Turpan, December 13
Door: rikdegoede
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Rick
13 December 2011 | China, Turpan
So this is what people call the Silk Road experience. Once inside China, something changes: suddenly you're in a country that is visited by other Western tourists. Not that you never see them in Kazakhstan, but there are simply so many more here that it has become an industry, a thing to do. Even in winter I've seen many foreigners, although it's probably nothing compared to summer. In the hostel in Urumqi there were two others: the first night I had the company of a South-African guy and the last nights an American girl shared the dormitory with me. It's really nice to have company to talk to. The girl, Ellen, works in Shanghai and has been cycling all across China to raise awareness for girls' education projects. You may want to check her blog (www.2wheels4girls.com).
I have a feeling that this whole Silk Road bussiness is a bit hypish and overrated, something "you have to do". I dislike "have to dos", but that said, there are some interesting sights and people to see in Sinkiang. Even strictly following my Lonely Planet, I haven't had a boring moment yet. If you come from the east, you've seen so many Chinese that the Uygur people of Sinkiang may be a pleasant change. As I come from the west, both the muslim Uygurs (a Turkic people) and the newly migrated large Chinese part of the population are new and interesting.
I took a bus from Urumqi to Turpan two days ago. In Turpan, I rented a bicycle to get to the ancient city of Yarkhoto (Mandarin: Yiaohe). I also saw the ruins of Khocho (Mandarin: Gaochang). The results of marauding Mongol hordes and centuries of erosion are similar in both places, but Yarkhoto is more impressive because of its superb location on top of 50 m high cliffs. Mud and brick walls are left standing
but everything else is gone. The bazars of Urumqi and Turpan were at least more lively. I especially enjoy the stands where you can basically fry anything available (and in China, the list of available items for frying is long). There are some vineyards in this region too, but they produce wine for the Chinese market, way too sweet for western tastes.
A very different experience was to stand eye in eye with Sinkiang's desert mummies in the museums of Urumqi and Turpan. I'll save you the pictures. Looking at corpses gives me a revolting feeling, even though they may be dead for thousands of years. And yet it is interesting too, because you see what clothes they wore, what their faces looked like, etc. The museums also contain an amazing array of artifacts found in the graves or on the bodies, from silk to brassware and weapons.
The biggest news is that I am going to Tibet though. Together with Chris, another American teacher, I hired a jeep, guide and driver for 8 days. We will arrive (by train!) in Lhasa the 24th of December. Our driver and guide will leave us at the Nepalese border. Hiring this type of an entourage is the only way of legally entering Tibet. Many try to enter illegally, some get caught. You hear and read the storied all the time.
However, there are still many places of interest between here and Xining, the city from where I take the train to Lhasa. Tomorrow I will try to get as far east as Dunhuang in Gansu province. I will keep you updated when I find another place with internet!
I have a feeling that this whole Silk Road bussiness is a bit hypish and overrated, something "you have to do". I dislike "have to dos", but that said, there are some interesting sights and people to see in Sinkiang. Even strictly following my Lonely Planet, I haven't had a boring moment yet. If you come from the east, you've seen so many Chinese that the Uygur people of Sinkiang may be a pleasant change. As I come from the west, both the muslim Uygurs (a Turkic people) and the newly migrated large Chinese part of the population are new and interesting.
I took a bus from Urumqi to Turpan two days ago. In Turpan, I rented a bicycle to get to the ancient city of Yarkhoto (Mandarin: Yiaohe). I also saw the ruins of Khocho (Mandarin: Gaochang). The results of marauding Mongol hordes and centuries of erosion are similar in both places, but Yarkhoto is more impressive because of its superb location on top of 50 m high cliffs. Mud and brick walls are left standing
but everything else is gone. The bazars of Urumqi and Turpan were at least more lively. I especially enjoy the stands where you can basically fry anything available (and in China, the list of available items for frying is long). There are some vineyards in this region too, but they produce wine for the Chinese market, way too sweet for western tastes.
A very different experience was to stand eye in eye with Sinkiang's desert mummies in the museums of Urumqi and Turpan. I'll save you the pictures. Looking at corpses gives me a revolting feeling, even though they may be dead for thousands of years. And yet it is interesting too, because you see what clothes they wore, what their faces looked like, etc. The museums also contain an amazing array of artifacts found in the graves or on the bodies, from silk to brassware and weapons.
The biggest news is that I am going to Tibet though. Together with Chris, another American teacher, I hired a jeep, guide and driver for 8 days. We will arrive (by train!) in Lhasa the 24th of December. Our driver and guide will leave us at the Nepalese border. Hiring this type of an entourage is the only way of legally entering Tibet. Many try to enter illegally, some get caught. You hear and read the storied all the time.
However, there are still many places of interest between here and Xining, the city from where I take the train to Lhasa. Tomorrow I will try to get as far east as Dunhuang in Gansu province. I will keep you updated when I find another place with internet!
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13 December 2011 - 19:40
Vera:
hai rik,
spannend hoor! Hoop dat je reis naar Tibet heel mooi wordt! Fijn dat je gezelschap hebt van iemand die ook Engels spreekt! Veel plezier!
knuf
vera -
13 December 2011 - 23:24
Hanny:
Wat fijn voor je dat je misschien toch naar je beloved tibet gaat, en ook nog met de kerst! Ik wens je vast een goede reis en Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een heel gelukkig 2012 toe vanuit Nederland.
Have fun and take care!
mamma -
18 December 2011 - 11:39
Paul:
Hoi Rik,
Allereerst nog bedankt voor je felicitaties voor mijn verjaardag. Zonet je laatste verslagen gelezen, dus ik ben weer helemaal bij. Tibet is in zicht. Maar even terug naar Kyrgizie. Je zult het misschien al gehoord hebben, maar dit land was onlangs de reissbestemming van Floortje... in het BNN-TVprogramma. Ik zag wel dat het een prachtig land is, maar ze was er wel in de zomer met begeleiding, dus veel minder stoer dan in je uppie reizen in de winter. Moet fijn zijn om in het stille seizoen toch iemand te hebben gevonden om samen een jeep met gids te huren voor de reis naar Tibet. Ik ben benieuwd naar je ervaringen daar. Hier gaat alles zijn gangetje. Nog maar een paar dagen en dan komt Jolien naar Nederland. Daar kijken we erg naar uit. Groeten, natuurlijk ook van Ineke en heel veel plezier in Tibet,
Paul -
18 December 2011 - 15:12
Rick De Goede:
@Paul: Floortje is waarschijnlijk de pezige blonde dame die voor TV continu op snoepreis is, en niet je kleindochter. Het kan zijn dat de cameraploeg zonder begeleiding niet verzekerd kon worden natuurlijk. Wat me voor Kyrgyzstan niet verbaast.
Ik was vergeten een e-mail terug te sturen. Zal ik nog doen.
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