Vast grasslands in Inner Mongolia

To fully utilize the week before university starts in Beijing, we decided to travel to the north of China, Inner Mongolia, also known as Nei Mongol. It is the second largest provincial-region in China and is located just under Mongolia. Therefore we were able to experience a broad range of the Chinese-Mongolian culture including the native food and living habits. During the stay in the grasslands, we stayed at a local family farm and our little travel group spent the night in a so called yurt, a traditional Mongolian tent isolated with sheep skin and fur. To stay warm after the sunset we built a fire by using dried up cow dung, as of course no trees or bushes were growing in the vast grassland areas. I cannot recall to have ever seen such a clear night sky covered with stars and the path of the milky way.