Comments on: Gansu & Qinghai – Part 2 http://equalwings.com/2009/01/gansu-qinghai-part-2/ Ajeet & Ping Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:15:08 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ping http://equalwings.com/2009/01/gansu-qinghai-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Ping Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:49:27 +0000 http://equalwings.com/?p=208#comment-37 The trip to Qinghai and Gansu has been the best so far. It was a good break from the scorching summer heat in Shanghai and away from the concrete jungle. Though the some parts of the journey were tough and sometimes not so comfortable, the scenery that we were treated to especially in Qinghai, made the travels so worthwhile. I remember being awed by the desert at MingSha Shan in Qinghai. Never having been to anywhere near a desert, I was so excited seeing mountains of sand before me. It was hard work walking up the sand dunes. With every step I took, I sank two steps down. The best part was sliding down the sand dune. It took Ajeet a whole half an hour to convince me to try it. I was really nervous and afraid as I looked down the dune but after I slid down, I realized it wasn’t as frightening as I had expected it to be! Visiting Qinghai lake was a real treat. I wasn’t feeling very well that day but after reaching the lake, I forgot about any discomforts. In Gansu, what impressed me the most were the grottoes of Maiji Shan and Mogao caves in Dunhuang. It is amazing how these giant statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas are carved around cliff faces. There are even stairways built around the cliff faces to connect these impressive sculptures. For most of the trip, Ajeet and I ate lots of mutton as it was easily available in these parts of China. Mutton there tasted especially great and helped in keeping us warm. We also tasted fresh walnuts for the first time. The taste of fresh walnuts was so good. It had a mild sweetness to it. We enjoyed it so much that we bought some back to Shanghai. The funniest thing that happened on this trip was that I was mistaken to be Ajeet’s personal translator and guide. When we checked into hotels, the staff would give us the look when we ask for one room with a double bed. And we never really thought much about it till one of them asked if I was a private guide and translator for Ajeet. Both of us could not help but break out into a laugh when we heard that. The trip to Qinghai and Gansu has been the best so far. It was a good break from the scorching summer heat in Shanghai and away from the concrete jungle. Though the some parts of the journey were tough and sometimes not so comfortable, the scenery that we were treated to especially in Qinghai, made the travels so worthwhile. I remember being awed by the desert at MingSha Shan in Qinghai. Never having been to anywhere near a desert, I was so excited seeing mountains of sand before me. It was hard work walking up the sand dunes. With every step I took, I sank two steps down. The best part was sliding down the sand dune. It took Ajeet a whole half an hour to convince me to try it. I was really nervous and afraid as I looked down the dune but after I slid down, I realized it wasn’t as frightening as I had expected it to be!

Visiting Qinghai lake was a real treat. I wasn’t feeling very well that day but after reaching the lake, I forgot about any discomforts.

In Gansu, what impressed me the most were the grottoes of Maiji Shan and Mogao caves in Dunhuang. It is amazing how these giant statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas are carved around cliff faces. There are even stairways built around the cliff faces to connect these impressive sculptures.

For most of the trip, Ajeet and I ate lots of mutton as it was easily available in these parts of China. Mutton there tasted especially great and helped in keeping us warm. We also tasted fresh walnuts for the first time. The taste of fresh walnuts was so good. It had a mild sweetness to it. We enjoyed it so much that we bought some back to Shanghai.

The funniest thing that happened on this trip was that I was mistaken to be Ajeet’s personal translator and guide. When we checked into hotels, the staff would give us the look when we ask for one room with a double bed. And we never really thought much about it till one of them asked if I was a private guide and translator for Ajeet. Both of us could not help but break out into a laugh when we heard that.

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