Day 99: (20 August 2011):
- Wake up a bit before the wake-up call. Pack & get ready.
- Meet dad on platform.
- Bus not running yet, so take taxi, only ~8RMB.
- Can’t check-in yet, so refresh, use bathroom, etc.
- 5 star hotel. Nice lobby area. Store bags at reception.
- Bus for the grottoes. Get off in centre of town to transfer.
- After asking, find small street stall. Soft tofu & you tiao, 4.5 RMB for us both.
- Take bus to grottoes. 1hr wait at bus station near train station (this comment inserted later, prob. should be for great wall trip). Easier than indicated on dad’s online search. No walk needed.
- Still 1.5 hrs before open (8:30am).
- Peaceful river. People playing, qi gong, tai chi, etc. Sit & micronap. Write a bit.
- Walked around a shopping area built in old style.
- When open, get tickets.
- Walk through couryard & bridge to new monastery. Some decorations border on the gaudy.
- Monastery on water is quite nice.
- Up hill & to grottoes.
- More impressive than expected. Very numerous. Many outside carvings eroded.
- Some building-like fascades too. Some in surprising good condition due to mud covering from before.
- Some painted mud & straw coverings still visible. Colours dramatic.
- Old pagodas build up cliffs for entrance to 2 caves. Wonderfully painted inside, many statues in cubbies on walls, large Buddha in middle, a few smaller ones too. Another has large pillar & Buddhas.
- Old dam ruins, river mowed by a general?
- Upper grottoes: large buddha exposed from collapsed cave. Lots of small grottoes.
- Small spring of cool water.
- old carved & painted (freshly?) text on cliffs.
- Tasty ice cream from Urumuqi.
- Exit routes visitors through shopping area. Eat liang fen.
- Missed photo of cool carvings on roof on monastery.
- Quick look @ bookstore for LP. None there. Nice automated bag lockers. See same @ other places too.
- Knife-cut noodles in random place. Added some fatty pork & tofu.
- Back to hotel, check-in. Free upgrade to deluxe room: other rooms full due to tour group. Computer for Internet.
- PBR label on bottled water.
- Walk to 9 dragon well. Small gate for collecting money (10RMB?).
- See some foreigners inside. Just a yard with wall & a few steles. Back side of wall blank. Large & pretty, but just 1 thing.
- Walk around & see drum bld.
- Nice traditional blds. Many (gates) falling apart.
- Walk to the new plaza area. Very pretty. Re-building city walls (torn down during cultural revolution) & tear down all old blds inside & replacing with the neo-old style.
- Make note of famous restaurant.
- Beautiful plaza, long concourse, fountains, pagodas on sky bridges, etc.
- Walk to famous temple beside the square.
- Chanting type music playing. First is a very new section. Behind is the older section.
- Beautiful reflection pool item w/ coins.
- Hall with very old statues. Dust is now embedded in paint.
- Pretty pagoda.
- Asked for & found supermarket.
- Kids peeing in streets. The open pants.
- Street stalls & stinky tofu. Red Flag Square. Mini Oriental Pears as decoration on bld. Antenna.
- Supermarket scale broken, no weighed fruit. Ice block ice cream to try. Too sweet.
- Bought some cool fruits. Take bag in supermarket as no more storage (auto lockers & manned desk).
- very cheap crab apples.
- Still a Mao slogan on a bld.
- Nice sunset & sky in evening.
- Went to the noted restaurant & waited in line. Near closing time.
- Very fancy inside, no photos, told after I take some. Even fancier-looking Cantonese restaurant run by same place beside.
- Very good service. Friendly, nice, tell no photo in nicest way. Food was quite good. Shaomai not as good as ones in Beijing.
- Nice-ish view out window. See blds & mountains (day only). Old blds being demolished. Small portion of new construction project visible.
- Issue with blocked toilet. Poor quality, still, in China.
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