Datong makes up one of the daily visits in my journey: I get there in the morning with a night train from Beijing and I leave in the evening with another night train to Pingyao. Datong, by itself, is not worth a visit but there are a couple of interesting places neary: the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple. I use to go around on my own through public transport but this option is not viable in this case due to the location of those places and the tight schedule. Therefore I join a CITS (Chinese International Travel Service) tour.
The landscape here, West of Beijing, is arid: the land is hard and light-coloured, it looks like hardened sand. It's not a sand desert, but it is nonetheless a desert:

There are other Buddhist Grottoes elsewhere in China but I won't be able to visit those places. Therefore, Yungang Grottoes are a unique and important part of my journey. They are, indeed, attractive and interesting:

and imposing:

though not devoid of fine details:

The Hanging Temple is, historically speaking, somewhat less important but hey, it's a landmark for its uniqueness:

and its visit brings a special emotion with it:

Frankly speaking, it is not as unsafe as it may seem at first sight. Nonetheless, while you walk on its floor hanging over the empty space, each and every creaking of the wood causes a shiver in your backbone.

In places like Datong, not as touristic as others, I feel the curious stare of Chinese. Some of them look at me as if I came from another planet. It's not annoying at all, but it's unusual. Sometimes they "secretely" take a picture of me or, while I am in the waiting hall at the train station, they look at the travel book I am reading, take it out of my hands and inspect it with great care. When they later realize that it's in another language they return it to me. I guess they are curious to know what it is said in other countries about China and the Chinese.