There seems to be a lull in terms of the variety we have been used to in the journey to date. However the lull, we are all sure, will turn to unpredictability as we move towards Tibet. It seems from the information our guide, Bing has given us, the little comfort we may have been enjoying recently will be a distant memory. We shall see.

Ganhgu province which we will be going through today and in which Dunhuang, the city we will be spending the night in, has a different ethnic mix too, with more Han people and less ethnic Muslims. However the province does sit at a junction, in this particular region of China, which makes it an area having a mix of all the ethnic groups.