Jinquan Hotel Jiuquan

... route to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in a clapped-out small Suziki 4*4, and a couple of English cyclists who, by chance, were headed across to China, before going across it on pretty much the same route and time-frame as me. They are Suzie and Jamie (www.thesolarcyclediaries.com), and I have gone across the desert with them. Currently, I am intending to go as far as Xi'an with them, before making a break for it and going up towards Beijing, whilst they head to Shanghai.

This ...

... Qilian Shan peaks in one direction, the Hei Shan [Black Mountains] in the other; and the Gobi Desert stretching into the forbidding distance.

We visited the so called Overhanging Wall, constructed in in 1539, but restored in 1987.

Monday 19th October:

Drove through the Gobi Desert most of the day towards Dunhuang; the highlight of the Buddhist connection of the ...

... moyenne puisque c'etait le seul encore ouvert au milieu de la nuit. 'You get for what you pay' que le Lonely Planet lui donnait comme description, et a notre grand regret il ne coutait pas tres cher... On ne s'y ai meme pas laves, on a change d'hotel le lendemain matin des qu'on a pu.

Ici, ce qu'il y avait a voir c'est le fort de Jiayuguan, dernier point strategique controle par les empires chinois des siecles passes marquant la fin de la ...

... the trip to Jerusalem during the second Intifada, so I had not expected her to get the jitters. This worried me because it made me think Chinese media censorship meant I was not seeing everything I ought to know about before flying to Urumqi. Added to this, every time I ate in any noodle shop (and I did this a lot because the food was invariably good and the people were always really friendly and talkative) conversation would inevitably get around to Xinjiang. Either because they ...

A quick stop in Jiayugaun (嘉峪关) to see the end of the Great Wall. Driving through the area you can still see the original wall. But the Jiayuguan Fort (嘉峪关城ઌ 4;), 61 yuan entrance fee, has been rebuilt. Jiayuguan isn't anything special, but if your interested in following the silk road it makes a pleasant stop.

... more stunning. A collection of around 494 caves with the most beautiful Buddhist artwork dating back to 600AD. I was surprised by the amount that was still intact, yes some had been restored but still there was so much and so full of colour. One of the caves had a buddha in it that was 35 meters long, his feet were taller than me...he was partly carved and partly sculptured but what a job. It was all very impressive and especially after having read the history of it ...

Not a lot to do except go to the fort and the overhanging great wall. The fort was way overpriced, 100 RMB. The forbidden city in Beijing doesn't cost that much. Well, it was interesting enough I guess and the land scape was very different from eastern China. On the train ride in I woke up to the ...

... down and saw that the oil level was nearly empty. I had never looked at this part of my bike before. No worries, what I lack in common sense and motorcycle knowledge, I make up for in balls and Chinese skills. There was a construction crew nearby. I walked over and asked them if they had any oil. They pointed me in the direction of a gas station, barely visible on the horizon. (Incidentally, the station was on the road I was supposed ...

... oasis where the city stands and the other rocky mountains around. I enjoy the view of these rocky hills as I've never seen any of this kind before. When I write "rocky", I mean, there is no vegetation at all on it, just a few dots of wild weed here and there and that's all. I remain for a while wandering around the hills, off the Wall and enjoy getting lost in them. I finally find my way back down by following a river formed by the melting of winter snow, a very wild and nice spot.

... which is on a cliff overlooking a river and a small replica town. We went down to the town replica to explore what life was like way back when. To get there we had to cross the river on a really long cable suspension footbridge that was really shaky. Agatha was scared to death, but she made it! Once on the other side, we found some giant marble statues of horses and Buddhas and took some pictures with them. We also ...