Of getting lost
Tags: China, Inner Mongolia, Travel
Under the deep blue Mongolian sky
I read that in Mongolia, they had deep blue skies. It is true. It was an intense blue. I crossed the inter-province border from Ningxia to go to a little Mongolian town called Bayan Hot.
Deep blue skies in Inner Mongolia. This is Yanfu Si, A Mongolian temple in Bayan Hot. 
It is quiet here. I met a kindly old monk inside the prayer hall.
I saw a mother and a daughter perform a ceremony here.
They were filling up small cups of Mao Tai (Chinese vodka) and pouring it over this elephant. They offered me a cup too. Lucky elephant!
The prayer wheel
Some frescos
Driving across the Tengger Desert.
A Mongolian shepherd
You can see the crumbling sections of the great wall running through the desert.
The wall forms the boundary between Ningxia and Nei Mongolia.
Crossing the Helan Shan Mountains.
One common character that I find in sparsely populated places is how kind and helpful the people are. They are always willing to give you a lift, share their food, and drink, and often invite you to stay over at their place.