Day 166: Zhangye – Day 3
Our taxi driver picked us up from the hotel at 7:30AM, and we were off to Pingshanhu Canyon (AKA Flat Lake Canyon), which is located 56KM outside of Zhangye city. This attraction was not even on Igor’s radar when planning the trip, and we had difficulty finding any English information online. The only reason we decided to visit is because it was included in our taxi driver’s guide book, and the description calling it, “China’s version of the Colorado Grand Canyon” sounded very promising.
While the map in the guide book indicated that the canyon should be a mere 45min away, we discovered that the main road to the area is under heavy construction (based on the amount of construction vehicles, worker’s tents and promotional billboards, it looks like they are building a new highway), so it took us a good hour and a half to reach the entrance. We were excited when we saw the empty parking lot and realized we were the first tourists to arrive – we quickly bought our tickets and hopped onto the shuttle bus, only to discover that the shuttle wouldn’t run until after 9AM, by which time 2 Chinese tour groups arrived. Boo.
Nevertheless, this canyon is way off the beaten path, even for local tourists, so the place is not crowded at all. Judging by the map printed on the back of our tickets, the park looks massive and could easily take up a full day or more to explore. Since we only had a half day, we just spent the morning walking around the rim of the canyon and descending to the canyon floor for an easy hour hike before heading back to the entrance. We didn’t find it as mind-blowingly beautiful as the Danxia Rainbow Rocks (photos on the Chinese tourism website look heavily Photoshopped), but any day enjoying nature is a good day.
We are literally the *first* car in the parkinglot at the Pingshanhu Canyon entrance. Unfortunately for us, our head start counts for nothing as we have to wait 20min for the first shuttle bus to fill up before the driver will let us enter the park
Checking out the views from the canyon rim
Pingshanhu Canyon, outside Zhangye
A helpful sign suggests the “best spot” for photographs
A helicopter flys by, giving us perspective on the size of the rock formations – since the park is still very underdeveloped, we know it’s not a sight-seeing tour
Kissy kissy at Pingshanhu Canyon!
As we walk along the rim of the canyon, we run into a herd of mountain sheep! Check out the horns on that guy!
After an easy 1KM walk from the shuttle stop, we turn off to take the steep stairway down to the canyon floor
Piling rocks at the bottom of Pingshanhu Canyon
While this *is* a legit canyon, as you can see, comparsions to the Grand Canyon are absolutely absurd.
Prayer flags adorn the “Lucky Elm” on the canyon floor, and a sign implores us to remember the tender feelings of the grass and flowers.
The path through the canyon only takes about an hour. When we reach the stairs at the end, we ascend and make our way back to the shuttle stop
Our timing is off and we reach the shuttle stop right aroud lunchtime. There is a lull in the frequency of shuttles, and we end up waiting about 40min. When the first one comes by, we force our way on even though it is completely full. The Chinese tourists seem a bit annoyed with us, which only makes us smile
When we finally returned to the canyon entrance, we were amused to find our taxi driver engrossed in a game of cards with a group of other drivers. We cheered him on when he pocketed his earnings. Once again, he asked us if he could pick up an additional fare, but we turned him down since the only group heading our way was a threesome who would not even fit with us in the sedan. Luckily, he is a good-natured guy and we headed out in our private car in high spirits.
Since the Mati Si temples are in the opposite direction as the canyon, we had to pass through Zhangye on the way to our next destination. Our taxi driver stopped for quick 20min lunch break, and invited us to join him. We had to decline the nice gesture though, as our poor tummies couldn’t handle any more exotic foods, and stuck to the safty of our fruits and nuts. It was another 65KM to the temples, so it was late afternoon by the time we reached the ticket office. However, we had to agree with our taxi driver – the Mati Si area was stunning and we were really happy we decided to fit it in. While the Mogao Grottos certainly had more intricate, high-quality carvings and cave paintings, everything was closed off behind locked doors and plexiglass barriers. The Mati Si temples, on the other hand, were open for self exploration, and we felt like little kids, climbing through the narrow passagways and poking our heads out the cliff side balcony windows.
We have a good 2 hour drive between the Pingshanhu Canyon and the Mati Si temples, so it’s already pretty late in the day by the time we reach the ticket counter
Igor and our taxi driver pose outside the entrance gate to the Mati Si Scenic Area
We end up with admission tickets to 3 attractions within the Mati Si area…we are not entirely sure which attractions are which, so we just rely on our taxi driver to guide us to the correct locations
Our first stop is the main temple, the Mati Si AKA “Horse Hoof” Monastery
Dozens of “temple grottos” are carved into the sheer cliffside, with colorful balconies jutting out from precarious heights
To access the grottos, we climb through a labyrinth of dark and narrow passages
The steep and uneven stairwells are dizzying, but totally worth it for the thrilling views
At the ground level of the main temple caves, there is a deep grotto with a tall golden buddha
Walking behind the golden Buddha, there are dozens of alcoves carved into the walls of the hallway. For some reason, all of the figures on the outer wall have been destroyed (possibly vandalism during the Cultural Revolution?), while the figures on the inner walls have been restored. A Chinese tour guide probably could have complained this, but we had neither the time nor the language skills to find out
The weathered – but still beautifully vibrant! – gate to the empty Temple of Buddhahood Victory
Dusty prayer wheels and a bright and colorful mural within the deserted temple
The Palace of King Gesar – a horse-loving Tibetan king who “united” (conquered) the area in the 10th century
Snowcapped mountains and ominous clouds create a gorgeous backdrop to the Mati Si Scenic Area
Another gorgeous gate and cliff side balconies in the Thousand Buddhas Caves
The Thousand Buddhas Cave temple complex
Dozens of red wooden prayer tablets are tied to a stone pagoda within the temple courtyard. Climbing up into the grottos, we see more awesome frescos decorating the doorways to the meditation rooms
We head back to Zhangye at sunset, and bid farewell to our fantastic taxi driver when he drops off at our hotel. Thankfully, we get back at a decent hour, and have enough time to search out a real grocery store a few blocks away from the hotel. We stock up on snacks for our train ride the next day, and pick up some fancy ramen and frozen veggies for dinner.
Finally! A REAL grocery store! We stock up on raman, cookies, snacks and eggs (it took us a while to choose between the many color options!). Unfortunately, at RMB 150, we decide to pass on the Casillero del Diablo