The bus continues out into the far desert along a rough road. We arrive at the Yan Dan desert area not long before sunset and as a series of thunderclouds roll through.
The low glowing sun makes for some amazing shapes and colours under the dark clouds. There’s a selfie-fest going on with the other members of the bus, but it’s easy to wander a short distance and enjoy the scene unfold in some peace and solitude. The vastness of the desert out here is incredible.
Not far from Zhangye is an area of desert known as the Danxia Rainbow Rocks. No prizes for guessing the origin of that name … take hundreds of metres deep of tightly packed rock layers, paint each a different colour, then bend, shape and sculpt it all into a fantastical landscape. The finshed product is Danxia.
For some added zest, throw in some mighty electrical storms with nowhere to shelter and you make for an afternoon well spent.
I spent most of my few days there hiking on the islands trying to acclimatise to the sudden change from a New Zealand winter to a very hot and humid Hong Kong. Always good to visit, still plenty left for future returns …
goneforawander 