Overland Journal Day 121-128: China Shenanigans and the Great Wall

China never ceases to amaze us. From an 80,000-person concert on a sand dune complete with a drone show, to eating grilled camel toes in a high-end restaurant with a car workshop owner, driving to the Great Wall of China with our own car and reflecting on life’s big questions with a Tibetan monk—every day brings the unexpected. This country and its people continue to reveal surprises we never saw coming.

Surreal Spectacle at a Sand Dune

After crossing into Dunhuang, we find ourselves amid one of the most bizarre spectacles of our journey. The sand dunes of the Mingsha Mountains, near Dunhuang, are a hive of activity, teeming with tens of thousands of people. Many are dressed as ancient warriors or princesses, striking dramatic poses for photos in the dunes. To top it off, most have bright orange bags tied around their shoes to keep the sand at bay—a sight as puzzling as it is entertaining.

Entering the dunes requires patience. We queue alongside throngs of tourists only to encounter a traffic jam of camels, managed by traffic police. Stretching as far as the eye can see, camel caravans weave through the masses, while helicopters buzz overhead, ferrying affluent visitors for aerial views. It’s chaos, but an oddly fascinating kind.

Determined to embrace the madness, we tackle the steep climb up the dunes. The heat is brutal, and the effort leaves us drenched in sweat—a rare workout on this trip. At the top, we settle in with our packed food, only to stumble upon yet another surreal experience. As the sun sets, the dunes transform into an amphitheater. At the base, a concert begins, complete with a roaring crowd of 80,000 people—us included. Lights ripple across the audience as everyone sings along to the music. The grand finale? A dazzling drone show paired with patriotic anthems. Words fail to capture the sheer absurdity of the evening.

Driving to the Great Wall of China

Still buzzing from the surreal spectacle of the previous night, we barely have time to catch our breath before heading to one of the highlights of our journey: the Great Wall of China. It feels unreal to realize that we’ve driven here in our very own Dutch car.

Our destination is the Jiayuguan Great Wall Pass, the westernmost gate of the wall’s nearly 9,000-kilometer expanse. Once a key point along the Silk Road, this passage served to welcome traders—or exile individuals to the remote Xinjiang region.

Chinese tourism continues to amaze us. We park our car in a vast lot surrounded by thousands of others and hop onto an electric trolley shaped like a wild camel to reach the wall. The site is neat and heavily renovated, a hallmark of many tourist attractions in China. The Chinese tourists, however, seem more fascinated by us than the Great Wall itself. Cameras snap constantly as groups take turns asking for photos. When Marcel jokingly photobombs a group, they eagerly invite him to pose properly, and suddenly, he’s surrounded by more than ten cameras.

Language barriers don’t stop compliments from pouring in. Charelle, with her blonde hair, becomes the star of the show, repeatedly hearing, “You are so beautiful!” It’s both amusing and overwhelming, making our visit to the Great Wall a uniquely memorable experience.

From Car Repairs to Karaoke Night

One evening in Zhangye, what starts as a routine car workshop visit together with the French boys and their Renault, quickly transforms into an unforgettable adventure. Our car is sputtering at low revs, so we head to the workshop to have it checked. Using Google Translate, the staff diagnose the issue—dirt in the throttle body—and fix it with ease. The owner, fascinated by the foreign visitors in his shop, extends an invitation we can’t refuse: dinner with his family.

Before we know it, we’re whisked away in a luxury Chinese limo-van, complete with massage chairs and touchscreens. The destination? Zhangye’s finest restaurant. There, we’re treated to a dizzying spread of unfamiliar delicacies, including grilled camel toes, and endless rounds of Baijiu, a fiery local spirit clocking in at 52% alcohol.

Chinese dining traditions hit us hard. Toasting twice with every guest means round after round of shots. By the fifteenth toast, we’re desperately searching for polite ways to decline—but there’s no escape. We soldier on, bolstered by laughter and sheer Baijiu-fueled determination. The table itself is a spectacle: ornate dishes, packs of “the most expensive cigarettes in China”, and glossy lighters—all proudly introduced via Google Translate.

After the feast, we ask to drop our car at the hotel, but our host has other plans. The limo-van takes us straight to a karaoke bar, where the night reaches its surreal peak. Reclined in leather Bentley armchairs in a private karaoke suite, we marvel at how far the evening has come—from a sputtering engine to a whirlwind of Chinese hospitality.

After enduring a few Chinese karaoke classics (who doesn’t know them?), it’s our turn to take the mic. The owner’s son, possibly riding a Baijiu high, cheers us on with one-liners like “We are all family,” “The world is one family,” and the ultimate: “China is the world.” Once again, what begins as a simple errand turns into yet another chapter for the books.

A Glimpse of Tibetan Culture in Xiahe

Though Tibet is off-limits to us, we make our way to the next best thing: the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, one of the largest and most significant Tibetan monasteries in China. As we approach the town, we’re struck by the overwhelming presence of Chinese flags and patriotic slogans lining the roads. Our guide explains that this is part of the government’s effort to reinforce a sense of national identity among the local population—a stark reminder of the cultural complexities within China’s borders.

The monastery offers a fascinating window into Tibetan life and spirituality. Early in the morning, we witness locals navigating a 3.5-kilometer pilgrimage path adorned with prayer wheels. Some struggle to walk, but their determination never falters. Others take devotion to another level, prostrating fully to the ground after each step before rising again to continue. The sheer dedication of these pilgrims leaves us deeply moved.

Our visit is enriched by a monk who guides us through the monastery, offering not only an introduction to Buddhist teachings but also thought-provoking philosophical conversations. His seemingly simple questions spark deep reflection: “Some people are bad. Some people are good. Why? And what is a good person?” and “Some people have friends. Some people don’t have friends. Why?” The experience culminates with a mesmerizing ritual in the temple, where hundreds of monks chant in a low, resonant hum. Our visit offers a fascinating window into a way of life that feels worlds apart from our own, yet reveals the same fundamental questions at the heart of the human experience.

Leaving Xiahe, we cross the 20,000-kilometer mark of our trip and set our sights on Xi’an. The easternmost point of the historic Silk Road and our journey. From there, we’ll head south towards Singapore.

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