Memory of the Dunhuang trip
One of the best memorable trip was the 8 day tour Silk Road Angel Tour, guided by Steven Kang. The group of 6 fit so nicely in a luxurious van offering a good view of the sceneries along the road. With mountains at the north and the south, the route along the valley offers a very scenic view. Impressive also is the miles of wind turbines along the way.
As the only path to the west in the old days of horse and camel travel, there is so much history related to the spread of Buddhism from India. There are quite a few spectacular temples along the way. Dunhuang particularly is famous for all the arts, sculptures of buddhism at hundreds of caves. One person in our group is a Buddhist and I can see the impact on her face.
I like photography and the trip offers beautiful view at Lanzhou of the Yellow River bank at day and sunset, the famous rainbow color landform at ZhangYe DanXia and Grand Canyon, the odd remnants of the broken up Great Wall of China, the gorgeous sand dunes during the camel rides.
The show at the end of the trip is absolutely amazing, I cannot recall seeing anything that spectacular. The hotel choices along the route are very good and the dinners and lunches are excellent, especially when all dishes are shared by all in the group on one table.
This trip should definitely be on the TO DO List for someone who likes traveling, various cultures and photography. If 8 day is too short, adding Xian, known for its Terracotta Warriors would be easy.
Ron Leu
Jan 10 2 from Mi