Katherine explores Inner Mongolia's autumn grasslands, models for cash, rides with a cat, and finds hospitality in a rural inn, all while dodging Golden Week.
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Katherine swaps peak-season crowds for an off-season bike tour through Inner Mongolia's autumn grasslands. She stumbles into a paid modeling gig, befriends a clingy cat, and discovers a preserved old house at a rural inn. Along the way, she tastes salty Mongolian milk tea, avoids Golden Week chaos by finding hidden towns, and witnesses desertification prevention efforts. The journey highlights serendipity, local warmth, and the stark beauty of a landscape often overlooked.
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More about the current video:(Published on 2025-10-14)
Katherine's journey through Inner Mongolia's autumn grasslands is a masterclass in finding beauty in the off-season. Instead of lush green meadows, she encounters hay bales, stubble, and fat-tailed sheep—but also a surprising modeling gig. While strolling through a quiet town, photographers spot her and offer 500 RMB for a photoshoot. She spends the next day posing on hay bales in a vintage dress, pretending to read a fake book, all while dodging drones and her own lack of modeling skills. The day ends with a staged horse run, but the best shot comes from a serendipitous encounter with wild horses on a lonely mountain road.
The adventure continues as Katherine and her companion, Asadon, bike deeper into the grasslands. They discover a landscape that blends grassland, forest, and desert—complete with sand dunes being stabilized by a crisscross netting system to prevent desertification. They stay at a rural inn run by a kind woman who preserved her old family home as a time capsule. Inside, traditional kang stoves, tin bowls, and a Little Red Book of Chairman Mao quotes offer a glimpse into the past. The inn also has yurt hotels, though Katherine notes that yurts on concrete slabs lose some of their soul.
Food becomes a highlight: salty Mongolian milk tea with crunchy barley nuggets, a tomato soup with noodle chunks, and handmade moon cakes still warm from the bakery. During Golden Week, they flee to the obscure town of Dualon, where they find a Tibetan Buddhist temple with prayer wheels and stunning architecture—all blissfully uncrowded. A clingy village cat follows them, demanding a joyride. Later, they encounter a yurt wedding venue and a 60th birthday party, and enjoy a local Mongolian dinner of rehydrated beef jerky and vegetables.
The final leg takes them to Blue Banner, where they miss a wrestling match but witness an impromptu bout outside a grocery store. Friendly locals offer turnips and apples, and Katherine reflects on the warmth of the people. Despite the lack of grass, the autumn landscapes, the serendipitous moments, and the genuine hospitality make this off-season trip unforgettable.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
Q: Is it worth visiting the grasslands in the off-season when there's no grass?
A: Absolutely. You get the entire landscape to yourself, see autumn colors, and have unique serendipitous encounters like the modeling gig and wild horses.
Q: How did you get a modeling gig in the middle of nowhere?
A: I was randomly approached on the street by photographers who wanted my 'exotic face' for 500 RMB. I pretended to be a professional model from Beijing and it was a fun experience.
Q: What is Mongolian milk tea like?
A: It's salty and not sweet, but adding crispy barley nuggets makes it delicious. The crunch really brings all the flavors together.
Q: How did you survive Golden Week without a hotel?
A: We biked to a remote town and found a hidden hotel that no one knew about. It was stressful but we managed, and it turned into an adventure.
