OMG- What a highway! To get over a range of mountains this modern highway gains altitude coiling its way through a tunnel inside the mountain!!

And as we emerged from the tunnel we were inside a cloud!

Sadly it was essentially impossible to get photos of anything. It was cool/ cold outside so the windows were foggy and even if you tried to wipe them enough for the camera, they fogged tight back up!

And after bursting out on the other side of the mountain, the highway began a steep descent. At these high altitudes, sheep were grazing on slopes that looked to be at a 40 degree angle.
And now as we dropped down a bit- herds of yaks! chortens! Tibetan temples on the hillside! Prayer flags! As we the bus descended and near enough to see some sheep up close, you could see they had horizontal twisted horns jutting out to each side.

As we dropped yetlower, villages and agricultural fields appeared. And the population was once again Muslim. By their appearance they looked Hui. Women with head coverings and the men wearing either skullcaps or the kind of short flat topped beanie that is usually white, though some are lavender.

And finally are descent was complete as we were once again along the Yellow River.

There were still some Tibetans here and there though.

When we finally got to Xunha, I checked into my room. Luxury!!! An angled view of the mountains. OMG, when you approach the toilet the lid opens itself. (After some discrete interval, the lid closes itself. Bidet with wall controls. OMG! I’d be more than willing to “slum it” in this room for a week and enjoy myself without even leaving!

But, no rest for this old man. I need go poke around and see what this down is like!

Many are electric, although the small white car in the foreground is probably gas, based on the color of the license plate.

With a couple of my Daoist homies

Dinner

BTW, yesterday when I chatted with a few young Hui men as we stood on top of a pedestrian overpass. While we were talking, a group of about a dozen young men all dressed alike filed past. They wore head coverings quite different than the Hui. I later remembered that there are also Sufis here in Linxia. “Dervishes?” They seemed to be some sort of novices or students.

The famous Buddhist site of carved statues known as “Bingling Grottoes” is usually accessed from Lanzhou. But the site is actually much closer to Linxia. so I thought I’d be able to get to it more easily after arriving in Linxia. Well, although clearly you *should* be able to ferry across from a point near Linxia, I ended up on a bus that took me practically back to Lanxhou before then negotiating a cab to take me to the grottoes. There are boats, but I think I was sort of swindled into the cab thing. It was OK though, the driver was nice.

a cool, rainy day BTW!

Even the Buddha is wearing galoshes!

On the one hand, one might consider Linxia to be an off the beaten path, obscure destination. But back in the heyday of the Silk Road, this was an important trading town.
And today? I suppose due to the heavy concentration of Hui Muslims, it is known as the “Mecca of China”.

My focus on this brief trip to China was meant to be more about the people (especially ethnic minorities) and less about “famous landmarks of China”.

Well, on this first day in Linxia there was no shortage of person-to-person interactions!

After checking in to the hotel, I decided to look for some lunch. Down a nearby alley, I saw a “hole in the wall” restaurant and was coaxed inside and encouraged to sit down. The only unoccupied table had not yet been cleaned off. But a middle aged guy invited me to sit with him. What he was eating looked good, so I ordered the same. (I learned the technique of asking for “what he is having” from my friend Marlene!)
It was simple fare, but indeed tasty.

Broth, chicken pieces and yummy square cut noodles. While my bowl was being prepared the cook was chopping up some peppers. The combined aroma tantalized my nostrils!

After eating I took a short nap and prepared a map of about eight places more or less in the neighborhood, that seemed to possibly be interesting. First on the lust was the ‘White cloud temple”. It wasn’t too hard to find, and was an ornate Daoist temple. Having gotten permission to take some exterior photos, I snapped away.

While admiring the temple, a young man came over and struck up a conversation with me. Then he invited me to go sit and drink some tea. Soon there were about six more sitting with us, and we all chattered away. Among other topics, I mentioned that as a young lad I had collected coins. Of course these days in China very little actual cash was used, having been replaced by Alipay and WeChat pay on phone devices. One guy slipped off and returned with 5 or 6 current coins. Nothing unusual or special about them, but I thanked him with sincerity.
Well, in addition to the coins he gave me two tiny, prized shells. They *were* special. So cool!

We all probably chatted for about an hour, but then I apologized that I had to go, and I took my leave.

At the Nanguan Mosque, after asking permission I took some photos. Three young Hui Muslim guys came over to me and we had s long chat .

It was aleady dark by the time I reached the “8 squares and 13 alleys” neighborhood. This essentially is a labyrinth of alleys with lots of shops. Apparently this was the historical locationwhere silk Road traders had met up hundreds of years ago.

Lots of smiles and greetings from people. Then a group oy young Hui women passed. One doubled back and wanted a selfie with me. Soon her friends decided they wanted photos with the weird guy too. Then various iterations of group pics as they giggled away.

OK, super tired. I have a long day ahead tomorrow!

Ah… very relaxing and invigorating! Just what a person needs after tramping around all day!

I am always up for some dumplings! And they had a good supply of my now-favorite soft drink!

Every time I count the dumplings, I get a different number… 16ish

A wild ride in a taxi whisked me along a winding road to the top of Lanshan (Lan Mountain- mentioned in the famous Pere-X videos).
From this elevated spot there is a wide (but hazy) view of the city.

After descending the mountain, I was able to sample the city’s signature dish: Lanzhou beef noodles! I truly love this dish, and yearn for it. I guess a return trip to Lanzhou is in my future!