I'm Back, Back, Back Again... Lanzhou, China!

2025s Tomb Sweeping break saw me flying back to a familiar place, once it had connected me to Lhasa in 2017 with no time to eat those famous noodles! Lanzhou called my name, returning seemed like a delicious prospect to reconnect with the culture! I wanted some Hui Muslim food and the chance to properly explore the city! No stone would be left unturned second time round. 

Had I not learned my lesson? Listen, it was one of the only connections between Ningbo and Lanzhou! The journey over to Lanzhou was lengthy and very bumpy, I had to make a 45 minute stop in a city I can't even remember the name of! Landing into a very hazy Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, there had been a sandstorm not long before my Spring Airlines flight landed. The new terminal was a cut above the facility I had arrived into during 2017, I was amazed to see such a shiny new terminal! Bartering my way into a taxi, the 90 minute journey into the city didn't cost me the earth because I agreed a fair price. I wasn't playing games because some taxi drivers were quoting stupid prices, I had the apps stating the correct price. Life had moved on since that initial arrival into Lanzhou, I was living in Wuhan during the time of my first overnight visit. No trains would be caught the next day, I had scheduled some sightseeing! The whole journey time was ludicrous, easily I could've been further away! BBQ, L?

I chose not to stay near the railway station because I had my sights set on the city sights and the riverside. Check-in at my 'ATOUR' hotel was a breeze, check-out would be another story! I headed out onto Zhongshan Road to see what the evening had to offer because I had never actually got the chance previously! I roamed aimlessly, the holiday crowds were insane and for a smaller provincial city, those streets were heaving! It was magic to see the life and traffic buzz continuously, life Lanzhou did serve! I was able to get a flavour for the city, I needed to eat though! I didn't have any particular places in mind, I just wanted some good old BBQ to devour! Those tester skewers didn't give me the vibe for the blog, the customer service was something else! The next place I tried didn't have what they advertised but I liked the look of their breads! Heading back to the beginning of that lengthy pursuit revealed the side street that I had previously shunned! That lively corner stood hidden in plain sight, away from the madness. 

I wasn't going to stop, I wanted to find some honest Hui Muslim barbecue and with my tracks set on that side street, I would succeed! Ordering some fried bread, potatoes, lamb skewers and aubergine, the wait had been worth it! I did not touch a drop of alcohol during that barbecue moment, I wanted to own that Halal moment with conviction. I felt a different energy, it didn't matter that I was a foreigner, people didn't care. I was able to order in Chinese and get on with my business. I devoured my second meal of the night, second time lucky I definitely was! Lanzhou was a foodie paradise, an underrated one to say the very least! I knew that I had unlocked a level unlike no other, it was top tier BBQ fare! I felt that staying sober was the right thing to do, I would be better off without drinking any of that dancing juice! My meal didn't cost the earth and I was on my second helping, I didn't have to keep count of the costs! It was the same choices for me but they had been cooked well and seasoned better! Lanzhou was delicious!

Dessert was hidden in plain sight, I headed for a non-assuming Hui hangout! Scrambled eggs? Judging wasn't going to be a vibe, I kept an open mind. Goji berries don't come for free! I needn't be afraid, I didn't want to tell a soul about this warm treat! Served in a bowl with oats, hot creamy milk, goji berries and scrambled eggs, I had to keep my cool because this pre-bedtime snack was a cut above the rest! I had travelled back to Lanzhou for the food, I don't play when it comes to 'I'm Back, Back, Back Again!' I needed to know their recipe because I wanted to make it at home, I wasn't playing! Full and done, I headed back to my hotel, I needed to sleep! The day had been long but the meals enjoyed during that evening had brought me back to the reason for returning to Lanzhou, the journey had not been for nothing! 2017 had not been much, it was just for the Tibet train but following those 2025 signs had been heaven sent. More yoghurt? Oh, I found a pot of something creamy and fresh for my nerve! LZ, I slept so very well! 

Done with my 'China Highlights' tour, those ramblings had taken me back to a very familiar place in the city. Time had passed and the station looked different but I kept those nervous moments close to me. 2017 felt like an age but those memories flooded back to me, I felt grown and did not know how the old me navigated through that overnight train moment. Lanzhou was never part of my 2017 plan to visit Tibet, it just wasn't part of my visit to consider Lanzhou! Wuchang had done me dirty and the train tickets from Wuhan had not worked, I had been advised not to take the 'Hard Seat' for that long journey! The tour agency for my Tibet tour suggested flying to Lanzhou the night before and then take the overnight train from Lanzhou to Lhasa, taking me worry free through Gansu and Qinghai and over the Tibetan Plateau through that Autonomous Region of China. I only saw my hotel during that first night, it faced the main Lanzhou Railway Station. Those announcements confused me, it wasn't a high speed station, L!

In 2025, Lanzhou Railway Station serves as a high speed station, I take those words back! I was able to take the newly built metro system, stepping onto that station square felt strange. I was able to see my 'Hualien Hotel' on the opposite side of the road, I had upgraded from that hokey pokey overnight resting place! I had just secured a bowl of those coveted noodles in their hometown, I had made those dreams happen! I scanned the station square for the ticket office that had gave me the runaround because 2017 served a very chaotic station front, 2025 had stepped it right up! I wasn't able to clock the station office that issued my ticket, it was a whole process! Lanzhou showed me that my China journey had evolved and those first years were for thrilling adventures into the unknown! 2025 blessed me with a grounding return, I knew what I wanted to achieve. Lanzhou taught me that I'm not done with these 'Back Again' shenanigans! A riverside evening walk was in order, I deserved a rest after the day I had bossed! 

I love BBQ!

Desperately Seeking Adventure