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In the spring of 2015, I headed to Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country, for my travel. I decided to travel across the country's east region because a number of administrative districts were established under the Mongols in the territory during 14th century, which eventually became the Kazakh Khanate. As this region was under the control of the Mongol Empire for a long period of time, I wanted to travel on horseback in some parts of the territory and taste many different types of Kazakh cuisine in order to try to imagine what it was like to be in the days when Genghis Khan and the Mongol warriors roamed the steppes of Asia on horseback. A Kazakh man named Amanzhol said to me that according to some historic records, Kazakhs domesticated the horse for the first time from around the globe, but I don't know what he said is true or not. However, I believe that at least the people who lived in the present-day Kazakhstan's territory did it. As the steppe begins to bloom with spring flowers and tender grass, my exciting endurance ride on horseback made me joyful, big and strong. My journey was amazing because I was born to a herder family making lives in the nomadic way of life in Mongolia. To tell you the truth, I am addicted to a trip on horseback throughout wide and green steppes. For the journey, I got to experience life on the steppe with half-nomadic Kazakh families, sleep under the stars, join celebratory gala in the night, and travel across the Kazakhstan's countryside with a skilled and knowledgeable support team of the two Kazakh horsemen. Decorations inside the Kazakh yurt are great. A tapestry consisting of a foundation weave, called sogu, the wrap, which accross are passed different colored threads, called mata, the weft, forming decorative patterns is the key decoration of a traditional Kazakh yurt. If you are invited by a Kazakh family, they will absolutely offer delicious Kazakh foods to you. Trying new cuisines is one of the most satisfying and rewarding parts of travel. The historical similarities between Mongolian and Kazakh cuisine are actually quite striking, and both nations traditionally use meat in their meals. Of course, Kazakh cuisine is heavily based on animal products, with seemingly endless varieties of meat and dairy, which completely understandable from a historical perspective, since the nomadic life-style required animal fat to survive harsh winters and spring on the steppe. Actually, Kazakh food derived from a family's herd was often the only reliable food source. From a Kazakh standpoint, the differences between what was eaten solely by the ancient Kazakhs and what may have been transferred at some point from neighboring cultures such as Russia, Uzbekistan and China's Xinjiang is a little vageur. A Similar situation arises with the stir-fries called polaw, kebab and lapsha that are incredibly popular in Kazakhstan but are also just as much an important part of other Central Asian nations' cuisines. You can taste fermented mare's milk and dried milk curds not only in Mongolia, but also in Kazakhstan. Reflecting on my time in the east Kazakhstan region, I have so many unforgettable experiences from going horse riding in the mountains, valleys and steppes, staying in a fancy Kazakh yurt in the countryside, visiting Kazakh families, and eating many different Kazakh food. I am eternally grateful for the support of my two Kazakh guides and the families who invited me for dinner and lunch. This journey was an amazing experience and a great adventure for me. If I win a travel writing adventure to the Caribbean, I will produce notable stories from my trip. This experience, the workshop and the mentorship of professional travel writer Tim Neville will be of significant importance to letting me become a professional travel writer.