Time for some photos, I think. Here’s a whirlwind look through my route so far – from Lanzhou to Khotan. Enjoy!
Metalworks, Kumbum Monastery
Spinning prayer wheels on the evening kora, Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, 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
Carpet making/Gossip-while-you-weave, Khotan
Bazaar, Khotan, Xinjiang
Run rabbit, run! Bird Island
Taoists in the Mist, Mt Kongtong, Gansu
Storm clouds gathering near Bird Island, Qinghai Lake
A laughing policeman, Maijishan, Gansu
Bazaar 2, Khotan, Xinjiang
Wutun Thangka Painting Monastery, Tongren
Glamourous nomads, Gartse
Cloudgazing, Qutan Monastery
A rather stinky Cormorant Rock, Qinghai Lake
An elderly gentlemen takes a turn around Rongwo Monastery, Tongren
What’s left of Melikewat Ancient City, with the Kunlun Mountains as a backdrop
My first (and very welcome) sight of Mt Kongtong, a holy taoist mountain in Gansu – lots of steps…
Dust storm at dusk, Zagunluk Tombs, Cherchen
Checking for flaws, Khotan Carpet Factory
A Dharmapala Chapel, Qutan Monastery (the images are meant to scare you into being nice)
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
A ginormous thangka, Tongren
Don’t Look Down! Maijishan, Gansu
Maybe time for a few more photos before the rain… Qinghai Lake
Brown-headed Gulls, looking for their next meal, Qinghai Lake
Ghetto Blaster in situ, Ma Bufang’s old house, Xining
Making silk in Khotan. Somehow, this lady made untangling this little lot took easy…
A private prayer spot, Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu
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…
Caterpilar Fungus, anyone? Hezuo, Gansu
A dusty heavenly king, Qutan Monastery
Kunlun jade for sale in Golmud – with the dirt still on it…
And the storm breaks… Qinghai Lake
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 🙂
Pingback: Photographic Evidence, Days 19-40 | Little Yak·