After dinner, Robin told us we would be driving to the hotel for the night. We drove through Jiayuguan city, and on a highway out through the other side. Robin and the driver became embroiled in a deep discussion, with lots of pointing at the GPS. When we did a U-turn, along with some more pointing and debating, it was clear that they were not entirely sure where we were going. There was little I could do to help, so I looked out of the window, seeing only the blackness of the night – and then a ten-storey high neon dolphin.

            Sorry, what? I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the countryside was back to black. Nothing. Surely I had seen something? Yes, it was over there! I was not imagining things, I definitely saw it a second time. 

            “Heidi, look over there! There’s a ten-storey-high neon dolphin.”

            Heidi looked at me, looked out of the window, saw only black, looked at me again, and then with an it’s-so-crazy-it-must-be-true look on her face, peered out again, just in case. And as we drove along, just for a second the dolphin peeked its head up again above the roadside hedges.

            “See!” I am not mad!