I put my photos up in multiple locations since I'm planning (hoping) to use all the storage space Google gives me. Here are the different locations where you can find my photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ikimchi/
http://picasaweb.google.com/itamar.china
http://picasaweb.google.com/itamar.india
Also, some amazing photos that Scot took during our January 08 D-Lab trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scotfrank/sets/72157604462902284/
He's good with the camera...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dunhuang, Gansu, China
We're gonna be skipping around on the time axis with these blog entries, since I'm just posting photos as they catch my eye. This set is from around Dunhuang in Gansu province, China. We went here right after finishing our teaching stint in Xining, Qinghai, on the way to the great desert state of Xinjiang. Dunhuang is a famous tourist destination, but was also nice for our journey since it broke the 24 hour train ride from Lanzhou to Urumqi roughly in half.
(Lanzhou is the transport hub nearest to Xining, but is in the next province over, in Gansu; given that Xining is by FAR the largest city in Qinghai, that tells you what sort of wild animal Qinghai Province is. Lanzhou is also notable for at some point being the most polluted city in the world. I actually thought that the meat skewers sold in the Lanzhou market were the best outside of Xinjiang; I hope it wasn't pollution seasoning...)
This photo is of the entrance to the Mogao caves near Dunhuang. The caves have amazing artwork from lots of different periods, starting at 1500 years ago, by multiple Buddhist groups. The fancy entranceway is new and doesn't merit a photo except for the soldiers posing nearby. The soldiers might have been on their way to silencing protests (or general collective self-expression) in volatile Xinjiang province in prep for the Olympics; but at least here they got to have some fun!
Our other major activity in Dunhuang was an overnight camel ride to the desert. We went to the beginning of the dune area so that we would just barely not see the edge of the desert - so though it wasn't far, it felt remote.
Here's our convoy, Natalie in front, Tess following and Stephen's leg just barely visible.
This is a desert.
The wind was howling the whole night so we didn't sleep much in our flimsy tents in the desert. We spent half of the next day vegetating in a nice internet cafe in town. It's like I almost get over my nytimes addiction - and then it starts full force all over again...
Our train out of town was canceled, supposedly because of sandstorms but probably just because people didn't buy enough seats. But finally (I think the next day) we got out of town and made it to Urumqi. It might be politically within China, but it's still completely central Asia...
(Lanzhou is the transport hub nearest to Xining, but is in the next province over, in Gansu; given that Xining is by FAR the largest city in Qinghai, that tells you what sort of wild animal Qinghai Province is. Lanzhou is also notable for at some point being the most polluted city in the world. I actually thought that the meat skewers sold in the Lanzhou market were the best outside of Xinjiang; I hope it wasn't pollution seasoning...)
This photo is of the entrance to the Mogao caves near Dunhuang. The caves have amazing artwork from lots of different periods, starting at 1500 years ago, by multiple Buddhist groups. The fancy entranceway is new and doesn't merit a photo except for the soldiers posing nearby. The soldiers might have been on their way to silencing protests (or general collective self-expression) in volatile Xinjiang province in prep for the Olympics; but at least here they got to have some fun!
Our other major activity in Dunhuang was an overnight camel ride to the desert. We went to the beginning of the dune area so that we would just barely not see the edge of the desert - so though it wasn't far, it felt remote.
Here's our convoy, Natalie in front, Tess following and Stephen's leg just barely visible.
This is a desert.
The wind was howling the whole night so we didn't sleep much in our flimsy tents in the desert. We spent half of the next day vegetating in a nice internet cafe in town. It's like I almost get over my nytimes addiction - and then it starts full force all over again...
Our train out of town was canceled, supposedly because of sandstorms but probably just because people didn't buy enough seats. But finally (I think the next day) we got out of town and made it to Urumqi. It might be politically within China, but it's still completely central Asia...
China: around Guilin
I was looking at some of my photos from China and came across a few crazy ones from the very end of my trip (my final week before returning to Shanghai). By this stage Tess and Stephen were already out of the country, and I was traveling on my own, and with limited time to spare. The end is always the sweetest though!
Here are some photos from a touristy boat ride in Yangshuo, near Guilin in the south. I grew my beard out for most of my time in China - ain't nothing wrong with teaching physics or backpacking when you've got a bit of stubble - so by the end it was something to be proud of. A local college student decided I looked funny enough to be worth showing around for a few days - she's the one who took the photos. Hanging out with her definitely made sightseeing more fun.
In this one you can also see the pretty background:
After you quit crew, you've only got limited means for propelling boats across a lake:
Crazy landscapes...
Evidently the pretty tourist town wasn't quite fun enough - so this club came in:
After a few days in Yangshuo and a night in Guilin, I continued on to the Ping'an rice field terraces. I was planning to hike from the smaller village on the mountainside to the bigger one and thus make all the cool viewpoints in my short time there. I got lost quite often in the walk, was drenched by a few sudden rains, and finally arrived at a family run hostel somewhat after sundown - it was awesome.
The now-touristy buildings in the main village were quite pretty;
And the rice terraces delightfully dreamy.
Here are some photos from a touristy boat ride in Yangshuo, near Guilin in the south. I grew my beard out for most of my time in China - ain't nothing wrong with teaching physics or backpacking when you've got a bit of stubble - so by the end it was something to be proud of. A local college student decided I looked funny enough to be worth showing around for a few days - she's the one who took the photos. Hanging out with her definitely made sightseeing more fun.
In this one you can also see the pretty background:
After you quit crew, you've only got limited means for propelling boats across a lake:
Crazy landscapes...
Evidently the pretty tourist town wasn't quite fun enough - so this club came in:
After a few days in Yangshuo and a night in Guilin, I continued on to the Ping'an rice field terraces. I was planning to hike from the smaller village on the mountainside to the bigger one and thus make all the cool viewpoints in my short time there. I got lost quite often in the walk, was drenched by a few sudden rains, and finally arrived at a family run hostel somewhat after sundown - it was awesome.
The now-touristy buildings in the main village were quite pretty;
And the rice terraces delightfully dreamy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)