(pic01-07) The first day of the siteseeing at Dunhuang was Singing Sand Mountain and Fountain of the Crescent Moon. It was a splendid sand hill said reaching as much as 40km in east and west that lies in the southwest of Dunhuang. They say the wind mischievously made the mountain with beautiful and smooth sand here alone. I recalled the nursery rhyme "desert of the moon" to be swinging on the camel's back. Beat down if you were almost sold the bell by the pack-camel driver. The Fountain of the Crescent Moon where once fresh water sprang was only puddle now. The moon like a splendid sickle hunged on that when we started on our return hotel.
(pic08-13) We visited Mogao Cave, one of four famous stone caves in China next day. There were splendid big and small stone images and wall paintings in the over hundreds of caves excavated on the cliff. Some famous stone caves were charged. When I heard that there was one cave that had become charged because a certain great master of a Japanese picture saw the angel of the wall painting and he said, "This is my Mona Lisa", I could'nt stop feeling sorry for the Chinese tourist that they had made the expensive payment after then. Though we were told that we had to bring flashlight because there was no lighting in caves, but we could borrow it in charge at the entrance.
(pic14-17) The silkroad branches off the western area south path and the north path from the west of Dunhuang. Each one has the checkpoint such as the Jade Gate barriers and the Positive barriers. The guide said that the mirage can be seen on the way to the Positive barrier by bus. Indeed, the horizon was swinging and shone like the lake, so we stopped the bus and took photos. It is said that 60 degreesC are exceeded in daytime around here. At the Positive barrier, there was nothing but a rock looked like a beacon tower and stone monument.
(pic18-19) After the supper, we strolled in the town.
(pic20-21) The jet plane flew from Dunhuang to Xi'an next day. We were told that "Today we might land in Lanzhou for refueling on the way because there are a lot of luggages.", but it managed to go directly. The mountain range crowned with perpetual snow was seen over the horizon in the southwest.

(September 1999)