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Published: January 7th 2011
Jia let me stay in her hometown for about 10 days...it's such a different world here! With a culture of its own, one gets to experience a mix of Mongolian, Russian and Chinese architecture, food and language.
Written while in Chengdu:
Unfortunately, I was really really sick (and still am), especially on the 5th. I thought I was going to die. And it was on Jia's birthday, too.
We saw plenty of snow statues and ice castles. There are mini-cities of snow buildings there!
The best part about Haila'er was checking something off the ol' bucket list of mine. Right before I left for Chengdu, Jia's mom took me to buy a
morin khuur, because she knew I always wanted one! (For those of you who don't know, the morin khuur is also known as the Mongolian horse fiddle, and is Mongolia's national instrument. The
morin khuur gets its name from the carved horse head on top of every
morin khuur's neck. It has quite a long history...and the beauty of it is: its sound is made to mimic the Mongolian friend, or the horse. It has a very, very powerful (and almost melancholic) sound to it.
The plane ride to Haila'er.
The flight only took about two hours.But it's so beautiful...so moving...that I want to cry everytime I hear it.
That was the best 200 dollars I've ever spent in my life. Because I know this instrument it going to play a big role in what shapes me...and makes me.
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