A four-hour bus ride out of Zhangye at noon along a nearby stretch of the Great Wall got us to the outskirts of Wu Wei. The bus stopped on the highway and a woman of authority boarded the bus screaming at the driver and conductor. All of the shouting seemed to be about our scheduled stop at the Wu Wei bus terminal, the conductor occasionally pointing at several of us passengers. Finally, I and two other passengers were hustled off the bus while a company official hailed a passing cab, paid the driver and indicated we were all to get in. Naturally, I had only the vaguest idea what all the commotion meant and wondered if our unscheduled cab ride would eventually get us into town.  

It did. The taxi dropped us in front of the bus terminal after a ten-minute drive over deserted desert roads. Directly across the street from the bus terminal sits the $9.50 (cash only) Tian E Hotel, perfect for making an early morning bus connection after a night's rest. This is another house with shower in the middle of the bathroom, so I took a camping sponge bath knowing I'd be back in the comfort of the Lanzhou Legend Hotel the following day.  

With bag stowed in the make-do hotel, out I went exploring a genuine Chinese town. This is the "real China." People in this little out of the way burg seldom see outsiders. In fact, one girl of about sixteen who spoke surprisingly good English said I was her first. Researching the Chinese educational system to learn more about language training in the lower grades this excellent history came up. Another person told me none in their group had ever actually seen a real foreigner except on television.  

My progress through this interesting town elicited great curiosity among the inhabitants. Storeowners and clerks dashed to the windows to take a peek at the passing rarity. Children clustered around me shyly and boisterous, their parents paying close attention. Grins and "hello's" greeted me on every turn.  

Not all encounters were so amiable. As I passed a dingy neighborhood health care office complete with a "doctor" in a dirty white lab coat smeared with what appeared to be blood, another bystander on the sidewalk coughed in my face as I passed closely by him. A couple steps later I turned to give him a dirty look and saw what looked like contempt on his face and that of the "doctor's." Further on down the street still irritated by the disrespectful gesture I turned and snapped a picture of the scene for posterity, remembering a t-shirt I'd seen some days earlier: "If you will cough... on an American" distorted grammar, but clear sentiment.  

My wanderings through the downtown shopping area and mall ended at the full-scale replica of a section of the nearby Great Wall. As evening turned to dusk the Central Square filled with people and a small musical group entertained those gathered in the plaza. Entering the square I mounted the stage where the audience had rushed once the band had dispersed. The stage looked like a perfect place to take pictures of the crowds of milling people. The moment my camera came out I had my own audience. Soon, at least a hundred people had crowded around me making movement difficult. Every time I took a picture someone else old or young indicated they wanted to be captured by my little magic thingy.  

The atmosphere could not have been gayer. Smiles and good-natured gestures made me feel like a celebrity. I now know first hand how popular entertainment personalities must tolerate being hounded by their adoring-curious fans. While flattering, it places a great responsibility on them to behave true to their public persona. If a guy needs to adjust his under-ware or reposition certain private appendages, there is little chance he will be able to do it surreptitiously like most men. 

One boy of about ten ran up and offered me a gift at the urging of his father: a pair of sunglasses. Once again away from the throngs, a guy sitting in front of a neighborhood restaurant playing with his baby son motioned for me to stop and have some noodles. The restaurant looked like a popular hangout for neighborhood locals and I decided to pause for some water and soup. The chicken soup tasted delicious: cost 5 RMB (about 63 cents). As I slurped noodles the father and baby joined me at the table. Our "talk" consisted of gestures only, of course, but elicited the intense curiosity of a constant stream of passersby and restaurant staff. 

The next morning after a fitful sleep I grabbed a 07:00 bus bound for Lanzhou arriving at 11:15. This being my second visit to Lanzhou, finding the four star Legend Hotel proved easy. More problematic was the discovery that in the intervening three months rates had jumped astronomically to 800 RMB ($100). After asking for and hearing the new discount rate of 580 RMB I pointed out to the English-speaking reception manager that I'd paid only 300 RMB during my previous visit. A bit of record checking and discussion among the staff and he agreed to extend the same rate for my current stay. It is now obvious from a great deal of personal experience that hotel rates are extremely flexible throughout China: it always pays to bargain... even in the best houses! 

That's it for little Wu Wei, one of the more interesting places I've explored. Photos taken while in the city are here.

Peace,