Sunday, May 07, 2006

Day 247 - pedalling to Dunhuang

Start: Akesai, Gansu, China
End: Dunhuang, Gansu, China
Distance: 79 km
Time: 3'43"
Avg: 21.4 k/h
Max: 40 k/h
Total: 11,537 km
Total riding days: 136
Riding hours: 0730 - 1230

Where in the world?


Ashgabad?

Agra?

No, it's Akesai (Aksay), Gansu. One of the most interesting places I've seen in western China.

The whole place has been knocked down (assuming, that is, that there was a place before) and replaced with a monumental avenue in Sino-Islamic (i.e. white tiles + pointy arches) style, crowned at the western end by a towering, Taj Mahal style mosque.

It looks particularly good in a sandstorm, when the sky turns custard-yellow just before the sand hits.

They have a nice statue of some geese, too.

The ride to Dunhuang was flat, downhill (you know what I mean), and easy.

Posted by a blogger at 05:56

6 comments:

  1. When I was in Japan about 2 ish weeks ago, hard to give extact time I'd been drinking. We had a couple of days where a wierd yellowish cloud hung around. When it came down over night it was really fine yellow sand more like chalk dust sand and looked just like your picture. The news/ weather blokey said it came from China. My japanese however is only good for getting into trouble, it does not extend to advanced geography.

    Nice pictures, will read the rest when I get back from my turn on the perpetual wheel of industry.
    ReplyDelete
  2. Carl,

    Interesting you should mention the yellow sand. I was washing my car yesterday, and I noticed that the car was covered in fine yellow dust. Like, noticably yellow.

    It adds some credibility to the Japanese folk who tell me the reason for all the haze in Japan is coz of the sand from China.

    I always thought the "sand from China" just was a lame excuse for too many people, cars and factories crammed into too small a country.

    - Rob
    ReplyDelete
  3. Carl,

    Interesting you should mention the yellow sand. I was washing my car yesterday, and I noticed that the car was covered in fine yellow dust. Like, noticably yellow.

    It adds some credibility to the Japanese folk who tell
    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr. Thompson if you have a car why on earth are you taking that "half baked bike" on a trip like that?

    "Take the car" mark my words somewhere near out bongo-bongo you'll say or think (god damn wish I'd listened and taken the "beep" car instead of this quality but slight under done "beep" half baked bike!)

    Also my sand was in Kochi which is further from your bit I think your and more up north and west?
    ReplyDelete
  5. Mmmmmm.

    Baking.

    Edward, any good bakeries where you are now?

    - Rob

    PS Carl, your words have been marked. Expect the expletives not too long after I've left Pusan in Korea.
    ReplyDelete
  6. good point food time

    Bye!
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)