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Published: 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 created, which brilliantly mirrors the attractive surrounding architecture. This lower pool, despite the sweltering heat, still sported a substantial iceberg, which at first sight seemed too beautiful and perfectly positioned to be the work of Nature. The far bank is flanked by a deep channel to receive the excess flow of glacial melt-water in summer, and beyond that was our promenade, with numerous airy and
traditional-style mini-pagodas from which to admire the splendid surroundings.
From here we rambled the very short distance along an unimproved track, past basic housing and a prominent communal “long-drop” privy hopefully but without total success established in the middle of a small patch for cultivation. One imagined that the person who built it was hoping for free fertiliser, but it was fairly clear that many of the neighbours prefer to go “free-range”. The track led us to the Pagoda of the White Horse, “Bai Ma Ta”, erected in AD 384 by Kamarajiva, a monk from Kucha, to preserve the memory of his faithful steed who, its work done, had died here. It was well worth the visit, set amongst nice fields and orchards and, apparently, still a devotional site for a dwindling congregation.
A pre-prandial bottle of “Pinot Noir” was excellent; the only other identifier that we could understand was the BarCode, 6947 1829 01012. Then out to dinner – the bigger the town, the bigger the choice and the greater chance of disappointment. Restaurants were either full (good ones?) or empty, with staff slumped in attitudes reminiscent of the Raft of the Medusa,
Buddhist angel
I think called an Aspara, these creatures fly by means of flimsy shawls of fabric, rather than with wings.presumably waiting for the tourist season and richer pickings. We stumbled upon a Korean Restaurant which was excellent – there was a kind of electric wok on the table and they provided the ingredients for you to cook for yourself, fondue-style, a Korean Hot-pot. Instead of oil there was a broth with mushrooms and various spices, all good fun and seriously first class. Including three beers, barely £4 a head, which is remarkable in such a town (developed like a mini Las Vegas, with a huge and barely-related “strip” along its approaches”. An excellent day – tomorrow we hope to see the famous caves, the Jade Gate and the enormous sand-dunes that border the town itself.
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Caroline
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Delight
Delighted to see Christa's still smiling! An anxious weekend in this house while you were on the great trek to Dunhuang but Sophie let us know when you arrived safely. Bless the dear girl. Love to you 3 xxx