Roosters for sale

Roosters for sale and other market scenes

Entering the old town quarter in Urumqi

The people's square

> The Hoi Tak Hotel in Urumqi is right next to the people's square. It was a great way to gain an appreciation of how it is used. My earlier impressions of the square was for use for propaganda and military parades and the like... But I couldn't have been more wrong.
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> People folk to the square in the mornings and the evenings... to socialize or exercise. In the evenings you can expect to see line dancing, tai chi, ball room dancing, roller skating and many other activities, including people practicing calligraphy with outsized brushes and a sort of ink that vanished as it dried
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> The mornings were much the same with a lot more emphasis on tai chi and gi gong - bit also line dancing, badminton, and all sorts.
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> Its a great lifestyle option to get out, socialize and be active.
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Mogoa grotto 2

Many of the caves, from the outside. Unfortunately no photographs allowed while inside. Buddhist artwork included huge statues and bright paintings - some caves are estimated to have taken more than a decade to complete.

Mogao grotto 1

The main temple and shot of a few of the caves of the Mogoa grotto

Mogoa paintings

Replicas of murals and statues in the Mogao grove complex. Called the thousand Buddha caves more than 800 caves or grottoes were carved out of the sandstone rock face and decorated with paintings and statues over the centuries.

Sunflowers and stupas

On the walk in to the Mogoa caves, near Dunhuang.