We staycay-ed at a Mongolian yurt in Yishun with…

Not having been to Mongolia, though, I could only assess the authenticity of the experience based on how un-Yishun it felt.

I’m happy to report that once you arrive at the yurt, decked out with colourful flags, right by a little lily-padded pond and engulfed by greenery, you know you’re not in Kansas any more.

The beautiful circular structure comes directly from Mongolia and was a gift from the Embassy of Mongolia in Singapore. Many of its furnishings, like a brightly painted bed, cupboard, table and stools, were made in Mongolia, too. And it’s equipped with all the luxurious comforts you don’t get in a regular tent: Real mattresses, down pillows and the holy grail of glamping – air-con.

Yurt life was certainly enticing, not to mention Instagrammable.

It was rainy on my first day, so in the evening, after the weather had cleared up, Tay and his partner, Kavita Kaur, welcomed me by putting a pot of pasta onto the portable stove to boil.

Tay, who’s led expeditions all over Mongolia as well as in places like Kazakhstan and India, has spent so much time in Mongolia that “after more than 20 visits, you stop counting”.