Two hours by road to Yang Guan Pass and along the way we saw some Great Wall remains out there in the desert. We’ve stood on The Great Wall outside of Beijing and now, almost 4,000 miles away, there was the other end of it…totally amazing! This portion was made of clay and bullrushes in the Han Dynasty.
A Military Museum had been replicated out there in the desert. In ancient times, food and wine would have been stored here along with its armies.

Military Museum at Yang Guan Pass, China

catapaults and other military weapons of war, China
There was a little tram that took you around the area and out by the old watchtowers, partially covered with sand…

watchtower with straw in it at Yang Guan Pass, China
The locals go out in these sandy fields when winter is over, and dig up tons of relics (they call it buried treasure) uncovered by the winds. I was dying to go out there and try my luck but it was forbidden. So close…and so tempting…Darn!

treasure under the sand, just waiting to be discovered at Yang Guan Pass, China 

ex-Marine and guide hoping to find something on the surface, China
It was time for more caves. I know, by now, you are probably thinking…more caves? At least, that’s what I thought but the Western Thousand Buddha Caves were completely different. These caves were cut into the cliff face of Dang He Gorge and no one would have any idea they were there until you are almost on top of them and look down.

There were 16 intact caves of which 10 are still open to the public. We were the only ones there because most travelers skip them and just visit the Mogao Caves. These are definitely worth visiting if only for the remote location.

It was now time to fly to Lanzhou…