Day 53 (6th July) Jiayuquan to Xi’an
The hotel booked a flight to Xi’an for us, let us stay in the room until 14.30 and then took us in their shuttle vehicle to the airport in time for the flight. The plane flew over the snow-capped Qilian mountain range and the view of the peaks poking out of the clouds was dramatic. We got the metro from the airport over the 29 miles to central Xi’an for 60 pence each. We bought tickets for 20 p at the station but the barrier wouldn’t let us out because we had only paid for one line, so the police directed us to a ticket office where we had to pay another 40 pence each. A very jolly taxi driver took us to a hotel and then spent perhaps 30 minutes going into the hotel with me to check that they had a room. I wanted to pay him for the time he had spent helping us but he wouldn’t take anything. This was just typical of the kindness we get every day from the Chinese.
Jiayuquan state farm from the air
Jiayuquan. Population 300,000
The desert east of Jiayuquan
Qilian mountains
Xi’an airport