Datong behind us, Hohhot on the horizon

Since the last blog, we spent 5 nights in Beijing, going there for rest and recuperation and
certainly none of that sightseeing jazz, as we'd already done this the
first time. We needed to get our Hepatitis A + B jabs, which was hassle
free, but left us fatigued and I had to carry Kate in my arms as she
swooned (hahaha).

We left Beijing on the night train at 23:30, a clean and beautiful train
compared to ALL the others. The sleeper dorms had aircon and smelt
fresh (a smell I've recently forgotten, considering the toilets,
pollution and smoking). The journey was smooth and temperate, once I
fell asleep I was woken again just before we arrived in Datong. A mere
6 and a half hour journey, I could've done it for a longer time.

First impressions of Datong are good, cheap accomodation being the most
important thing so far. Our room mates went to the grottoes today and
absolutely loved it. The grottoes are huge underground caves with cave
carrvings, paintings and a giant Buddha statue. We can't wait for tomorrow when
it's our turn!

Kate is feeling a little sick, but it's not serious and the extra sleep
here is all she needs, a fragile woman I can take care of!

Just ate the best "cut noodles". The chef slices a long piece of dough
with a grater and flecks of noodle arc into the boiling water. I stared
for a while wondering how he was doing it!

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UPDATE - Saturday 12th
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Thursday the 10th we went to the Buddhist grottoes just outside Datong, we saw the amazing cave carvings and paintings which are over 1,500 years old. They were commissioned by the Chinese because of the persecution against the Buddhist religion for years. The lime caves are easy to carve, making for intricate designs, but difficult to paint over. What to do? Well the answer is stick lots of wooden pegs in the carving, cover it in mud and paint over the mud. Solution!

The centre piece is the 17 metre Buddha carved out of the cave wall. It is so beautiful, the colours around the face are still really clear and shiny. The rest is less well preserved, but what can one expect after 1,500 years with no maid to dust.

The Grottoe caves spread along the edge of the mountain


The smaller Buddha carving, the cave walls around it have since fallen apart


Some of the hut things built into the mountian



We also passed an interesting site on the way back on the bus, the Datong Coal Mining Exhibition. I was half tempted to get off and have a look, but decided I needed to rest having spent all day on my feet looking at the grottoes. The surrounding area is filled with smog and factory after factory. In fact we were told that Datong boasts the third most polluted city in the world! Our clothes are changing from bright white to sludge grey. Time to move on, my lungs need a rest!

Yesterday we spent the day wondering around town, lovely little side roads and temples everywhere. We met a sweet 20 year old student keen to speak to foreigners. We thought it would be fun and she took us around. She took us through the appraised version of Datong's historical monuments, including the Nine Dragon Wall, Drum Tower and a couple of Buddhist temples. Amazing day. She even walked around with us in the supermarket, it felt like she was mothering us, but we didn't want to hurt her feelings.

The Nine Dragon Wall, used to screen temples from the ugly peasants outside!


Today we leave for Hohhot, which is in Inner Mongolia, where we hope to catch a glimpse of the grasslands.

MC (Hope the pictures work!)