The grass was already yellowing in this cool and moist microclimate, while the temperature in the city was still in the high 20s C.

Everywhere we looked, wild herbs and flowers were blooming, filling every crevice, and the strangely shaped cliffs and rocks set our imaginations working.

One cliff in particular attracted our attention.

"That hill used to be among the 10 scenic spots of Hohhot in the early 20th century," Li said. "But when the new list was created in the 1950s, it was dropped and gradually forgotten."

Looking at the impressive form, I would not have been surprised to see King Kong suddenly spring out from behind the rock.

There was a slight mist veiling this virgin-fresh valley, and without any cellphone signals, the area seemed quite cut off from the outside world. We were engulfed by its shades of green, the changing landscapes, and the rippling brook that flowed through it.

It was indeed a very primitive landscape.

Soon, our hungry tummies urged us to return to base camp, where a lamb lunch awaited us in the Mongolian yurts specially erected to receive visitors.

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