The landscape is getting more interesting and the temperatures are lower
We’re all in good shape and nobody is sick anymore.
These are the ingredients to make cycling a pleasure again. At last! Yesterday we established a new distance record: 193 km. Hard to believe, if one considers that this has been done on old and heavy mountain bikes. But meantime long distances do not scare us anymore.
Tonight we are in Zhangye (golden city) Situated in the middle of the Hexi corridor, this beautiful city was a place where all the caravans connecting the eastern and the western Chinese empire had to pass.
Here is a nice and well preserved old city, and also a very important temple complex (11th - 13th century) that Master Marco Polo described quite extensively in his memories. He was so impressed by Zhangye, that he spent one year over here. The municipality erected a monument in his honor, spelling his name: MAKE BOLUO
In the “giant Buddha temple” is the biggest indoor lying Buddha, or Nirvana Buddha statue, 34,5 meters long. The feet are 4, and the ears are 2 meters high!
The drumtower from Zhangye