Time for some photos, I think. Here’s a whirlwind look through my route so far – from Lanzhou to Khotan. Enjoy!
And the storm breaks… Qinghai Lake
My first (and very welcome) sight of Mt Kongtong, a holy taoist mountain in Gansu – lots of steps…
Checking for flaws, Khotan Carpet Factory
A rather stinky Cormorant Rock, Qinghai Lake
Bazaar 2, Khotan, Xinjiang
Don’t Look Down! Maijishan, Gansu
Kunlun jade for sale in Golmud – with the dirt still on it…
Bazaar, Khotan, Xinjiang
A laughing policeman, Maijishan, Gansu
Making silk in Khotan. Somehow, this lady made untangling this little lot took easy…
Storm clouds gathering near Bird Island, Qinghai Lake
Wutun Thangka Painting Monastery, Tongren
A dusty heavenly king, Qutan Monastery
Dust storm at dusk, Zagunluk Tombs, Cherchen
Metalworks, Kumbum Monastery
On the road to Sangke Grasslands (quite possibly, the only grasslands in the world where you can ride a horse and then do karaoke), Gansu
Monks washing their trumpets in the Danxia River. They’d both been playing since their early teens and had calluses on their lips (!) from their practise
Snow on the lakeshore at dusk, Lake Qinghai – definitely what I would call ‘brisk weather’
Yellow River (of Rubbish), Lanzhou. This was taken from a pier where you can sit and drink beer (when it’s not raining) – the poor inhabitants of Lanzhou must be really stuck for drinking spots…
An elderly gentlemen takes a turn around Rongwo Monastery, Tongren
Maybe time for a few more photos before the rain… Qinghai Lake
A Dharmapala Chapel, Qutan Monastery (the images are meant to scare you into being nice)
What’s left of Melikewat Ancient City, with the Kunlun Mountains as a backdrop
Spinning prayer wheels on the evening kora, Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu
Taoists in the Mist, Mt Kongtong, Gansu
Brown-headed Gulls, looking for their next meal, Qinghai Lake
A ginormous thangka, Tongren
Caterpilar Fungus, anyone? Hezuo, Gansu
Carpet making/Gossip-while-you-weave, Khotan
Run rabbit, run! Bird Island
A private prayer spot, Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu
Glamourous nomads, Gartse
Ghetto Blaster in situ, Ma Bufang’s old house, Xining
Cloudgazing, Qutan Monastery
Little Yak 
great photos…. enjoying your blog – Bill
Thanks, Bill! Did you and Ruth ever make it out to the far west? It’s totally worth a visit, if you can stand ultra-long car/bus journeys and dust 🙂
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