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| On a trip with MANY highlights, our afternoon spent walking on the hills and grasslands in Hulunbuir was the best moment on the trip. |
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| After our bus ride back from Genhe, we drove out to Hulunbuir where in the summer (when the grass is tall and green) tourists stay in yurts and ride horses. |
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| Haha........this horse looks like me when I try and scratch my back! |
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| We had the entire place to ourselves. |
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| A most romantic afternoon....with great afternoon light. |
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| On our way back from Shi Wei, we got back to Laboudalin and headed to Genhe thinking there would be grasslands there. Nope, the taxi driver we talked to was wrong. But we salvaged our two hour bus ride (each way) with a trip to the Genhe Wetlands. |
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| Originally, it was closed. But with a small bribe (money for cigarettes).....open seasame. |
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| We went to see this reindeer farm. |
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| A couple lives DEEP in the forest in this tent....all year round. |
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| The couple raises reindeer. The reindeer go our and eat at night. During the day they return "home." |
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| I had an apple in my bag and I broke it up and fed it to the reindeers, but surprisingly, didn't like apples. |
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| It was National Day week holiday and the end of summer and the beginning of fall in far north China (or far southern Russia depending on your perspective). Onions and I took a trip to see the trees and grass of the Hulunbuir region. |
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| We had four days in the region....and flew into Hailaer and went to the bus station and took a bus to the town of Labudalin (aka Ereguna) and saw "Asia's first wetland." Not sure why it's the first...but ok. |
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| We didn't have much time, so we simply went to the lookout point. Who says China is packed with people? |
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| The town of Ladudalin just stops and the grasslands start! |
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| The birch tree leaves were in their glory. |
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| This part of the world is the crossroads of Russian, Mongolian and Chinese, with English translation for the tourists. |
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| Russian Chocolate....actually, not so good. |
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| At Labudalin, Onions and I went to the bus station and simply picked the destination furthest away...it turned out to be the town of Shi Wei right on the Russian border. It literally was the end of the road. This is the guest house we stayed in. |
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| Russia (on the other side of the river) as seen from our room. |
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| This little building next to the guest house....... |
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| ...was our sauna/washroom!!!!!! |
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| We ate wolf meat. |
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| On the other side of the river.....the Russian counterpart of Shi Wei |
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| The lonely Russian lookout. |
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| The Chinese counterpart, |
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| The bridge between Russia and China |
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| As you can see, perfect weather and golden sunlight and scenery! |
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| One of the themes of the day was all these statues everywhere.... |
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| A Mongolian yurt, the skeleton covered in animal skins. |
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| And a "teepee" covered in birch bark. |
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| A HUGE statue to most famous Mongolian of them all, Genghis Khan |
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| I thought this was great....in the internet age, here in Shi Wei, how you make a bus ticket reservation! |