Silk Road: Singing Sand Mountains

One of the giant sand dunes that make up Singing Sand Mountains

China has a lot of different geographical terrain, and while Gansu province has some lush green areas thanks to land being near the Yellow River, there are other areas that seem very parched to the point of becoming desert.

One such spot along the Silk Road is the Singing or Echoing Sand Mountains about 5km from Dunhuang.

A guide leading a string of camels and tourists

When we reached the site it was literally desert with sand dunes. Some of our fellow travelers came prepared wearing masks -- they were worried about possible sand storms, and the mountains get the name singing or echoing because when the wind blows the sand here, it makes an eerie sound apparently.

But the day we went the weather was perfect -- not too hot -- though a hat helped shade from the sun, and there was a gentle breeze.

The tourist site sold bright orange tall boots to cover people's feet from getting sand in them, but we decided it wasn't necessary. Lots of local tourists were taking camel rides at 100 kuai each, and with each guide leading four to five camels strung together, that was big business, as there was a non-stop stream of camels walking along the sand.

Meanwhile there were others who climbed up a giant sand dune, much like hiking up a snow mountain and then riding a sled down the sand slope. It seemed like a lot of work for about 20 seconds of fun.

Crescent Moon Spring has been here for hundreds of years

The site also has a walkway so tourists won't get sand in their shoes. My aunt and I chose to walk the 1km route and along the way we saw lots of greenery amid the desert, which was man made. The washrooms here were very clean -- they even had soap and toilet paper! When we came out we admired the nearby fruit trees and saw they had fruits on them.

They were small, but too tempting to pass up, so I climbed up a pear tree and managed to pick seven or eight of them! I tried them afterwards and they were quite sweet!

The path we walked along led to Crescent Moon Spring -- it really is that shape and interestingly has never been covered up by the sand. Visitors along the Silk Road would stop here for a drink -- it definitely was not a mirage.

Three of the small pears I picked from the tree!

Today there are gift shops and refreshment stands near Crescent Moon Spring... the modern version of freshening up.

We walked in the sand for a bit, and it was very fine, soft and warm from the heat of the sun. What an interesting experience, seeing sand dunes, camels and picking ripe pears.

Silk Road: Lanzhou

Taken from our bus, there are many terraced hillsides in Gansu province

Our Silk Road tour started in Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province. It is home to 6.3 million people, of which 3.7 million people live in Lanzhou. That's probably because there are seven ethnic groups who live here, including Tibetans, Hui, Dongxiang, Mongolians and Kazak, as well as Han Chinese.

What you first notice about the province is that it's very mountainous. While Lanzhou is situated on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, not everyone has access to water, and so hardy crops are grown, such as corn, millet, and dates. When we rode along the highway we could see terraced fields on hilly areas -- they were in such remote locations, but if there are terraces, there are people.

Two sheep taking a ride on the highway...

Historically and geographically Lanzhou was an important strategic point along the Silk Road leading to the west towards Xinjiang and Eastern Europe, and east towards Xian. And during the Sino-Japanese war, the Lanzhou corridor was crucial to the Communists in transporting Soviet supplies to Xian. It was so well protected that the Japanese were not able to take Lanzhou. 

In ancient times, the Great Wall was also extended to Yumen to protect Lanzhou, and we got to see this place a few days into our trip.

Today's modern Silk Road still considers Gansu province an important one -- geographically it is right in the middle of China, and so all transport links go through here.

However, not all the roads are paved smooth, nor efficient. Some highways were single-lane traffic, which mean waiting until the opposite lane was clear before passing trucks carrying cars, fuel, equipment, sheep and pigs.

As a result our tour guide would never give us a definitive number on how many hours we would be on the road because if there was a traffic jam, or single-lane traffic, it could slow us down immensely and he wanted to manage our expectations.

Periodically we would encounter toll areas where security officers would come on board to check us and our passports. One time one officer looked long and hard at us before he finally advised us all to wear our seat belts.

Facing north, the Qilian mountains in the distance

Nevertheless, it was pretty amazing to see so many trucks on the road, but perhaps it was the only way to get goods to remote areas that were not necessarily near the railroad system. It makes you appreciate North American and European highway systems so much more!

Fact of the Day: 80 Percent of China's Groundwater Polluted

Discoloured water isn't a good sign, especially near factories in China...

It's depressing though not surprising to find about 80 percent of the groundwater in China's major river basins is unsafe for human consumption, according to a survey by the Ministry of Water Resources.

Last year the ministry tested 2,103 wells in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River and Hai River, and found exploitation and pollution from industrial and agricultural emissions threatened water standards.

The results covered 18 provinces and was the first time -- the first time -- the ministry published water quality information in its monthly update on its website.

Too much algae in this water due to phosphates

Nitrate pollution was common, and in some cases water was contaminated due to heavy metals and organic pollutants, which are more difficult to remove.

Nearly half, or 47.3 percent of the wells tested were found to have fifth grade or "extremely bad" water quality, about one-third had fourth grade, or "bad" water quality. None of the wells had "excellent" water quality.

Fourth or fifth grade groundwater is so polluted that it is unfit for human consumption.

The water ministry's finding that 80 percent of China's groundwater is polluted is higher than the 60 percent figure issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The environment ministry looked at data from nearly 4,900 monitoring sites in 202 cities, though it wasn't clear if the two ministries overlapped in their data collection.

Critics say groundwater monitoring standards are outdated and that monitoring is insufficient, suggesting surveys may not reflect the full scale of pollution.

Groundwater keep dropping in this photo taken in Kunming

Does that not sound like the government is in denial about wanting to know the  actual quality of the groundwater? After over 30 years of fast-paced economic development at any price, the reality of devastation comes back to bite.

How are people supposed to live productive lives if they are sickened by the water they drink?

Access to clean drinking water is essential to realizing human rights, according to the United Nations.

China could blame the west for imposing all of its polluting businesses on it -- but really it could have said no, or forced foreign companies to conform to strict environmental guidelines.

Regardless of the blame game, something needs to be done now to rectify the issue. Does anyone have any bright ideas besides moving people to the cities?