21 September 1999
My alarm failed to go off, but I was still able to wake up at 06:45. Had more than ample time for the 09:10 train to Lanzhou. In fact, the train was even late by 20 minutes.
Started the morning the next day at 07:30 or so and had complimentary breakfast at the Lanzhou Mansions restaurant. Set out for Wuquanshan Park and purchased a newspaper carrying the story of Taiwan’s devastating earthquake. There is a separate entrance to the cable car station that leads to the top of the mountain and Santaige.
The cable car ride up Wuquanshan was quite scary. Cable car rides have always made me uneasy; as I have the irrational fear that the cables might snap, or the wind might dislodge the car from the cable. Later in the afternoon, I took another cable car ride across the Yellow River to White Pagoda Hill.
Lanzhou is recently notorious for being one of the most polluted cities in China, which probably qualifies it for first place in the world. This is probably due to an unfortunate coincidence of geographical and industrial influences.
25 September 1999
Today was an atypical day; commuted non-stop by bus and train from 07:30 till 23:00. I left Xining at 07:30 for Zhangye and arrived by 17:00. Had a quick meal and then visited Dafosi. When I arrived at Dafosi, the ticket attendant told me that they had closed for the day; but I managed to persuade staff to let me take a peek inside. Ended up having the whole place to myself for 10-15 minutes before a grumpy watchman told me to leave. They didn’t even charge me the entrance fee!
After Dafosi, I had to dash for the 19:09 train to Jiayuguan. The 313 train originated from Chengdu and was heading for Urumqi. Arrived in Jiayuguan and checked into the Railway Hotel.
Set out for Jiayuguan fort at about 09:30 and got there by cab for RMB 10. Initially a lady cab driver asked for RMB 60 for the fort and Overhanging Great Wall, the RMB 10 cab driver exposed her scam and I promptly boarded his cab. The Great Wall was slightly disappointing as I had expected impressive architecture.
27 September 1999
A big sandstorm blew across the vast flatland this morning. The wind howled and visibility was reduced to less than one kilometer for a period of time. Luckily, my train was scheduled for 12:51; so I could wait it out until things calmed down.
Arrived in Liuyuan some time after 18:00 and caught the RMB 10 bus for Dunhuang. The bus drove straight to the Olympic Hotel where I checked in. Barring any unexpected big expenditures, I think I should be able to manage. My other concern was that I was pretty worn out and travel sick. I’ve had enough train rides, bus rides and boat rides to last the remainder of my life.
The next day turned out to be a big spending day after all. Transport to all the sights cost RMB 30, Dunhuang Mogao Caves RMB 50, Mingshashan RMB 20 plus lunch and breakfast at Shirley’s and John’s. The Caves were spectacular but unfortunately photography was not allowed. There were a group of American tourists present and I was able to tag along and listen to the English guide. According to my ticket stub, the Caves are located at the western end of the Hexi corridor and were built in A.D. 366.
Gansu, Jiuquan is now the headquarters of China's aerospace program. The Shenzhou series of rockets were launched in this area.
3 October 1999
Chilly climes in Tianshui greeted me as I stepped out of the railway station. It had even started to drizzle; adding to the cool reception.
The next day I hopped on to the first bus that set out for Maijishan. The bus driver wanted to take a detour to another scenic spot, but I insisted on going to the grottoes and was refunded RMB 1 and dropped off somewhere in the middle.
The grottoes management office had an inane arrangement where tourists had to walk more than 600m to the guide office to see if a guide was available, then walk back to the ticket office and buy a guide ticket. There were also 2 hand luggage offices, where one could deposit cameras and stuff. I complied and left my stuff at the first office, only to discover that there was a second office that afforded some photo opportunities. After touring the grottoes by myself, I went back to the ticket office and complained about the ridiculous arrangements. The clerk called the director who then received an earful of grievances. Finally, I was given a guided tour free of charge.
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