Luomen

This weekend I went down to a small town between Lanzhou and Tian Shui, called Luomen. Wandering down from the traintracks early on the morning of market Sunday was a total assault on the senses: music blaring, people yelling greetings, fruit and tea everywhere. Loved it! I was there in search of the Water Curtain Caves. The area is about 17 wild kimometers from the town, passing through a steep and twisty streambed before widening into a wider canyon of huge sandstone domes with temples and ancient cave paintings and carvings embedded in the cliffs. The main cliff work features a 31-m high Buddha surrounded by paintings and carvings finished in the Northern Wei dynasty (AD 386-534). Side note: our awesome taxi driver who got us out there in one piece also served as guide for us and while I certainly couldn't catch everything, I understood some of what he was saying about the history of the place! Here are a few of the pictures I took in this incredible place.