Blogs from Gansu, China, Asia - page 14

While here in Xiahe (altitude of 2920m) we decided that to get some good photos (hopefully) we'd have to get up early and watch the sunrise over the Labrang Monastery. So we woke up at 6am, which was probably about 90 minutes too early and headed over to the view point to wait for the sun to rise. The sun evenutally rose at about 7:30am and then the sun didn't shine where we hoped it would until close to 9am. But we met some nice Chinese guys with fancy cameras that were also waiting for the sun to rise, so we weren't alone. Once the sun had risen and we took the photos we wanted we completed walking the Kora (pilgrim path) that encircles the monastery then headed for breakfast. After freezing our butts off waiting ... read more

We got to Turpan after four dirty days bush-camping, itching (literally) for a shower. "Turpan is a legendary oasis; its various settlements have long been a stopover on the northern route of the silk road" says lonely planet. I really have to stop hoping for little desert towns, because small & picturesque as that sounds, Turpan's still a big, modern and concrete. It is pretty- the small road from our hotel, next to a school with tons of energetic and cheeky teenagers, was covered by a lattice of grape vines all along its length. People cycle everywhere, and there's a cool night market (I'll get to that). But there's still a 'best food burger' joint just outside the hotel, and neon lights shining bright through the town. Day one was spent at the Jiaohe Ruins, a ... read more

After several long driving days it was nice to have a couple of nights in Dunhang to relax (actually one more night would have been even better). We crossed from Xinjiang province into Gansu province and the difference is noticable in the food and the amount of development. Xinjiang is mostly Uighur and Islamic influence (lamb kebabs, pulled noodles, very little pork, etc). The food now is much more "authentic" Chinese where the default meat is normally pork and the dumplings are different. Also the city of Dunhuang is much larger and more modern than we expected. We went to the Mogao Caves in the morning which were spectacular. The carved statues and paintings on the walls are really something to be seen, and they are very well preserved. No photos are allowed inside the caves ... read more

It is funny how lines on a map can have such a huge effect on the ground. In this case the line in question was the border between China and ex-Soviet Central Asia. Up until then I hadn't realized how much has been destroyed in Central Asia, down to the peoples souls. When you reach Kashgar you discover to your amazement that you only entered Asia after crossing that border and that so far you have been somewhere in between, some kind of weird twilight zone. The Soviets did an amazing job at eradicating a lot of the cultures in their sphere of influence and substituting it with nothing in particular. The former Soviet states of Central Asia are neither here nor there, not belonging to Asia or to Europe. Arriving in Kashgar your senses are ... read more

Dunhuang is a small but ancient and historical city in China's province of Guansu. It is an Oasis city along the fabled Silk Road, leading from the important city of Xi'an (home of the Terra Cotta Warriors) toward the countries of the West. Dunhuang is the half way point from the ancient metropolis of Xi'an to the borders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and India and was an important desert-oasis rest-stop for the travelling caravans of merchants, religious and diplomatic envoys, and adventurers heading to and from China. It is a very beautiful and green city, but is completely surrounded by huge desert sand dunes and larger forboding mountains. Dunhuang has seen its importance rise and fall with the development of more modern and efficient transportation of China's valuable exports of Silk, Porcelain, Spices, Jade throughout ... read more