Hulunbuir Travels: Hailar

In the evening, take the train from Manzhouli Station to Hailar Station, the whole journey takes more than 2 hours. It is worth mentioning that the major train stations in Inner Mongolia are all built with unique characteristics, grand and imposing, suitable for clicking.

I booked Anda Youth Hostel online. The location is quite good. It's not far from the business district and can be walked. Anda's lobby is very comfortable and artistic, and it's nice to just hang out here with nothing to do.

After settling my luggage, I went out to look for food. The lights in Hyrule are really bright at night, and every house is bright and golden, making it look like a city that never sleeps. But it was my first time here, and I didn’t want to eat in the restaurants that are available everywhere. I wanted to try local late-night snacks, so I kept asking passers-by along the road. There weren't many people on the road, but it was very open and bright, so I wasn't afraid.

Gradually we entered a smaller road and finally felt a little dark. But standing on the street, looking at the smoke coming out, I knew there was a barbecue here. I specifically looked at the address: 626th Street. There are many barbecue restaurants with different styles for you to choose from. Although barbecue can be found everywhere, each one is different. The barbecue here is brushed with homemade sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and paired with Hailar beer, which makes you feel tipsy.

The next morning I woke up and had a bowl of millet porridge with beef buns at a nearby breakfast shop.

Because the city is not big, we took a taxi directly to Hailar National Forest Park. It is the only forest park in China with the theme of Pinus sylvestris. When you first enter the park, you don’t feel it is exquisite, there are trees everywhere. There are various kinds of pine trees, and you can walk along a straight path until you get tired of looking at the pine trees, and you will find a bunch of sculptures and a large lawn. There are weasel holes on the lawn. They scurry happily in the tunnel, but they disappear when they get closer.

We walked straight and finally arrived at Birdsong Forest. This is a place that makes me feel very happy, because all birds are not afraid of humans. It seems that only here can all creatures coexist peacefully and live in peace. Walking towards a black and white pheasant, it just continued its original posture naturally. For this reason alone, you must go for a walk in Forest Park.

Genghis Khan Square, is by far the largest square in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and is also one of the landmark buildings in Hailar. Take a walk here to feel the local life and feel comfortable.

When you come to Hailar, I recommend a must-try restaurant - Nomintala Milk Tea. There is a pot of freshly fried milk tea on every table, and then you can enjoy roast beef, mutton or fish. Drinking milk tea and eating beef and mutton is indeed a pleasure that cannot be enjoyed elsewhere.

Since I was alone after leaving Manzhouli, I couldn't eat such a large portion of delicacies, so I had to shamelessly enjoy a bowl of milk tea and a few pieces of mutton from two Beijing girls. In the end, they refused to take my money. Fortunately, I always met kind-hearted people along the way.

The trip was so hasty that I could only briefly appreciate the scenery of Hailar, packed my bags, and rushed to the next stop —Shenyang.