to stock up on supplies. I wandered over to Wang Quan shopping mall, where there are a whole range of Russian goods available. Night vision cameras, army watches and Soviet memorabilia were the first things to catch my eye.
Dalai Lake
The next morning I had breakfast at the local bakery and then proceeded to Zalainouer. Getting there by minibus cost RMB 2. I then caught a cab to Dalai Lake for RMB 50. The weather was a bit chilly but it didn’t detract from enjoying the scenery. The lake is supposed to be the largest in Northern China and measures some 2,339 square kilometers.
13 September 1999
Arrived in Hohhot from Datong by the night train. Checked into the Tongda after I was refused entry at the Postal Guesthouse.
Anyway, got up the next day at 08:00 and set out for the Inner Mongolia Museum. Admission cost only RMB 3. Later in the afternoon I rented a bicycle from 14:40 to 16:40 for RMB 1 and biked all the way to Wutasi, Xilatuzhao and the Great Mosque. Back at the hotel I signed up for a grassland tour which promised horseback riding, one night in a Mongolian yurt and camp fire performance for RMB 450.
Our group was made up of 2 Taiwanese and a Japanese student. Getting to the Xilamuren grasslands took slightly over 2 hours. As soon as we arrived we were treated to a lamb slaughtering “performance”. Now that I think about it, the whole trip was a rip off and we were the other sacrificial lambs. At any rate, our lamb ribs lunch was ready and by 13:00 we were prepared for an afternoon of horseback riding. Five hours of riding came to RMB 250.
After the grasslands excursion I spent another few days in Hohhot. During this time I rented a bike and explored the city, went to Naichun Temple and the Five Pagodas. According to my ticket, the Five Pagodas were originally named “Vajira sharil Suburga”. Inside the Pagodas is a stone carved astrological chart bearing Mongolian text.