These are 1st century ruins located in the middle of nowhere, Kuqa.  It was an amazing site to see pulling off a lonely highway and exploring the ruins.  However, the day we visited was windy.  Extremely windy.  I think like ‘a massive sandstorm is coming right now’ windy!

My friend Justine and I were freezing but we huddled together to stay warm!

We all ran into the bus to escape the wind and anxiously awaited our arrival at Kizil Caves.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures inside of the caves but here is what they look like from the outside.  Many Buddhist monks would paint the cave walls and build sculptures depicting Buddha.