A long drive - started about 7am and arrived about 5pm. The drive was very pretty with about 40 tunnels (longest about 13k) and I have no idea how many bridges. The valleys are about 500m wide, very lush. The bridges and freeways are built above the valley floor. It is harvest time. Stopped for lunch and the locals are becoming more Moslem and the beer shops harder to find! Arrive at Lanzhou the first major Silk Road city after Xian. It is huge. Saving gr...

8-10 Aug. Again a 5 hr drive from Yanan to Xian. (The truck belts along at about 85!) Xian is the original capital of China about 220BC. It is a lovely city. About 23 million but thank goodness we only come in close contact with about 1million on a daily basis! Went out to the Warriors of course and it is getting very organised out there with so many visitors. As the Chinese get more affluent they are travelling in a big way. Managed the metro, walked miles, c...

The end of the Long March and the head quarters for Mao. Very much a locals city. In fact they do not have hotels which foreigners can easily stay in. Not a lot there except the huge 'shrine' to Mao and Chinese version of history. (We have ours - they have theirs!).

Off the beaten track. ie the freeway. Drive on very narrow road for about an hour then load into small vans with wheel spans like a golf buggy up narrow roads hairpin corners to our home stay in lijiashan village in the rain. The village houses are largely under ground with only the facade outside. It is largely uninhibited now. Ww were told 1000 but we only saw evidence of under 50. No young people. Kids n grandparents. Worst toilet & bed so far!!! All al...

Staying in Pingyao for 3 nights. It began like the other days 35C and 80+humidity then a lovely cool change on day2 24F then the rain. The city is a lovely pretty city which is just as you imagine an old Chinese city. Cobblestone streets. Lots of little shops, cafés, street stalls and bars. Red lanterns and city walls. I walked as much of the 6.5k as was open. In all a very pleasant stop. The 1st day there when it was hot! we went on a 7 hour tour organis...