The Anda Experience

I was a bit nervous taking this trip into Inner Mongolia. It has been nine years since I’ve travelled by train and I have never travelled to what I thought to be a desolate place.

In my mind, I pictured Hohhot as a desolate outpost much like a town in an American western film. I just pictured Hohhot as having an inn with a restaurant and a bar and a post office with livestock tied to a post in front of a saloon.

Boy was I WRONG! I was caught off guard when I saw wide paved streets w/street lights and cars. I didn’t imagine Hohhot as having a McDonald’s or a KFC. But there they were!

Nevertheless, Hohhot was still a new city to me and I was STILL nervous about whether my host was going to meet me like they said in their e-mail. But all that nervousness disappeared when I saw a young lady holding a sign that said “Anda Guesthouse” with my name on it. I was so relieved.

Getele and her driver took me to the guesthouse. After... more