China - Gansu- Dunhuang, Mogau, Yumenguan

It was rather confusing as to which desert we were in. En route to Dunhuang in Gansu, the Gobi Desert was to the north of the route we too and Taklimakan Desert to the south. Photo of a Gobi Desert sand dune. We bush camped in the Gobi with the ground at 35degC and by 8am the next morning, it was already 34degC.

Dunhuang was very touristy presumably because of the Magao Caves, generally known as the Caves of Thousand Buddhas. At Mogao, so far they have opened 735 caves. A lot of them have been well preserved and some had been pilfered - especially by foreigners. A lot of the characters and paintings in Chinese legends originated from here - copied from the paintings within the caves. Some examples - lady playing the peipa (strings instrument) at the back of her head and the flying fairies. See Pictures

The next stop was Yumenguan (Jade Gate) about 70km south west of Dunhuang. The significance of this outpost (it was indeed an "outpost" during the silk route days) was the control of the jade trade, and not the silk trade through this gate. Today, only the main building left standing. A few kilometres down the dirt track was what we came to see - the very end of the Great Wall of China, albeit in ruins. LH and I sat on the ruin to take a photo, attached.

It was such a lovely quiet spot, we set up the bush camp there, right next to the ruins of the Great Wall of China. Picture of me setting up the tent with the ruins of the Great Wall behind. After dinner we just sat down to watch the sun set over the Taklimakan Desert with the Great Wall of China a kilometre back. What else could come better?