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