Lanzhou on the Yellow River
Trip Start
Oct 06, 2009
1
5
11
Trip End
Oct 27, 2009
Where I stayed
Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Friday, October 16, 2009
Lanzhou is an old city which has become very industrialised and parts are quite grim, but other areas are very pleasant. The city straddles the Huang He - the famous Yellow River.
Highlights of Lanzhou:
The fantastic Flying Horse which we saw in the Museum - a marvel.
A trip on the Yellow River on a raft kept afloat with 13 sheeps skins - This was Virginia and Dutti's adventure - Pintoo and I watched from the safety of the river bank!! Well, someone had to take the photos!
A morning spent at the Five Springs Park - just enjoying a stroll and watching the locals having fun, including an amateur opera group.
The Bingling Temple: Thousand Buddha Caves - totally staggering scenery sandstone hills across the dammed part of the Yellow River - looked like Swiss cheese! The caves were carved in 420AD. Many of the caves are now under water. Hundreds of niches of varying sizes where devotees had had beautiful frescoes painted, and statues carved out of the soft rock. A massive and beautiful statue of Buddha. Apparently, the daughter of one of the Emperors of China was on her way to marry the King of Tibet. This route was very much on the Silk Road, and she and her entourage stopped here for some time. She ordered the head of the Buddha to be carved. The rest of the body was carved by local craftsmen in later years.The whole atmosphere of the place was so peaceful and tranquil.
In the evening left for Jiauguan on the overnight train.
![Brave [?] Virginia & Dutti on theYellow River](http://images.travelpod.com/users/krishnad/1.1255686033.brave-virginia-dutti-on-theyellow-river.jpg)
