Friday June 19 - Zhongwei to Yinchuen (217 km)

A lovely long lie, a relaxed morning just puttering around the play-park watching people zip line, sand-tobagan, the camels and the horses....and of course the Yellow River. Had lunch around 12:30 pm and left. The day started out chilly and hazy but by the time we left it had warmed considerably, the sky cleared, and the sun was strong and warm. The desert park is just outside Zhongwei on the edge of the Tengger Desert where the dunes, the river, and the fertile plains meet. It is based around the Sho Po Tou Desert Research Centre which was established in 1956 to fight against "desertification", a big problem for China, in China's northwest. It has now become a desert amusement park and is very commercialised. The rafting was quite gross. For centuries apparently, the main mode of transport on the Yellow River was the "yangpi fazi" or leather raft made from sheep or cattle skins soaked in oil and brine and inflated. About 14 hides are tied together under a wooden framework making a raft that can carry 4 people. I was happy to give that a miss, it just seemed somewhat grotesque to me! We drove into Zhongwei located between the Yellow River and the sand dunes. It seemed a very modern town built for the future. The road system was massive, with wide avenues and separated highways that would put an American city to shame, but no cars....yet!! The potential for car sales in China is huge and giving the car manufacturers enormous appetites. They do have some electric cars here, but it is said that dealing with the batteries causes more pollution than using petrol!! The same thing is true of some of the highways, huge, modern, but no traffic. Also beautiful big modern service centres, but no gas, and many centres were all locked up. We are suspecting, but not sure, that government has built these facilities, but because there are no "users" they don't have the money to maintain them - at least to a standard we would consider acceptable. Its really a shame. Beautiful structures, roads, plazas, buildings, not maintained and soon they are falling apart. You are tripping over loose tiles in the pavements, and stumbling in the pot holes. Not sure what the city's liability insurance would be like!! In Zhongwei we visited the Gao Temple. This was originally built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1655) to serve Buddhists, Confuscians, and Taoists. Now it seems more Buddhist, but it is still a mix of styles; small temples joined by narrow wooden stairs and passageways, in part very quaint and picturesque. Then there is the old bomb shelter which was built during the cultural revolution and converted into a Buddhist "hell/haunted" house containing a series of dark, barely lit tunnels off which there are little chappels of ghoulish Buddhist figures on sensor lights which come on as you approach complete with sound effectsand haunting screams. You want to believe the temple is religious because it is so picturesque, but you are left with an uncomfortable feeling of where you could end up if you don't gather the right "merit" in your life. We drove along fantastic highways into Yinchuen. We passed through desert where it is obvious that great attempts are being made to "solidify" the sand by planting grasses and trees. Then gradually, the terrain changed to flat and fertile. As we drove into Yinchuen I was struck by how clean everything was, and the city itself is quite beautiful. The Chinese cities are truly amazing. They are huge, modern, colourful, and full of life. The sad part is that generally things don't seem to be maintained. Can't quite grasp whether the old has been pulled down to make room for the new, a little like some of Canada's cities, or whether there never was any old. I read an article in an English Chinese paper that says that for the first time the "majority" of Chinese live in urban areas. But, there is enormous disparity between the country and the cities. I guess this is true for all countries. We arrived at the Hotel Royal around 6:30 pm. It is quite acceptable, one of the largest rooms we have had, and a bathroom that has glass walls. We had a room like this in another city whose name I can't remember. We immediately went out to the Internet, then back for dinner. Although we didn't know it, we saw Ant and Adam in a restaurant, went in, and realized it was the hotel restaurant. Chinese food is truly delicious. How healthy, I'm not sure. Although there are lots of vegetables, also lots of fat and MSG. I had a lovely spicy pork dish with peppers and chillis and Ray had a slightly calmer beef dish with broccoli. After dinner we were pulled into a private room with a group of Chinese celebrating someone's birthday. It was a merry affair. We toasted the birthday boy with some Chinese wine that tasted quite good but a bit like neat vodka; had pictures taken all around, then left before it became too rowdy! I know I keep mentioning this, but I am truly overwhelmed by the very positive reception we have had every where. Throughout our whole trip, we have been "fetted" most places. Never have we felt uncomfortable or threatened. As I write my journal, I am lying in bed watching Chinese TV and Chinese English TV. Oh, I forgot to mention, that we nearly had to go to hospital before being allowed into the hotel because of the swine flu. Fortunately, our guide was able to persuade the hotel we are fine. Apparently, the PFB has advised all hotels to have their guests check in with the hospitals for a temperature check. Hope this doesn't affect us elsewhere.