Shui Dong Gou

Picture of mule.

Well, hello there. Would you like to ride my mule?

While traveling through the Ningxia semi-autonomous region in north-central China, I had the opportunity to check out a unique site. Shui Dong Gou (水洞沟) is one of the oldest Paleolithic excavations in all of China. It features ancient skulls and tools, as well as some models of old houses. But mostly, Shui Dong Gou has become a tourist haven, with nonstop fun for everyone. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was original and what was a recreation, but Shui Dong Gou still made for an interesting day away from the big city. Did I mention there were tractor rides?

Here are a few of my photos from Shui Dong Gou:

Picture of entrance.

Shui Dong Gou's entrance has these weird carvings, reminiscent of the Maoi of Easter Island.

Picture of skull.

The museum has lots of ancient artifacts. Here's an australopithis skull.

Picture of animal skull.

Jurassic Park

Picture of cliffs.

The cliffs of Shui Dong Gou.

Picture of stone.

The obligatory Big Carved Stone for “Proof I Was There” photos.

Picture of wheat field.

Children of the wheat.

Picture of camels.

Time for a camel ride. Part of the Great Wall is in the background.

Here's a video of the camel ride. With singing!

Picture of cliff.

A colorful cliff.

Picture of grain.

Grain.

Picture of boat.

You get to ride in one of these!

Picture of mom.

”Awe mom, are you taking pictures of yourself again?”

Picture of zip line.

Zip line!

Picture of meat.

After so much fun, you need to take a healthy carnivorous break.

In the middle of our sightseeing, we got to ride a mule!

Picture of ostrich.

Yup, they even had ostriches.

Picture of camel.

And now lets ride on a camel car!

Picture of man.

I was so happy when the Marlboro Man showed up.

Picture of house.

Traditional houses abound at Shui Dong Gou.

After seeing the whole site, we got to ride a sexy tractor back to the beginning.

More photos from Shui Dong Gou