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