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