Yellow river - Bingling Si

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The yellow river looked brown rather than yellow. We took a speed boat to the caves at Bingling Si - a faster mode of transport than Aziza. The scenery became more dramatic as we approached the caves. The rocks stand out in dramatic cliffs on one side of the river with a greener shore on the opposite bank. The recent rain had brought out frogs in abundance hopping on the paths leading to the caves. The caves contain excellent examples of Tang sculptures with faces carrying different expressions and some remnants of paintings. The big Buddha was completely covered by green scaffolding. A highlight of the visit was the ride up to and visit to the monastery. The route was up a muddy track and our mode of transport was a small gas powered open tram/bus. On the way up we spotted a hare and the driver pointed out shapes we should spot in the rocks including a toads head, apsaras, and the shape of the Potala palace in Lhasa. This required "imagination" and made us laugh as we struggled to see the shapes. The monastery was a little ramshackle, but a very friendly monk showed us around and we could enjoy it entirely to ourselves.

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