Off to the grasslands … the scenery along the way was very nice. More often than not, when we try to capture the scenery on the bus, the pictures turn out blurred and not as grand. Therefore, the best thing to do was enjoy the moment and savour it with your own eyes.

The grassland was not as I had always thought it was. There was no tall green grass that danced with the tune of the wind. In actuality, the grass was really short and due to the current season, the grass was only beginning to turn green. The wind blew continuously ad it was really chilly. On arrival, everyone was offered a cup of white wine as a welcome ceremony. The wine was “lethal”! I think that was the highest percentage of alcohol I had drank in my life. (42% and all in one gulp) I think I teared immediately!

The grassland stretched to the horizon. At least that was something I had imagined! Accommodation for the night was in the traditional Mongolian Tent (蒙古包). After lunch (which wasn’t most appetizing – Food tend to be overly salty, even more salty that in Shanghai), we witness the traditional killing of a lamb, which was going to be roasted for dinner. The dish is called Roasted Whole Lamb (烤全羊). It was actually quite sad watching the lamb die. I guess that is the cruel reality of the circle of life.

We then went horse riding. RMB50 for an hour, and the minimum trip was 3 hours … go figure! All of us picked our horses (or were assigned one) and we were trotting towards a native Mongolian’s house somewhere in the wilderness. A little into the journey, the wind intensified and drops of rain begin to fall. I was so thankful I had ran back to put on my windbreaker before I got onto the horse. The rain got heavier and eventually, I think it was dropping ice drops. It was bloody cold. And the entire left side of my face was numb since the wind only blew from one direction. The initial excitement of galloping on horseback melted away. With chattering teeth and aching buttocks, I wondered how long more the torture was going to be. I was like a refugee, running for greener pastures … haha! At that moment in time, I seriously wondered how people in ancient times rode horses day and night. Like in those period dramas, some horsemen would say that he had rode 7 days and 7 nights, killed 12 horses on the way before he had finally made it back in time. I must say they have butts of steel and legs of metal too.

We finally made it to the native Mongolian’s home. They served the same thing – Milk tea, which was very milky! Sighs! At least the drink was warm! It was definitely a good welcome from the wet and cold outside.

Besides the visit, the 3-hour trip was suppose to include a visit to an Au Bao (敖包) a place where people went to pray. Every time they wish for something, they would throw another stone onto the bao. So, the bao will only get bigger and bigger as time went by. However, due to the unforeseen weather, we headed back instead. The rain had not relented.

I remember at this point in time, Chin Keong and Angela were desperately trying to make their horse gallop like the wind. “Chia! Chia!” Chin Keong kept shouting to make his horse gallop. Even with all the “sey”, the horse did not seem to move at all. It was hilarious watching Chin Keong!

By the time the journey was over, my toes were numb from the cold, my butt was aching from the saddle, and my legs were bruised from the leg rest. Seriously, horse riding is not for the faint hearted! Nonetheless, I admit that it was a love and hate situation. I loved the galloping feeling, but I hated the bitter cold that day.

Due to the rain, we could not do other activities such as wrestling (摔跤), horse racing (赛马) and archery (射箭). The rain continued … while we stayed in doors surrounding a little furnace trying to dry ourselves and keep ourselves warm. It was COLD!

The dinner ceremony was special because we had the Roasted Whole Lamb. As part of their tradition, the whole lamb is only eaten on special occasions and would always be initiated by a Prince and his consort. The Head of the lamb would be cut off and offered to Heaven. The Prince would then drink 9 glasses of wine, and the consort 3. (I think our Prince – Jeffrey and our consort – Jean, drank more than that! They were so drunk after that.) Following that, the fat in the tail of the lamb would be eaten by the Prince. The lamb would then be cut into 8 portions and be eaten by everyone. Concurrently, everyone was offered another glass of white wine. Woo … HIGH! Lucky I only drank 2 glasses that night, if not I sure gone-d!

Since the rain still continued, the usual fire banquet could not be held. An indoor banquet of a smaller scale was held instead. Quite a turn off really! It was like a bad case of KTV, with bad background music. There was only one person there who could sing or dance.

Night 3: A night in the Tent! It was so COLD! With intentions to see the sunrise, a few of us got up at 0520 hours but the sun had already risen. Darn! Back to sleep then!