Camels take a break from the tour groups in the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia autonomous region.[Photo by Meghan Horihan/chinadaily.com.cn]

While transportation, accommodation and most meals were included, toilets in the grasslands were not, in the typical sense of the word at least. The tall grasses would be our restroom, which we let sink in as we explored our surroundings and checked out the yurts we would be sleeping in.

We were warned of the quick drop in temperature, but I don’t think we fully comprehended what that would mean. It was extremely cold, unbearably so at night, even in a yurt filled to the brim with occupants.

With some of these discomforts, we were also rewarded tenfold in natural niceties. The air was smog free and blue skies managed to push away the drizzly weather as we hopped on our horses and trotted through the massive grasslands. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city was a welcomed experience.

You could see stars by the billions that night and getting out of the city to enjoy wide open spaces and jaw dropping sunrise in the middle of Inner Mongolia was in itself worth the excursion. And we still had the next day to enjoy the desert with some sand dune sliding and camel riding, as well as a warmer climate.