16
Location: Baotou
After a long morning of fun and play at the orphanage in Baotou, we hopped on three and a half hour bus ride, filled with scenic views of the endless grasslands and mass amounts of cattle. Our bus even had to stop for a donkey crossing (which was hauntingly ironic after trying donkey dumplings as our previous meal). When we finally arrived at our destination, we were pleasantly surprised by hundreds of horses. While waiting for our rooms, we got the opportunity to watch a horse race and some Mongolian wrestling. We also posed for photos for the rest of the audience, as most of them have never seen Americans before. It was as if we were celebrities. We proceeded after that to ride the horses ourselves, alongside the racers and wrestlers. It began to rain, so we checked into our yurts and got dry. The yurts consisted of a satellite TV, a single light bulb, a thick carpet, and six sets of bedding. When we got to dinner, there was music fully blasted and Mongolian performers dancing and singing with the national tourists. They were very welcoming, and a few of us even chose to join the dance party ourselves. The evening ended with a filling meal, forum, and falling asleep to the sound of raindrops hitting the yurt tarp.