Visiting the Mogao Grottos is normally the highlight of a trip to China's northwest. Unfortunately I don't have any photo to show you because taking photographs was forbidden inside the grottos area. The pictures below show the distant view of the Mogao Grottos. I was surprised to see a river running through the region. Was the river here 1600 years ago when the grottos were being built? I've always thought that the Grottos are insulated from human activities, but with water as precious as oil here wouldn't this region be highly sought after?
There were over a thousand grottos here, and we were allowed to enter just a few. Inside the grotto the temperature was very cold. Having picked up a cold from the train ride to Dunhuang the night before, I preferred to remain outside, while the wall paintings inside the grottos were being explained to us by a guide.
