Ningxia

This was a 4 days China trip to Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region which is the smallest province in China. About 30% of the population are the Hui minority group are Muslims who originated from Central Asia. Islamic architectural and food can be seen almost everywhere here.
We based ourselves in the province capital, Yinchuan and make day trips to surrounding places of interest.
Our China tour agency has arranged well for us the car and guide. Our first destination was Helan Mountain but we had to turn back because of rain, strong wind and lightning after having brought the tickets and entered.
We went to the Shapotuo desert on the 2nd day which is a key tourist destination because of its natural beauty especially at the section of the desert where the Yellow River runs through. It was interesting as it’s the first time we have seen a desert. The children enjoyed themselves with camel rides, playing in the sand and the speed boat ride on the yellow river. They also offer river rafting on rafts with
floats made from goatskin which was the local’s traditional way of crossing the river.

On the next day, we went to the Sand Lake which is a desert with a large lake and sand dunes. It has scenic view but climbing up the sand dunes was not easy at all. The activities offered there are similar to those at shapotou desert. Again the children were happily playing with the sand while we enjoy the view around us. On the way back to Yinchuan, we visited the Mausoleum of the Western Xia state. The pyramid shaped tombs are the burial sites of the kings whose kingdom was wiped out by Mongols in 1227 after 6 failed invasions.
The tombs design is one of its kinds found in China. There is also museum showcases the 200 years history, lifestyle and achievement of this kingdom. This reminds me of the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an.
On the last day, we went back to visit Helan Mountain to see the rock carvings that were created by different ethnic nomadic groups about 2000 years ago. The carvings include gods, animals and daily activities. You can viewed them by walking around a pavement but it take some imagination and good observation to see
of the of the cravings. Next destination city is Beijing, for the Forbidden City and the Great Wall!