Blogs from Gansu, China, Asia - page 2

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Asia » China » Gansu » Zhangye March 16th 2018

Well, that did not go as planned. We arrived to the station in good time, no problems at all and it was 28 minutes before departure when we suddenly realised it was the wrong station. Unfortunately, the correct station, the new one, is five miles from the one we had expected to use; the upshot was that we had to run up two flights of stairs, pass through both sets of baggage security, pass through ticket barrier, run through a tunnel, then run up three flights of stairs and then run the full length of the platform. Kevin in particular has had a cold for a few days, and his lung capacity was further affected by the altitude; he was still coughing and breathless 30 minutes into the journey. On a brighter note, it was a ... read more
A modern Chinese train
Pagoda in Zhangye
Home of the Reclining Budha, Zhangye

Asia » China » Gansu » Jiayuguan March 16th 2018

Had an excellent breakfast in our Jinjiang Inn (other travellers do note: despite very moderate charges, this establishment is clean, well-run and a very sensible choice, location is very convenient). We had bumped into a local English teacher last night who had offered to act as our guide, and she turned up as (vaguely) agreed at 10.30 so away we went, firstly to visit the “Wei-Jin Mural Tomb Scenic Spot”. For some reason this is not plugged in the guide books, and our driver had never been there (about 10 km northeast of the town centre), owing to the facts that tombs are inauspicious. The guide would not consider going in, but when we discovered the place it was in the desert, on the edge of the modern cemetery, and had full tourist-related infrastructure. Having paid ... read more
Another replica funerary brick
Western end of the Ming Great Wall
Western end of Ming Great Wall

Asia » China » Gansu » Dunhuang March 15th 2018

A big day today so no breakfast, our guide was here at 08.20 and by 9.00 we were in the theatre of the Dunhuang Caves World Heritage Site pre-visit centre (aka “Mogao Grottoes”). The place was packed, maybe 300 people? Visitors are limited to 3,000 per day, to protect the site. The first film was very Chinese, lots of violence and horses thundering around, but it gave a picture of life as it would have been since the period of the Warring States. We then all moved to a planetarium-style theatre, where you seemed to be moving through a series of the actual caves as the art and history was explained (headphones for English translation); a “virtual reality” experience as if one had super-powers to get close and personal with lofty ceilings etc. An excellent introduction, ... read more
Roof timbers
The Buddha Cave
The beacon tower

Asia » China » Gansu » Jiayuguan March 15th 2018

No breakfast (or lunch) but an early start to Dunhuang station, which is modern, clean and beautifully ordered. The train was on time and we had 3 berths in a 2ndHard Sleeper for the 4hr journey to Jiayuguan; they were airy, comfortable and very clean, brilliant; and there was a very tempting restaurant car, which only Maghnus sampled (Kevin and Christa wolfed the fruit supplies instead). Tickets were about £12.00 a head; toilets and all facilities in admirable condition. BTW, that water beside the Jade Gate yesterday would have been the Shule He (river) which helped to feed the former extensive lake and marsh of Lop Nor, the atomic testing site in the 1960s. Sadly, Lop Nor is nowadays almost completely dry due to water abstraction upstream, but in its day it was key to the ... read more
To make the desert bloom
Melt waters, viewed from the train
Part of the Great Wall of China

Asia » China » Gansu » Dunhuang March 13th 2018

After a very lengthy day and a few hours sleep, got up to discover that our very nice hotel does not normally serve breakfast; but very kindly something special was provided – good coffee, some tea, white bread, jam, cakes and slices of spam. Very thoughtful but not quite what we had become used to enjoying. Set off to explore the town, which is beautifully clean, very smart and attractive. We crossed the river and walked up the other side to admire the extraordinary use that has been made of a flow that must be intensely seasonal. Ninety per cent of the width has been equipped with a weir which feeds a wide, very shallow basin, inset with artificial islands connected by stepping stones or walkways; after a second weir a deeper, receiving pool has been ... read more
The scratch breakfast!
Buddhist angel
An iceberg below a weir, Dunhuang

Asia » China » Gansu » Dunhuang March 12th 2018

A brief outline of the dull bit: arose as planned at 05.20 for 06.00 start, to travel 475 miles, estimated 15hr journey. Went straight to bed on arrival, climbed in at 05.18. No breakfast, lunch or dinner at all! Pretty stressful day. However, we travelled through amazing scenery. The first section, via Miran, Donglik and Bashkorgan to Huatuguo, led first across a lengthy plain, seemingly pure white sandy desert but in the dark! In daylight we began to climb through beautiful, warm, rounded bare rock mountain scenery, with a mostly frozen river trace running beside us; in summer it must be spectacular, flowing in full flood. We climbed to reach 7,500 feet by 1pm, where there was a police throatpoint. The scene at that point, sadly, beggared belief – the filth and chaos was simply indescribable, ... read more
There are 250 lorries in this line
Open-cast quarrying near Bashkorgan, Xinjiang
Oil wells near Huatugou

Asia » China » Gansu » TianShui May 18th 2017

Travels with my Xiong di...Hidden Gansu...The God of Fire & Immortal Cliffs Grottoes. We met a grizzled old man by the road past Maiji Shan who raised a wizened finger and pointed..."that way." "The immortal shows the way with lamps" we had heard. He had no lamps that we could see...but a smell of paraffin and coal dust...closest thing to an immortal in these parts we thought. So that way we went...winding up narrow roads without sides...twenty kilometres...meandering as if following the crooked finger of the grizzled man. Then Robin stops the car and we climb ancient steps...600 steps as it turned out...past broken dwellings...climbing through a forest that reeked of ancientness. Through a moon gate...a long sweeping cliff overhang with temples as if sheltering from sun or rain...the leaves from the trees whispering no more. ... read more
Immortal Cliffs Grottoes mountain
West Immortal Cliff
South Immortal Cliff

Asia » China » Gansu » TianShui May 4th 2017

Travels with my Xiong di...Maiji Shan...the carved mountain the Cultural Revolution forgot. On a movie set...one is captured by two dimensional landscapes, urbanity or whatever from past or present on picture boards...setting the scenes the camera dwells on to carry you away with the script. But when one looks behind the picture boards there is a different world. China to me is like that...the glitz of the well known sites teeming with tourists and souvenirs...so beautifully and grandly presented...the backstreets oh so different. Then there is Gansu...a province like no other. One feels you are well behind the picture boards...in a world that time forgot. There is a dryness...a silence...a feeling of isolation...the old Silk Road long gone...yet solitary reminders of an exotically spiritual past...like Maiji Shan. When the barbarians.... read more

Asia » China » Gansu » TianShui April 14th 2017

China with my Xiong di...Paradise road to Maiji Shan. After Robin returned to China following his visit to our Sydney home, Robin's offer "I will drive you" haunted my dreams. So I entered uncharted territory and contacted him in email exchanges: "Robin, you said you would drive me to Maiji Shan. Were you serious?" "Yes. I will drive you. You come and I pay." "How about in two weeks...and I pay?" "I will meet you at Xian Airport and we will then decide who pays." My guts squirmed...imagination screamed...excitement turned from gas to solid. Never done this before. I got on a plane to China to travel with Robin. Stepping out to pursue a dream from a black & white photo in a 1950s China book...photo to reality...talk about stepping out. ****** ... read more
The Bell Tower
Welcome to Xian
Cave Dwellings

Asia » China » Gansu » Langmusi August 4th 2016

Hi All... We visited Namo Gorge today which is at the back of the Sichuan Monastery so we had to buy another ticket. We were lucky in that we caught some of the monks saying their mantras and banging drums, playing the trumpets and banging cymbals. But unlike the Gansu monastery, where we were encouraged to walk around the temple, we couldn't go inside but just look from the doorway. The walk to the gorge goes past some caves and goes along side a small stream for a way. It's easy going, pretty flat, in fact the hardest thing was avoiding the horse muck and litter, no one seems to care about the litter everywhere. I had to reposition myself for some photos because of the rubbish in the foreground. It doesn't distract from the beauty ... read more
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