Day 41

A 420km drive to start the day, which took us out of the region with no international phone or internet access on roads which are drivable but a little uneven.  More of a problem is that they are single carriageway so overtaking slower lorries reduces our average speed, but the local technique of overtaking even if you don't have enough room makes the task easier.

Driving in the morning/early afternoon suits us much better than sightseeing first then driving, so we'll try to adjust the itinery accordingly.

This afternoon we visited the Magao valley caves, also known as the 1000 Buddha caves, which were built between 1500 and 1000 years ago, with refurbishment of some during subsequent centuries. I was sceptical about whether they were worth a visit, especially when the entry cost was £15 each, but seeing the 33m high Buddha in one of the caves was one of those wow moments you remember for a long time.

The caves had been lost for many hundreds of years and were only rediscovered in 1900 when a local man noticed some painting in a small cave on the side of the hill.

The "taxi" that Rachael and Tom are travelling in has decided that he can't cope with the long distance driving despite having 2 drivers and has excercised his right to exit the contract at this town. So this evening Tracy has been assisting them in finding another. After we ate, they went of to the bus station to see if there were any long distance taxis there as the taxis around town were having difficulty working out what price they would be happy with.  We'll see tomorrow what the outcome is.

Lat 40 08.22
Long 94 39.71
Town Dunhuang

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