Sunrise in the dunes

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> On our last morning in Dunhuang the two of us set off early with our guide Askar ( pronounced a lot lime Oscar with an Americanised a) to watch the sunrise in the dunes. We were up at 4.30 to get ready as we had to be packed to leave by the time we got back.
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> Our transport "forgot" to collect us at 5.30 so we walked to the dunes about 15 to 20 minutes away. The climbed up the dune ridge in the dark, arriving just before 6.30. By 7 it looked as though the sun rise was going to be a non event and we started our descent - we had to return to the hotel on foot (at least 30 minutes) and have breakfast and meet the group by 8.
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> But on the way down, the sunrise did not disappoint. We had a warm jog back to the hotel and just got our baggage ready for collection in time. Bob missed breakfast that morning. I managed a quick bite and took two red bean filled steamed buns to the bus to ensure Bob survived until lunch time!
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