Hohhot and the Gobi Desert

We had visions of days spent riding horses in the Mongolian grasslands and sleeping in yurts when we arrived in Hohhot. These were quickly dispelled with the reality that these experiences are best had in the summers months when the grasslands are actually green and the nights are above freezing (they were around 10 degrees F while we were there). So we cut our time there short, but not before we had our first ever camel ride in the Gobi Desert. Nick's camel was a bit feisty (and gassy), and the desert was COLD, but we made the best of it. We also managed to get in a few traditional Mongolian meals, including their infamous salty butter tea (Nick, of course, was a fan....Rebecca managed to put back enough so as to not offend our Mongolian hosts).