One summer ,we ( myself and my beloved better half) suddenly decided to pack our bags and make a trip to Inner Mongolia to watch grasslands in a bid to get out from bustlings of beijing city life and connect nature. So we took a flight to Hohhot the capital of Inner Mongolia also called as NeiMongol Autonomous Region and immediately drove to one of the grasslands of the Genghis Khan Land called Xilamuren . When I stood in that vast greeness I felt as if time came to standstill. The beauty that unfolds before you is so sedate and full of life.

While my beloved goes and sprinkles her sunshine all around happily relishing the openness I gazed at the beauty of the landscape which is alienated from the modern world. It is better I thought at least I am not there for the modern facilities I said to myself.

The breathtaking view of a blue sky kissing the earth , here the silence really speaks to you . The Yurts ( mongolian traditional tents made of compressed sheep wool), rolling hills and lush green grass and the flocks and herds chasing each other ,the white clouds floating above , horse riders at a distance, all these besides contributing to make the scenery a very relaxing one also catapults you to a land of fantasy which makes you question the rat race we are in the city life. The mesmerising view of the endless prairies probably tells that it is a long journey in life.

We were fortunate to be here in summer which is probably the right time to come as winters in Inner Mongolia is very cold and can be very long and understand from our driver that it also has frequent blizzards.The best time to visit is definitely during the traditional Mongolian Nadam festival which we unfortunately missed. We however enjoyed our horse riding to the hilt. The riding trip also gives you a reflection of the nomadic culture persists in this stunningly beautiful land when you are taken to one of the yurts and fed with sheep milk and sweets made of milk offered by a traditionally dressed lady with strikingly beautiful jewellery . We also had lunch in one of the yurts eating traditional mongolian food and the feeling was so overwhelming. I took a quick opportunity to splash my face with icecold water from one of the underground tapes in front of the yurts and I cannot tell how refreshing it felt.

The bonfire in the night will bring you the mysticity element of the grasslands and the music played will be magical. On our way back we also paid our respect to one of the Ao Bao's .( an altar of the grassland Gods). While we looked back at the unending road we could feel the grasslands calling us again.This is one experience we will always treasure when we visit memory lanes.