Train to Dunhuang
Dunhuang was the major stopping-off point for both incoming and outgoing trading caravans. This area had some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, and the wonderful Buddhist art at the Mogao Caves/Grottos There was no plane to Dunhuang on this day so we took an overnight train. The closest train station to Dunhuang was Liuyuan on the Lanzhou-Urumqi railway line and it would be a two hour automobile ride to Dunhuang once the train arrived.
To the Turpan Train Station for the overnight train that was supposed to leave at 11:15pm, and arrive in Dunhuang (Gansu Province) at 9:24am. There was a very nice waiting room at the train station in Turpan and we hung out with our guide, waiting for the train to pull in. Once on the train, we really lucked out and had all four berths in the compartment to ourselves. This guide gave strict instructions to the conductor where we were supposed to get off. Would have hated to sleep our way to Lanzhou and, at least, he didn't abandon us!
Met at the train station by our new guide and off to the Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel, also known as Sandy Dunes Hotel with its super personnel and good food. Over 300 roomsfilled with tourists constantly coming and going, almost everyone in big groups. The beautiful sand dunes were spread out in front of the hotel with spectacular sunrises and sunsets from the top floor of the hotel.
In the afternoon, we visited the Dunhuang Museum, Singing Sandy Dune and Crescent Moon Spring which included our roundtrip Camel Ride! Camels are such fun and have the most unique personalities. I could watch them all day.
Crescent Moon Lake is an oasis between huge sand dunes (actually a small pond rather than a "lake"). It was the picture-perfect sand dunes that were so impressive, some reaching over 1,500'. You could climb some of them (and it is really hard to climb a sand dune..looks easy...it's not)...others were off-limits and there were all kinds of activities - camel rides which we took and every camel had a number on it to make you got back on the same camel you got off - "dune surfing" - there were "stairs" (a carpet) up one dune that a person could toil up carrying a little sled and slide down from the top (had to pay for that privilege). They also had paragliding - you jumped off the top of a dune with a chute on your back - but we didn't see anyone doing that.
We also visited the small County Museum whch had a few interesting exhibits including objects from the South Pass and Jade Gate Pass. These passes had beacon towers to mark the caravan routes west and warn of invaders. The Jade Gate Pass was the starting point of the Silk Road which ran north across Xinjiang. The South pass was the beginning of the route south.
