DUNHUANG, CHINA: THE GOBI DESERT SAND DUNES

The Gobi Desert, which covers 500,000 square miles, is the 5th largest desert in the world. There is a dramatic demarcation between vegetation and dunes where this desert borders Dunhuang in northwestern China:

The contrast is simultaneously jarring and sublime:

After our camel ride, we had a chance to climb the massive sand dunes, which cover 25 square miles and reach a height of over 3,000 feet.:

John and Susan head to the hills:

Okay, what is with the super straight line heading up the dune???

It's the stairway to heaven that everyone is using to get to the top:

Without this rope ladder anchored to the sand, it would be one step up and two slides down:

Even with the help, it was a rigorous climb to the top, but when we got there, the view was lovely--only minimally smoggy--and it was nice to get away from the pushing and pulling of the masses and just look for awhile:

And take pictures, of course. I saw more selfie sticks in China than I've seen in a long time:

Of course, in this quasi-capitalist society, there are always those who are ready to accept your yuan in exchange for another adventure. It looked fun, but we aren't the 4-wheelin' type:

Well, actually, maybe we are, but there wasn't time for an excursion:

Way down below we could see an oasis around a lake. The oasis was named Yueyaquan, or "crescent spring," during the 17th century Qing Dynasty. 

In their 1960 book The Gobi Desert, British missionaries described this view: "All around us we saw tier on tier of lofty sand-hills, giving the lie to our quest, yet when, with a final desperate effort, we hoisted ourselves over the last ridge and looked down on what lay beyond, we saw the lake below, and its beauty was entrancing."

Almost lost to desertification a few decades ago, the lake is slowly returning to its original size, thanks to efforts by the Chinese government.

From our sandy perch we also had a view of Dunhuang, just a few miles away. The greenery in the foreground is the tourist area where tickets are sold and vendors hawk their wares. This doesn't appear to be part of the oasis and must be man-made:

At the top of the dunes you are supposed to be able to hear the "singing sands," a flute-like sound produced as wind whips across the sand. Apparently, it can be quite loud. It was windy on top when we were there, but the sands had laryngitis and remained silent.

The best part of the dunes was going down. 

Tourists can rent a sand toboggan for a adrenaline-filled rush to the bottom, but Bob and I elected to revisit our childhoods and RUN down the hill:

I laughed the whole way down, and luckily I didn't pull any muscles or break any bones:

We decided to walk over to the Crescent Lake:

I love this fence:

There is a map on the side of one of the buildings next to the lake:

Most of the buildings are labeled "Tourist Souvenirs" or "Tea and Drinking":

However, one structure was not built for modern tourists. An aura of time long gone lingers around the 300-year-old pagoda (aka "Yuquan Pavilion")  that looms over the other buildings and faces the crescent spring:

People in authentic period clothing (i.e., orange boots) mill about:

Right next to the pagoda is another ancient structure guarded by venerable ceremonial figures:

There are other structures of unknown vintage, also near the crescent lake:

Time to head back to the 21st century.

I noticed this sign on the way out that read, "With Silk Road Joining Hands with the Whole World Let's Make an Appointment with Dunhuang."  Gotta love Chinglish.

It looks like we're back in familiar territory:

This looks just like the broom I use at home:

. . . and our garbage collectors look like this:

. . . and my sand castles look just like this:

. . . and our shopkeepers look like this:

. . . and I often see camels walking down the street where I live like this:

Yup. Good to be back in familiar territory. 

See ya later, Dunhuang Dunes.