Dunhuang

Dunhuang is an oasis in Northwestern Gansu province, formerly on the Silk Road traversing Asia. It is home to two major tourist attractions, the Mogao Caves, a huge repository of Buddhist art carved into cliffsides outside the city, and the gigantic echoing sands, a mountain range of sanddunes (with the highest standing at 1700m+). Visiting during peak season we were subject to high admission prices, we passed on the dunes but shelled out 180 yuan (about 25$) each for admission to the caves, no pictures allowed and access to only 12 of the hundreds of caves. We concluded that peak season Dunhuang was a rip-off.