A Slow Benz To China ( Part 2 )

In Turfan, I came across this angelic pair of girls, whose faces seem to blend the many cultures that have passed along the Silk Road.

Lunchtime in Turfan. The town is far from anywhere, but the cook's daughter spoke perfect English.

Overladen trucks, with their cargo tipping precariously, were a common sight, as was evidence of the many accidents they cause

China is moving away, albeit slowly, from dependence on cheap, dirty coal for its power needs. This wind farm outside Dabancheng is currently the largest in the world.

One of the more striking signs of China's vast labor pool: sweeping the highway shoulder, miles from anywhere.

The landscape in China's `Wild West' could be right out of America's West.

Evening rush hour in Hami, an agricultural city famous for its sweet melons. I'll remember it more for surviving the repeated attacks by crazed scooters.

A home-made satellite dish, one of the signs that the outside world is beginning to reach even the most remote and poverty-stricken parts of China.

Old and young alike took delight in checking out the E320 and the rarely seen Westerners lurking within.

A fireworks display at the fortress in Jiayuguan, which marked the western end of China's Great Wall. Erected in 1372, much of it was destroyed by the Red Guard during Mao's brutal regime, but it has since been restored.

Walls 30 feet high surround the huge complex of shrines and buildings.

The caravan benefited from exquisite organization and planning, including updates on each day's route. No one got lost