uanj

Considering visiting three or four of these places: Xining, Golmud, Dunhuang and Jiayuguan. Starting in Dunhuang (courtesy of a United award ticket) and ending up in Xining. 6-8 days total late September.

If anyone can help with personal knowledge of what's best to see, what can be skipped, how much time for any of these places, it would be greatly appreciated.

I have read, nearly memorized, Jiejie's silk road trip so recent information that goes beyond that would be most welcome.

Thanks everyone in advance!

uanj

Trip ended up being very easy and enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who is considering it. Some highlights for others who may make the trip:

Having already done the Silk Road from Tashkorgan to Turpan last year, we flew into Dunhuang, the western most part of Gansu bordering Xinjiang and worked our way east. The airport is across the street from the train station, very close to Mogao caves.

1.5 days is ideal for Dunhuang, but you can do the caves and Singing Sands in one full day if you want. The city was surprisingly clean, immaculate even. We used dianping for restaurant tips which worked well, but in general all the meat is on the gamey side, whether mutton, pork or beef. The raisins and dried figs are very good, you can get them for reasonable prices in the market at the center of the town near the big mosque.

Mogao Caves was well worth it, but struggling under the crowds at the end of the National Day holiday period. All foreign language tours were canceled as the guides were given off for the holiday and we joined regular groups, such as they were. Once inside the controlled area you are really free to move at your own speed which was good to avoid being crushed inside some of the smaller caves. I had read that only a few caves are normally open, but we were able to visit at least six. Very impressive.

We also liked Singing Sands, especially the parts beyond the normal tourist areas. You need sunscreen or hats, it's a lot of effort but well worth it once you get up to the top of the dunes. We were a little disappointed that despite the hefty entrance fee (fences were up and patrolled) no effort was made in picking up the trash dropped at the first ascent of the dunes.

If you ever want to take a camel in China, this is probably the best place. It was very organized, reasonable price of 50 yuan, no additional fees and plenty of clean animals. Once in Xinjiang, camel rides are an invitation to extortion. Get it done with here if it is in your system.

At Jiejie's suggestion we took a morning train out of Dunhuang to Jiayuguan in soft sleeper. Dunhuang being the terminus, the train had been serviced and clean and was a very pleasant way to get to Jiayuguan, arriving 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

We got everything in in the remainder of the day at Jiayuguan: the remains of the First Fire Tower of the Great Wall (with museum and cable suspension bridge crossing the river), climbed to the top of the Hanging Great Wall, and finished up with the Fort.

Jiayuguan is a rapidly industrializing city and on a bit of a growth spurt, lots of new power plants and ore smelting facilities. It was a bit incongruous to see the Hanging Great Wall not far from the largest power plant I have ever seen in my life. We had a very decent meal at a local Hui restaurant that only served beef: beef noodles for 6 yuan a person and a shared cold beef dish for 30. If not for dianping, I am afraid we would not have had any clue where to go to eat, it was not easy spotting restaurants other than noodle shops in Jiayguan.

The next morning we were on a train to Zhangye and since the National Day holidays had passed the train was not full at all. Despite this, the Danxia Geopark was crowded and noisy in the afternoon. I hope they can do something to expand where people are supposed to walk, currently it is too crowded and the guards are constantly setting off police sirens to warn people back into these roped off areas. The colors are richer and deeper than the Painted Desert in Arizona, if you are familiar with that, and it is on a larger scale yet more intense. Spectacular scenery, but it will be shared with thousands of other people all taking the same required busses throughout the park.

In the center off the town is an old Drum Tower (not open) and a small adjacent park. At night this becomes a street market and right next to that is a building with a Dico's (KFC look alike from Taiwan) with a hot pot restaurant on the second floor. All you can eat and drink, wine and beer included, for 60 yuan. And the beer was COLD! They advertised more than 100 items to choose from and I bet they were right. Good place for dinner.

We were pressed for time so the next day we had arranged to fly from Zhangye to Lanzhou. Got a taxi in front of the hotel to take use first to the Dafo Temple where Kublai Khan is thought to have been born and then out to the airport. The temple was one of my favorite spots on the trip, quiet and peaceful, still graceful in its state of semi-neglect. And then the snow started.

Until then the temperature had gotten into the mid to upper 20's every day, but the day we left Zhangye the high was 2. By the time we got to the airport it was zero and heavy snow. The hotel had insisted we need to check in two hours before the flight and no one answered the airport or Tianjin Airlines customer service number when we called to check.

There are only two flights a day out of this airport, both small RJs. All the staff were outside taking selfies in the snow. Since they have so few passengers, they don't turn the heat or lights on. One concession for beverages was open, hot coffee was 68 or 88 yuan depending on the beans you choose. Tea was 28. Even though everyone was supposed to "assemble" two hours before the flight, check in only opened 65 minutes before the flight. Anything large or with wheels had to be checked, and most checked in luggage got the red light and was opened and examined.

Security for carry-ons was worse. After scanning every single bag that went through, they opened them, emptied the contents into separate bins and scanned them again. This is not at all common in China, but if you are wondering why you can go to Wikipedia and read the history of Tianjin Airlines in the west of China.

Lanzhou is very non-descript. At the end of the navigable part of the Yellow River, it is famous for some old iron bridges crossing it. You know, it made me think of Pittsburgh. How much character does an old iron bridge have? Without a doubt the highlight of the city was the club lounge of the new Crowne Plaza. Tip: if you fly in, be sure to check out the busses. A tax is more than 200 yuan and some hotels (like the Crowne Plaza) even have their own shuttle for a reasonable charge like 20 or 30 yuan.

I needed to go to Lanzhou, but if not for that, I suggest skipping it and heading on to Xian.

Thanks again, Jiejie, your help was great!

jiejie

You're welcome! Observations--
--Dunhuang is indeed a very pleasant little oasis town. And for camel-lovers, yes, the place to do the camel ride thing.
--Too bad about the Mogao English language tours being cancelled for the holiday duration. And yes, I can imagine that space-limited Mogao suffers under holiday crowds....so advice for others is to try to avoid those periods.

--Ha about Jiayuguan and (lack of) restaurants. Apparently that hasn't changed. As I mentioned in my Silk Road thread, it is one of the weirdest cities I've ever been to in China. Again, a place to buzz in then buzz out of as quickly as can be managed. Pack some Power Bars!

--Agree on Dafo Temple in Zhangye. A wonderful highlight of the region.
--Danxia in Zhangye has really been getting a lot more press since my 2012 trip with increased travelers both domestic and foreign. So another place to try to pick a less crowded period. BTW, I've noticed that the week AFTER National Day holiday is still very busy for domestic travel in most places of China now, and there seem to be lots of people who don't have to be back at work or school on October 8.

--Snow that early--yikes that was unexpected. Flying in/out of Zhangye is like threading eye of a needle which is why I wouldn't normally recommend it to somebody planning a Gansu trip. Security routine is interesting--I would not have expected that as far east as Zhangye but I can't blame Tianjin Airlines for super-caution. Reference by @uanj above is to June 2012 attempted hijacking of one of their aircraft on a Hotan-Urumqi flight.) Generally, by the time you endure this rigamarole, the train looks a lot better.
NOTE for travelers in 2015: Check for high-speed rail availability, which should be operational and which will provide additional options on the Lanzhou-Urumqi journey and points in-between, with much more efficiency.

--Agree about Lanzhou, not a tourist draw though some great eats to be had there.

BuildingMyBento

I visited Lanzhou in the summer, and the dry heat was a welcome change from points south and east. Good food to be sure, and a couple of decent parks too. The worst part about the city is that it is very far from the airport.

Exploring the rest of Gansu is definitely on the list...particularly if Jiayuguan is considered "weird" even among Chinese cities.

uanj

Just a last note of clarification, the Zhangye airport check-in experience aside, the Tianjin Airlines RJ was actually quite comfortable, relatively spacious seating and far more comfortable than Y on a Chinese airline Boeing or Airbus single aisle plane. The flight left early, arrived early, saved us a ton of time, so no complaints. Every passenger was greeted as they boarded and given a bottle of water! I was more than satisfied.

If you have time and the schedules work out, the train would be a consideration, especially as it is so inexpensive out there. But no reason to hesitate to take a flight if you have time constraints.

An additional word on security, while I at no time felt this was an issue, we did see armored personnel carriers parked at the entrance of the Zhangye train station and Jiayuguan had actual inspection of luggage coming into the terminal. Maybe it is meant to reassure people, don't know. Zhangye airport security was for real, however.