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