Mongolia: Inner vs Outer

[exploreout]

Would like to go to either or maybe both but the main goal is learning Mongolian and more specifically the traditional script. Which do you recommend? (or both?)

[bwv812]

I was in Mongolia for three weeks, but the first time I saw traditional Mongolian script was when I left Mongolia and visited Hohhot. They've used Cyrillic script in Mongolia for a long time. On the other hand, I'm not sure how much Mongolian is actually spoken in Inner Mongolia, and how widely understood the script is there (I got the impression that the script was mainly for show, just like the concrete gers and ger-inspired architecture in the city).

[exploreout]

I'm really hoping that it's not just for show and actually has a functional purpose in daily life there. I already speak ok Mandarin and ok Cantonese. I feel like Cantonese was a bit of a waste though.

Which would you recommend though? Or as I mentioned, both or neither?

Do you have any tips on the cheapest airlines to use for this trip with me coming from Hong Kong?

[bwv812]

Haha, I think the word 'expert' is used pretty loosely here. It's more like I know a little about western China and am active here. As for flights, I usually just go by what Google Flights tells me.
https://www.google.com/flights/

Everyone in Mongolia speaks Mongolian, but basically nobody understand traditional Mongolian script. Inner Mongolia is something like 80% Han, and apparently only half the Mongolians there actually speak Mongolian. In urban life I don't think it is used much at all. But those that do speak it are probably likely to understand Mongolian script, which is everywhere since Mongolian is one of the official languages there. So if you're dead-set on learning script, Inner Mongolia would be the place to go.