The Wild Wild West

I'm in Dunhuang, China. It was a three hour flight over here but we made it safely. I'm at an internet cafe, where I am the only westerner and the only person not playing video games. It is a great town here. With a population of 180,000 this town can't be put on the map. It actually didn't exist 20 years ago. They call it the oasis in the desert because we are right in the middle of the Gobi. I've had the chance to explore around a bit and it is awesome. The people are great, the markets remind me of Mexico. Raw spices in heaps in baskets, meats with flies swarming around, trinkets and junk out for sale, dirt everywhere. The people are so nice and for once I'm getting the curiosity stares that I don't really have in Beijing. We are truely off the map here. Our meals are almost half the price in Beijing, but on the busy streets we still get ripped off for bottled water and iced tea. I can't wait to wake up at 4 am tomorrow and watch the sunrise on a camel in the Gobi. I'll be writing again soon. Hope all is well in the states. Apparently, cell phone service is weak here so you might not be able to reach me, but keep trying...but not too hard.