Sunday 26 October 2025
It was an early start again to catch the 08:40 train. As we left I snapped our plastic stash of empty water bottles.
We were through the railway security by 07:50 and noticed how the inspection/scrutinisation levels were dropping as we moved east - our mossie spray collection remained unexamined. We travelled across the barren Gobi desert arriving at Zhangye at 12:45.
We grabbed a taxi from the station and were a little concerned that our taxi’s boot didn’t shut once our luggage had been placed in it (a lot of cars have LPG tanks filling half the boot) but we made it to the hotel with suitcases intact.
After some much needed lunch we went to 11th Century Zhange Buddha temple.
It hosts the largest indoor clay sculptured, wooden cored, sleeping Buddha in Asia. He is 34 m long and has a shoulder width of 7.5 m. This is what you first see as you approach the temple. It's only once you go inside you see his full length.
He was hard to capture in a one-r, without distortion, so I hand-made a photo montage. (Yes, I know, JC would have done it far more professionally but you're stuck with me).
I was fascinated by his big toes (the Buddha's, not JC's). And there were beautiful dragons too.
There were a few other halls around, which we believed were original.
I adore Chinese roof decor.
I was interested by a room full of mini Buddhas. We thought they were named after people who had obtained enlightenment but, translating the labels, it turned out they are the names of the sponsor: usually families but I did spot a supermarket who had paid for one.
This was a scary sign - "when thunder roars do not stay here".
We drifted around Zhangye finding a pleasant park. It had been developed with surrounding cafes and restaurants some time back but they obviously didn’t get the footfall and most were closed. So we ended back where we'd lunched, a food market (which China does so well) to grab some supper.
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