I took Singapore Airlines for S$411.21 and arrived at Beijing Daxing International Airport 北京大兴国际机场 at 6:35 a.m. As the train tickets from Beijing North Railway Station 北京北站 to Hohhot 呼和浩特 were sold out, I went to Qinghe Railway Station 清河站 instead and took the high-speed train to Hohhot East Railway Station 呼和浩特东站. The journey took about 2.5 hours and cost S$33.21.

The hotel had arranged for a travel agent to meet me at the lobby and explain the Grassland and Desert tour in detail. After giving it some thought, I eventually decided to join the two-day, one-night tour, which cost around S$100. The package included transportation, meals and staying in the Mongolian round hut, known as a ger or yurt.

However, there were additional costs along the way. Once we were on the bus, we had to pay another S$100 for entrance to the grassland and a further S$100 to visit the desert. By then, it was clear that this was not going to be a cheap tour.

The local tour guide assured us that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. According to her,  very few tourists would return to the same grassland and desert for a second time. With that in mind, I decided that the experience was worth the cost. After all, some journeys are not about how much they cost, but about the memories they leave behind.

From Hohhot, I took the train to Baotou 包头 for S$9.16. The journey from Baotou to Hailar 海拉尔 by train takes more than 40 hours, and a sleeper berth costs around S$100. Rather than spending so much time on the train, I decided to take the domestic Sichuan Airlines flight for S$196.70. The flight took about two hours, and I arrived in Hailarat 8.40 a.m.

From Hailar, as recommended by the hotel staff, I took the coach to Manzhouli 满洲里 instead of train. The bus ride took about three hours and cost S$8.18. After exploring Manzhouli, I took a train back to Qiqihar 齐齐哈尔 in Heilongjiang Province 黑龙江省.

From Qiqihar, eventually I took the 6 hours ride on high speed train for S$155.70 making my way back to Beijing for another 5 days stay.

This was my 19-day journey through Inner Mongolia and Beijing. It was an interesting adventure involving travelling with high-speed trains, regular trains, local buses 公交车, coaches and domestic flights, allowing me to experience different parts of northern China along the way. The total spending is about S$2,650.