Swishing through mongolian plains

~May 2004~Officially striked off an item from the list of things to do in LIFE when I rode on this stallion on the ba shang plains of Inner Mongolia. After being led on a rope for 200m, I persuaded the guide to let me off and I was galloping like those cowboys. One thing that helped was how the locals tried to lure our horses by racing with us, leading us away from the main ranch and bribing us to pay RM10 if we needed help to get our steeds back. The usual obstinate me would rather die before I succumb to that, forced my good stallion to turn back(he was still attracted to the female equins)...at times when the horsey was obedient and listening, it was glorious hearing the wind whistling in your ears while you try to hieve your butt to the rhythmic gallop. If ever you were to ride, make sure you get these never ending horizons of vast plains, where everything literary shouts FREEDOM. I pledged to go back there in late summer/Autumn to see how tall these grass grew and perhaps to see plains of yellow-brown. Nevertheless, this memorable ride left me with sores on my whole back and butt for days.