..and we eventually ended up riding through some lonely desert hills…. 
…and came across this beautiful unexpected little oasis
After several attempts, all involving the ritual little piece of wire, Zorbee has at last managed to christen Rowena, and she joined the select ‘ Zorbee Dumpee’ society today. However nothing was bruised but her pride.We are now staying at Shaquanzi, a tiny settlement centred round an iron mine and seemingly even smaller than when the Trio passed through. Here is Rowena outside our lodgings which could easily date from their time! – our room is behind the third door from the left…….
….and here is the inside view. Rowena slept in the fairy bower, leaving her elderly aunt to doss on the dirt floor (but I did have my extremely comfortable air bed).
….and here is the inside view. Rowena slept in the fairy bower, leaving her elderly aunt to doss on the dirt floor (but I did have my extremely comfortable air bed).
Almost like home…..
We had a perfect day for riding. French and Cable describe places in the Gobi where ‘the ground was covered in with small pieces of white porphyry which looked as though a slight snowstorm had fallen’ and the photo above illustrates this. But only two days ago it was the real thing!
The desert scenery has become more wild and beautiful as we move northwards.
Coming over the brow of the hill to the final plain before Xingxingxia, which is to the right of the large hill on the skyline. The straight line of the main road can just be seen in the far distance.
Xingxingxia takes its name from the ravine at the end of which it stands. According to French and Cable it originally meant ‘Ravine of Baboons’ due to the baboons which came down to drink here, but it is now taken to mean ‘Starry Gorge’ after the quartz outcrops on a nearby hill. The baboons have long gone, and neither did the ravine look very starry when we rode through, due to the constant line of lorries throwing up dust on the gravel track which winds along the bottom. Due to construction of the new G3, they have been rerouted along the old road. 
However the weather brightened up in the afternoon although it was still bitterly cold and we were wearing nearly our entire wardrobe in an attempt to keep warm. In true form, Peng managed to find a little camp of construction workers who let us park the truck by them and fed us a wonderful noodle supper cooked in an oil drum – below is the camp cook in his kitchen tent.
Rowena and I narrowly escaped freezing overnight in tent and truck respectively, but Peng of course somehow managed to wangle a place in one of the stove heated tents!
Once again the inimitable Peng has managed to find us food and lodgings courtesy of the Hua Zhong construction company building the G3 expressway – this time in the site managers headquarters in Malienjing! Here we are with some of the genial hosts who rescued us from another arctic night. 
We had a different water source from a deep well in the courtyard of the small ‘hotel’ we happily found on arrival. We were assured that everyone drinks it, and certainly the horses have suffered no ill effects. The little blue building by the water pumps was our room for the night.
The Black Gobi is so called due to the black stones which cover the ground, and which in some places give the landscape an almost industrial slag heap look.
I have been concerned about encountering spring dust storms, but did not think we would be responsible for creating them. The Chinese are in the process of creating a new expressway G3 across the desert, and although it often provides a good fine earth surface to ride on, the strong wind today blew up enormous clouds of dust from under the horses’ feet.
The main attractions at Dunhuang are the ancient Buddhist cave temple complex at Mogao and a crescent lake set among huge sand dunes, both visited by the Trio many years ago. But I am sure they would be horrified at the commercial developments that have taken place to accommodate tourists such as ourselves. The formerly secluded and peaceful lake is now shrunken, and a venue for sand surfing, archery, paragliding and camel rides. And the 140rmb fee to get in was steeper than the sand dunes themselves. 
Travellers on the Silk route? No - happy camel riding day trippers bedecked in their orange sand boots. I have no idea what the UFO in the back ground is. Any suggestions? Perhaps a clue lies below.
Rowena has seen it all before, but it must be the first time she has been buzzed by a paraglider in her reveries.
Mr Peng strikes a manly pose in front of the lake and the new temple which has been built there.
No complaints apart from the English.
