Recently I was thinking about the purpose of this website. Giving yourself a specific purpose to take a short weekend away somewhere, I believe, will always add something to your trip. A national day here, solar, lunar or other celestial holiday there — a literary festival in Ubud, Bali, or maybe even a volunteering opportunity. Whatever the reason, having something to base a short trip around is a fantastic way to discover the new and unique.
With this in mind, I got to thinking about a trip I took a couple of years ago in China.
Smiling to mask the pain!
In 2012, I decided to run the Grassland Extreme Marathon (or really half, for sake of disclosure!) in Xiwuqi, Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia. I had decided to participate not just because I am one of those people who finds exhaustion and sore muscle fun — but also because I ran it with a group of others for Operation Smile a wonderful organization which provides free cleft lip/palate surgery to children around the world. Doing something like this for an NGO really does add something to an already amazing adventure.
The journey was not the highpoint but that was more to do with my planning than anything.
The problem is that if you look at a map of China, Beijing to Inner Mongolia does not seem too great a distance. But it is MUCH farther than you expect. Taking the coach the event organizers had arranged was not the brightest idea I have had but the die was cast. (Interestingly enough, a cancelled flight and work in Ordos meant that I would have to do a similar journey a year later. . . )
So taking the coach was much like all coach journeys, boring, tiresome, and the odd stop in the middle of nowhere. The thing is about this part of China is that often roads stretch off into the distance before stopping without being completed. Leading to an 8 hour journey taking somewhere in the region of 13 hours. You definitely get a sense of the vast expanse that is China — but that’s about it. So should you decide to follow this itinerary, catch one of the many flights to major cities in Inner Mongolia daily from Beijing.
Xiwuqi is a tiny town on the edge of the wide expanse of the Mongolian grasslands. Small but very beautiful, it has a gorgeous Buddhist monument overlooking the town square, which entails a very pleasurable hike. The people are as friendly as you can imagine. They go all out to make you feel welcome and are always wanting to take a picture with visitors.
The three day trip that was part of marathon included hotel and food – both more than adequate for this part of China. It also had the option of staying in a yurt the night after the marathon for a party thrown by the local government. Who could resist this?
Now, when I did this there was so much food and baijiu on the go that it was hard to keep up, especially after running. (Since the crackdown on lavish spending, it is hard to believe that it will be quite the same.) Either way, staying in a yurt was well worth it whether you are being plied with alcohol or not.
The grasslands themselves passed me in a sweaty blur. However, when I did take a few moments to drink in my surroundings, they were stunning. You are never likely to see a bluer sky in your life, and the moment wild horses run past you, your breath is truly taken away. Even if you do not do a run, you can get out into the grasslands with ease and take in its beauty.
Honestly I cannot speak of this trip highly enough. The beauty of Asia – especially for runners – is that there are so many out of the way places that hold events to participate in. If you are not a runner there are so many other reasons to take a short trip into the unknown.
If this post has convinced you to unleash your inner masochist, you can learn more about this year’s Extreme Grasslands Marathon here.