Bingling Si Caves

I woke early for coffee by the creek waiting for the rest to awake. After a simple cereal breakfast we set off for Lanzhou, the Yellow River, and the Buddhist caves of Bingling Si.

Crossing the Yellow River (more appropriately brown) we entered a tributary canyon and wove through cliffs carved with hundreds of caves used by ancient monks for prayer and solitude.  There were numerous graveyards and Buddhist headstones as well. The canyon floor was cultivated with terraces of corn.

It was a cloudy day with scattered sprinkles-helped to clean the dust out of the air and cool things off.  We reached the Liujiaxia Reservoir on the Yellow River and checked in to our local hotel. After a quick stroll for lunch we were off the see the caves.

The Bingling Si caves are over 1600 years old, now protected by the lake, UNESCO, and the Chinese government, and accessible only by boats.

We boarded a speed boat that sat ten and headed out across the huge reservoir. Little did we know that it would take 45 minutes to get to the site.

Once landed we walked the paths and catwalks admiring the frescos and carvings. The mountains and the grottos were fantastic with the wind and water carved caves and peaks.

Next we boarded jeeps and drove up into the Yellow River Canyon. We followed the river bed for several miles before reaching a Taoist Temple.  There we met the resident monk who gave us a really nice tour. He spoke very good English.

Another terrific ride back, one hour speed boat ride, an amazing shared dinner, and a full night's rest ended this adventure. Whew!  Totally blown away!

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Travel Day

Today was a travel day. We made breakfast in the parking lot of the hotel and departed around 8am. Once again a beautiful super highway lay before us with the snowy Tibetan Plateau to our west. Miles of cultivated fields stretched out to the horizon. At 5,000 ft elevation it was warm.  It was still desert, but with only short stretches of unclaimed land in between the developed areas. Every, EVERY, city we passed was a maze of cranes and construction. Apartment buildings going up dozens at a time, all within a few feet of each other, it seemed.

We continued southeast climbing finally onto the lower Tibetan plateau after lunch. At 10,000 ft the hills were green and we started to see the first small flocks of sheep and herds of cattle since leaving Kyrgyzstan. It's nice to finally be out of the desert. The temp was a pleasant 80^, and we guessed our camp tonight would be cool.

En route we passed a huge solar farm that must have had a couple thousand panels. Greenhouses started to show up, all facing south and built in a "lean-to" fashion, each having two covers, a clear plastic drape and a second heavier blanket on top of the plastic.

The small villages were a collection of similar designed courtyard buildings, all the same color (yellow or mint green) and all with the same painted border, Tibetan we surmised, although our guide said there was no special significance. Hmmm?  A quick Internet search proved him wrong once again.

Okay, okay...I can hear all of you from 14,000 miles away! 

So...we got off the freeway and began hunting for our LAST bush camp of this trip!  After an hour we settled on our favorite China location-a garbage dump, complete with a brown fast flowing river, :-)

We even had a chance to try out the new toliet commode invented by yours truly.

As a thank you Tao cooked us a traditional China dinner. What do ya know, finally something he REALLY knows how to do. Okay, okay, I promise...last time. This is a trip of patience and tolerance. I will begin that now.  BTW. The meal was really delicious.

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Bonus Time

I've grown to learn that although our local guide is a nice fellow, he is absolutely clueless about most everything we do. He has done a good job of making hotel arrangements but when it comes to directions, he's at a total loss.

Getting back into town we had free time.  In the two and a half hours on my own the following became available:

*  Five major monuments and statues.
*  Several beautifully landscaped parks with water features and gardens.
*  A rehearsal of a local Chinese opera. They were playing in a sculpture garden. The instruments and singing were great.
*  The sculpture garden itself.
*  City Hall-the mayor and his staff were outside taking photos. I stopped to watch and one of the aides came up to me, asked where I wad from and then introduced me to the mayor (who spoke perfect English) and we took a photo together.
*  Botanical garden. The yellow lilies were fabulous.
*  The Dolphin Tower is a meteorological tower in full operation. For $5 I got an English speaking guide, 15 stories up with a panorama of the city, and a whiskey sour cocktail in the bar. 
*  Stopped by a "gentlemen's club" to ask why these clubs all have Santa Claus faces on their doors. Answer:  Santa means a "happy ending" is available. Worry not, I didn't stay.
*  Visited an honest to goodness real (hot damn) grocery store and bought some-OMG-ground Columbian coffee! Not bad for a few hours on my own with "nothing" to do!

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The Great Wall and Western Imperial Fortress of Jia Guan

As promised, our day started with a picnic breakfast at the wall-the wall of the parking lot behind the hotel :-).  We drove the short distance to the historical site and donned our hiking boots-we did a LOT of walking today.

The western wall was built by the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century.   Because the wall here is very low, easily scaled by even a man standing on horseback, and ends abruptly at the top, it is theorized that this portion of the Great Wall was built more to display power and authority more than for protection. In any regard it was quite impressive and for all but one of us, the first exposure to the wall.

Below the wall was the Hobe Temple. We visited the sanctuaries and holy places. The statuary, wall murals, and sculptures were terrific. All over the grounds were hundreds of prayer flags. It was a very quiet and peaceful stop. It was good for the mind and the body to simply enjoy the stillness of this place.

Next we visited the City of Jia Guan and the Imperial Fortress.  Begun in the 10th Century it was uniquely preserved having survived countless assaults over the centuries. We wandered the ancient city and then it's museum before succumbing to the heat and calling it a day.





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Along the Tibetan Plateau

We departed Dunhuang mid morning and headed east for Jiayuguan and the western end of the Great Wall.  The sculpture is of the Fei Tien, Buddhist angels, as depicted in the cave paintings of Mogao. It was so graceful and commanding standing some 80 ft tall.

Our drive paralleled the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Yep, STILL, in the desert. Rocky low rise mountains quickly backed by staggering snow covered cliffs-you can make them out in the distance. We will be skirting the plateau, easterly and then south, for the next few dayd, going up into the outskirts of Tibet just before heading east again to Xian. Excitement lies ahead!

We arrived in Jiayuguan late afternoon.  Another huge city in the desert expanding with major construction projects in every direction.  The parks, squares and boulevards were grand.

The Chinese emperors saw Jiayuguan as the end of the ancient civilized world. Beyond the fortress and Great Wall was barren desert and the barbarian hordes of the west! 

This city was the beginning of what we now call the classical Silk Road. From here to Europe began a system of caravanserai and oases linking the major cities of Central Asia (been there). Caravans of merchants said goodbye to what they knew as they ventured into the western desert in search of new markets.

We arrived too late to do any sightseeing and decided to settle in at our hotel a bit early. So...lots of photos tomorrow. Yeah, no bush camping tonight or tomorrow! 

For dinner we visited a local hot pot restaurant. The selection of fresh veggies, meats and fishes was great. They had a huge assortment of mushrooms-some I had never tasted before. The simmering pot in the middle of the table was shared by everyone. As usual the floors and toilets were disgusting. The food and utensils immaculate. So odd!  It was a unique experience. Similar to San Francisco but different. Ha-ha. Wonder why?

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Dragon Festival

Last night was the eve of the Dragon Festival (great timing again) and we went back to the night market for some more of those amazing Chinese chopped meat sandwiches and 50 cent beer. Roving karaoke vendors were everywhere selling songs.

There were two fellows at the next table and they were having a blast singing and dancing. Well...it wasn't long before Dave, John and I were up there with them, dancing and singing along.

I even tried my hand at Chinese karaoke. Don't know what I was saying but by the size of the local crowd that had gathered, I must have been doing something amazingly grand or amazingly stupid. Regardless of the content it was indeed a blast. Sure hope the video makes it on to the blog! Around midnight-yep, another late one-we all sang Old Lang Sien (didn't spell it right, I know). You just had to be there to appreciate how special the whole thing was!

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Bobbbie Note: There was a two-part video that Tom tried to send; it was probably stripped off in China.

Singing Sands Mountain

 We hit the disco last night after roaming the market eating "I'm not sure what on a stick!"  The place was called Baby Face. It was a basement disco packed with twenty-something's..mostly  guys...dancing to 70's disco.

There were three scantly clad young ladies on platforms. The music was pounding and the strove lights mesmerizing. We mixed in on the dance floor, towering over the crowd, and had a grand time. Back to our rooms just after 2am we attempted to get some sleep. Ha-ha!

9am came earlier than usual and we set off on rental bikes for the Singing Sands. Huge sand dunes, some up to 3500 ft surround a natural spring. This spot was teaming with Chinese tourists riding camels and climbing the dunes. It was hot, we were all hung over, and shade was a commodity!

A few hiked the dunes, the smart ones found a tree, some shade, and a beer. Later we biked back into town. I chose to ride around the old city for a few more hours. A few others arranged to visit a local high school and have an English conversation with some students.

For dinner we went back to the night market for Chinese hamburgers and beer. It'll be an early morning as we head for the Great Wall.

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