If you can't go to Mars, then let's go to the volcano

The moment I got in the car, I knew this trip would blend both "crazy" and "gentle" into my days 🥳! The "swish swish" sound of the wheels rolling over the road felt like a countdown to the "Volcano Adventure"— ✅️ The "Prehistoric × Interstellar" double celebration on the volcano As soon as I stepped into the dinosaur area of Wulanhada Volcano Geological Park, a giant long-necked dinosaur shadowed me 🦕! Their brownish-yellow skin was warm from the sun, and their necks bobbed up and down as if greeting the clouds. I crouched behind a cracked dinosaur egg prop and deliberately poked my head out of the shell’s opening. The travel photographer laughed and snapped the shot: "This is the 'Jurassic little monster' hatching scene!" Nearby, mini dinosaurs wagged their heads and tails, brushing against my pant legs with a "prehistoric warmth." I couldn’t help but reach out to touch their rough backs, as if I was really feeling the winds from millions of years ago 🌪️. Turning around, the astronaut sculpture sitting on the "moon" made me scream even louder! The silver-white spacesuit gleamed dazzlingly under the blue sky, and the helmet glass reflected big fluffy clouds. I rushed over and "bumped helmets" with it. In the moment my friend captured, it looked like the astronaut and I really high-fived in space ✨. Walking on the black volcanic rocks toward the crater, even knowing the "erupting flames" were special effects, my heart still raced at the sight of the towering orange-red blaze. I crouched down to touch the texture of the volcanic rock; its roughness seemed to hide the roar of ancient volcanic eruptions. I quickly asked the photographer to freeze this frame of "a human cub bravely exploring the volcano." Looking at the photo now, I can still smell the "adventure scent" in the air back then 😆. ✅️ Saihantala City Grassland: Chewing the night of the grassland into sugar Chasing the sunset, we headed to Saihantala in Baotou. As soon as the car entered the grassland, the dusk wrapped us like a blue velvet blanket 🌌. Just stepping out, the wind was filled with the scent of fresh grass, a hundred times softer than the hot volcanic breeze during the day! Walking deeper along the wooden boardwalk, stars popped out one by one, shining so brightly I could see the light on my eyelashes. The distant Mongolian yurts glowed with warm yellow light, like someone had spilled a jar of honey on the grassland 🍯. Suddenly, I heard rustling in the grass. Looking down, a few little grasshoppers were climbing up the stalks, shaking their transparent wings. It reminded me of chasing fireflies on summer nights in the countryside when I was a kid. The photographer asked me to stand in the middle of the boardwalk, framing both the yurts and the starry sky. Just as he clicked the shutter, the wind lifted my dress hem. Later, when I saw the photo, I realized that night’s wind had embroidered the word "freedom" into the fluttering folds of my skirt 💨. ✅️ Chileju Hotel (Saihantala City Grassland Branch): Swallowing the travel fatigue into a gentle haven After playing until my feet felt like they were "welded" to the grassland, I reluctantly made my way back to Chileju Hotel. The moment I opened the door, the warm air wrapped around the soft bedding and greeted me 🥰. I collapsed onto the bed with a "plop." The mattress was so soft it felt like sinking into cotton candy, even my hair strands were whispering "comfortable"! The carpet felt sticky and soft underfoot. Sitting by the window, I could see the night deepening over Saihantala. The streetlights cast fragmented shadows of trees, like someone had sprinkled silver sugar crystals on black velvet. The next morning, sunlight woke me up. I found the cartoon carpet by the bedside smiling right at me 😊. Pulling back the curtains, the Saihantala grassland was gilded by the morning light, and the wind carried the scent of fresh grass again, this time mixed with the aroma of milk tea from the hotel breakfast. Suddenly, I understood: the best travel photos aren’t just about capturing scenery 📸, but about blending the volcano’s wild imagination, the grassland’s gentle night, and the hotel’s warmth into every breath—just like now, looking at the album where I’m cuddling with dinosaurs, "high-fiving" the astronaut in space, and laughing under the grassland stars with squinted eyes. That’s the best part of this trip: it made both "crazy" and "gentle" into candies 🍬 that light up my days whenever I think of them. (Whispering, now every time I see a volcanic rock ornament, I remember the heartbeat I felt stepping on the volcano that day; smelling fresh grass makes me want to walk again in Saihantala’s night—this is probably the most magical power of travel photography, turning moments into lifelong memories 💖~)