Along the Silk Road (part 2--Dunhuang and Xi'an) (Oct. 2016)

Tuesday, October 4--After a late departure the night before, we arrived at the train station in Dunhuang at about 10 a.m.  We drove through this Gobi Desert town (which is the cleanest, nicest, most modern-looking city I've seen yet in China), checked into a very beautiful hotel, and then hit the sand dunes, where we rode camels, watched people sliding down the dunes, and hiked to Crescent Lake and the pagodas there.  We could tell that we were re-entering civilization here, as the National Day holiday crowd was much larger than it had been in Urumqi and Turpan.  In fact, the sand dunes (apparently quite a tourist attraction) were packed with people, mostly Chinese (I don't think many Western tourists venture this far, as we seemed to be quite a novelty with our white skin, light hair, and round eyes--attracted a lot of attention and requests for pictures).

When we boarded the bus to leave the dunes, we were given the option of returning to the hotel or going to the night market for dinner and a show.  Knowing that we were going to see a show in Xi'an, and also knowing that Brigg was by now getting sick of our daily Chinese cuisine (and I quote:  "We have dinner for breakfast and dinner for lunch and dinner for dinner"), we opted to go back to the hotel.  From there, we walked around the streets a bit until we found some "food" that would better suit Brigg's stomach.  One of our tour guides told us that they have a saying in China:  "Eat breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a landlord, and dinner like a peasant."  I thought it sounded like a healthy approach to eating, but Brigg is sure they eat dinner like a peasant because they are sick of eating the same thing all day long.  We usually ate in the traditional "Chinese" style:  round table with a spinner in the middle and a variety of dishes brought out one at a time.  The dinner plates are very small--like the saucers a teacup might sit on--and you just take a bit of each dish, eat it, and then spin the dishes around to find something else you want to eat.  As Brigg noted, the meals were usually quite similar, regardless of the time of day:  rice, tofu, a couple of meat dishes (usually lamb and chicken gristle), fish (the WHOLE fish--head, tail, bones, and all), vegetables, and a couple of types of soup (mostly just a tasteless broth with noodles or greens floating around--but once in a while it was pretty good).  I usually found a few things that I liked, including a dish made with tomatoes and eggs that I quite enjoyed, and the tofu was always quite tasty--often a bit spicy.

I know this picture is blurry--a bit of plate-grabbing movement going on--but that red and yellow dish is the tomato/egg concoction that I quite liked.  We had it several times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Urumqi, Turpan, and Dunhuang.

Wednesday, October 5--After an excellent night's sleep (at least I thought so, but I don't really mind a "hard" bed--the Chinese do not, apparently, believe in pillow-top mattresses; Brigg just slept on top of the duvet to give himself a little extra cushion), we took a bus to the Mogao Grotto (alias "Thousand Buddha Grotto") and passed a section of the ancient Great Wall from the Han Dynasty along the way (the most famous sections of the Great Wall were completed hundreds of years later, during the Ming Dynasty).  Do an internet search of the Mogao Grotto, and you'll understand what a treat this was!  These grottos were carved into the mountain along the Silk Road as a religious shrine and contain amazing murals and statues and manuscripts dating back to the 4th century A.D.  Photography was not allowed inside the grottos themselves (all of my photos were taken outside), but the pictures you'll see online will give you an idea of our tour.  Wow!

Oh, and did I mention??? Do NOT travel to tourist sites in China during the National Day holiday!  Check out the crowds and lines (especially the lines in the last two photos)--thank goodness we were part of a tour and therefore had a "skip the line" pass!

We left Dunhuang in the early afternoon and flew to Xi'an, checking in, again, at a very beautiful hotel.  We went from there to the famous Muslim Market, where we really got a "taste" of Xi'an cuisine (click on the pictures below. . . and . . . YUM!!  Now you know why Brigg has lost 15 pounds since we arrived in China!)

But a few of the booths were appetizing--lots of pomegranate juice, nuts, dried fruit (VERY brightly colored!) naan bread, and check out the cotton candy!

But the BEST part of the Muslim Market comes after you walk through the "food court" to the ancient Drum Tower, take a right, and find yourself in a maze of booths known affectionately as the "Fake Market."  You'll find everything from Gucci and Prada to Nike and Northface and even (you guessed it!) Rolex!  (And the prices are excellent . . .)  Of course, I bring you these pictures not without risk--one woman chased me away quite viciously when she saw my camera.

A great evening with my best buddy at the Muslim Market in Xi'an!

Thursday, October 6--After a great night on a soft bed (trust me, it was the main topic of conversation on the bus the next day!) and the best breakfast on the trip so far, we took our tour bus to the Terra Cotta Warriors factory, where we strolled around looking at the official souvenirs as well as some beautiful lacquer furniture--the prices all included packaging and shipping.  I was quite taken with one lacquer cabinet that would be a beautiful piano music case.  I was hesitant, however, because the item would be shipped to a warehouse in L.A., where someone would need to pick it up and pay the duty.  The salesgirl mistook my concern about the shipping, thinking I wasn't happy about the price.  She kept lowering the price . . . and lowering the price . . . and lowering the price . . .

After our time at the factory, we went to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum (did I mention that you shouldn't visit tourist sites in China during the National Day holiday????)

Xi'an is famous for its noodles, and we enjoyed watching our "noodle-maker" before eating our soup! (click on the pictures)

And with your noodles, why not some tentacles?  (Check that one off the bucket list!)

You can't leave Xi'an without sampling the dumplings, and boy, did we sample!  We enjoyed a 12-course dumpling feast (the dumplings were fascinating works of art in and of themselves) prior to a traditional Chinese dance show celebrating the achievements of the Tang Dynasty.  (click, of course) 

And what's National Day without a bit of propaganda, right?

While driving back to the hotel, we passed the beautiful lights on the old city wall (took a picture from the bus window, hence the sticker in the upper corner), which was our destination the next morning.  The views from the city wall are AMAZING, including a beautiful park alongside the river/moat surrounding the entire wall.  The architecture in the city is an interesting, eclectic mix of modern and traditional.  (click on the pictures)

Before heading for the airport, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch buffet at a five-star hotel (but forget the lunch--we also "enjoyed" the best bathroom we had seen for a week!)  Truly an unforgettable trip!