Goodbye China!

The next day we grabbed food at the same Pakistani place as the night before. The lady who ran the place was Uighar. She told us about how she loved Pakistani food, and had learned to cook it on a few trips to Pakistan. She said it made her eat more and that it was more interesting to her than Uigher food which had less variety.After eating, we head to the bus station to check on tickets to Kyrgyzstan. I waited in the car as Andy and Omar went in to check times and prices. The taxi driver misunderstood and thought we were dropping them off and driving to the next hotel, so we went off and I had to keep explaining that we needed to wait and then go back...so a few blocks later, we started driving back, looping around to a place we could turn around. In the meantime, Andy and Omar thought I was kidnapped by the driver and I could see them in the distance looking around the parking area. Finally the taxi came back around, we picked them up and moved on to Chini Bagh, where the travel agent's office was.At CITS travel agency we sat down to figure out passage to Kyrgyzstan and get a refund on part of our previous trip. It turned out we could leave that day in about 10 minutes. The timings were limited due to the hours that the border was open. So we had barely enough time to set out immediatly by car and reach the border in time to get across, then jump into another car that was waiting for us on the Kyrgyzstan side and travel through rugged country to get to Osh. We went through all the details as quickly as possible, with the travel agent using additional staff who spoke the appropriate languages to make arrangements with a travel agency in Kyrgyzstan for that side of the trip. We were in luck (or so we thought) and a driver was already in the area to take us on from the Kyrgyzstan border to Osh. Along the way we were told we would have to hitch a ride with a truck across the 8km between both borders.In the middle of all of that Mike arrived, making it possible for us to leave immediatly. We thought he was arriving that night, so it was kind of surreal to see him walk right in as we were discussing plans for Kyrgyzstan. He'd just come off a rough ride to get to Kashghar and had not eaten since lunch the day before, but he too was ready to get out of China.So Andy and he ran off to do some last minute things, Omar went to get some water and snacks for all of us, and I sat waiting for our driver. It turned out to be Mr. Ling, who had taken us to Kashturgan.This time with Mike in tow, we could communicate using his Chinese language skills. Mr. Ling was far more talkative as we sped toward the border. Along the way we stopped for gas, and all of us had to get out of the car outside the gas station before the car was allowed to enter with only the driver. Security checkpoint after checkpoint we were checked and let to pass. Finally we made it to the Chinese side of the border, filled our departure cards, paid the fees, had our passports stamped and luggage checked. The staff was much more at ease at the border. They examined us closely, but were far friendlier than the rest of the checkpoints before, where there was obviously a great deal of tension. So crossed several more Chinese checkpoints, performing some music for some of the soldiers at their request. That made them pretty happy, and one was kind enough to ask a crossing truck to take us through the middle stretch across to the Kyrgyzstan border. We hopped in a truck with an Uzbek driver of a double trailered truck, traveling at about 5 miles an hour over unpaved road. He was very friendly and we pulled out our instruments and performed a few songs including an Uzbek song that Andy knew to entertain each other across the way.We thanked him once we reached the Kyrgyz checkpoint after a few more Chinese checkpoints, and meeting some of his friends along the way and passing scores of huge trucks waiting to enter China. I didn't take any pictures of any of this due to security reasons..as in securing myself from getting beat by the friendly border folks!At the Kyrgyz checkpoint we went through the usual questions and scrutiny, before meeting our driver, Plat on the other side. He strapped our heavy bags to the top of his old Russian jeep, and we started down the unpaved road in Kyrgyzstan. The driving was slow, but intense. Sometimes we would go off on dirt side roads, away from the stone filled main road from the Kyrgyzstan border. It is known as one of the worst roads in the country...which seems odd as it is an important trade route into China. At times the car would speed up and we'd avoid potholes and smack right into others. Our driver seemed pretty funny, as we tried to communicate with his limited English and our even more limited Russian. He was retired from the Russian Military and drove for a living now.There was some kind of deal to stay the night at some overpriced place along the way that the travel agency had relations with, so we refused to pay 8 times the cost. We had also requested to go straight to Osh, so the confusion now became more and more annoying. I don't think our driver, Plat was at fault for this, but he really did not seem to have ever taken anyone from the border before. He was confused and thrown off by misinformation that we would stay at the over priced (8x what it should have been) tourist trap along the barren road into Kyrgyzstan. The mountains around were beautiful. It was red and dusty, with bits of green all over, as we bumped and swerved and jumped along the road.Plat would at times insist that we stop somewhere and at other times insist that we keep going to Osh. He was a thin, older man and in any case this was an insanely intense drive, so we didn't want him to have to drive all the way through, but he wouldn't communicate to us properly about our options either. It was, stay in the tourist trap or drive all the way through. He would get very frustrated and annoyed, and not really try and communicate his thoughts properly. The sun went down and it was darkness everywhere. We had no Kyrgyz currency as we had not stopped anywhere we could change it. At last, late into the night we stopped for food and Plat filled up on some coffee. He paid for the meal, which we agreed to pay him back for in dollars.As we drove, he became afraid that we would not pay him at times, or he would change his mind about sleeping and then stop somewhere, only to argue that we had to continue due to safety issues. I know this drive was torture for him and also for us, though he had the advantage of understanding the language, and we had the advantage of not destroying our arms yanking the steering wheel from big pot hole to little pothole, to side of road, up and down inclines, stopping to cool down the engine etc along the way.This was without a doubt the worst ride we had been on, and during this trip we've had some really tough ones.

Back to Kashghar?

The next day we learned the pass was closed and that we would not be able to go up to it. We were all devastated. The mood of the city changed. The morning we had left Kashghar we learned there had been a bombing at a police station. As usual in China, there were many checkpoints along the way, but the morning we awoke in Tashkurgan, it really felt like things had soured. There was a lot of tension in the air. We ate with the Pakistanis again, learned about the current situation as security people intensified their scrutiny. The police had come by as we played at the hotel the night before, though the people at the hotel said not to worry. It was routine for them to charge in sirens blaring to check the guest registry, or check up on retaurant books to see who and when they got eggs, vegetables, meat and other supplies from.We walked around ruins of an old castle and enjoyed a beautiful view, and the local bazaar before deciding to start heading back. Out tour guide at CITS was not able to provide any alternate destinations. I asked about local handicrafts, but she really didn't care. They just seemed to want us to go to all the overpriced tourist traps that they had special deals with. All of this with the tense atmosphere combined to make us all feel a bit miserable. We were in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet, but due to some people it was really maddening. We stopped at a beautiful lake, and refused to over pay for nasty food or tourist trap prices. We left i disgust, visited a hot spring, that had been turned into a bath house, then left after looking at it for bit. Too much bad salesmanship, and people not trying to communicate, but just take you for what you are worth to them and all this bureaucratic nonsense can turn a person sour quick.Mr. Ling seemed confused, but took us slowly back. We stopped at the stone work tables and I was in thr process of bartering my boots for a traditional jacket (the guy had gone to get his jacket so I could see it), but Mr. Ling insisted we leave. The tour lady called a bunch of times on his cel phone, but she just wanted to go to more tourist traps and they refused to let us visit regular people.We decided to end the trip and just go back to Kashghar. It just felt like it was time to get out of China, withe the Olympics and even more heightened image conscious paranoia and terrorist threats only days away.Along the way, Mr. Ling I think sensing some of what we were about stopped at a Yurt where we ate some bread, drank tea and put on a music show in a beautifully decorated Kyrgyz home. The family crowded into the door and we all had a good time, though the songs felt tired as we played. It felt like our hearts had been ripped out and we just wanted to leave China. The people were very sweet and it was great to share music with them. One lady pulled out a mouth harp like Andy had. She joked that his was no good and played us some beautiful music on hers. One of the girls danced while we played. They showed us a photo that some other American tourists had taken with them and sent back. We took photos with them and I met some of the little ones outside before we left. It was a long ride back to Kashghar. The feel at the checkpoints was much more intense.We got back into Kashghar, and got a room at the Semens hotel where many Pakistanis stay. The hotel was beautiful with a lot of Uigher cultural decorations in the lobby, but like most places, the rooms were not good. There was a tv, with no power outlet (not that we were going to watch it), the fan burned out, the toilet needed to be repaired and was just as we were going to bed. It was a bad hotel for the price, but another interesting experience. We ate some Pakistani food at another cafe near by, before going to sleep.

To Tashkurgan!

The next day we jumped in a car with our driver Mr. Ling, to head out to Tashkurgan, a border town on the way to the Khunjra Pass to Pakistan. We had obtained permission to go up to it, and were very excited to see it.As we left Kashghar, we stopped at a small dusty town along the way. Mr. Ling pointed us to a bazaar, so Omar took his drum and Andy his Rabab and we walked over to it. It was a lot less built up than the one in Kashghar. It had tents instead of concrete shops and it was definately not geared to tourists. I went to a stall to buy a notebook and pen, meanwhile a bunch of people seeing the intruments asked Omar and Andy to play. Before they knew it, old women and pulle dout little chairs for them and they started playing as a very large crowd formed in front of the stationary stall. I joined them and we sang a couple of songs, as the crowd surged, pushing a little to see what it was all about. It was a pretty amazing experience, but we wanted to move on quick as we had attracted a very large crowd. People were very friendly, and appreciative. They made sure we didn't leave any stuff behind and thanked us as we took off back to the car, running into a bus of Pakistanis and on down the road.The scenery changed rapidly and we could see huge mountains in the distance. We stopped at a tourist shop along the way, where I finally found some intricate traditional Uigher clothing. It was very beautiful with intricate needlework. Apparently that type of clothing is not too common any more. It is made by families for themselves and sometimes for shops like that one. We moved on and stopped at a line of tables with stone work. Vendors ran out to call us over to their tables. I walked along, largely ignoring the over anxious sales people. Finally, before leaving we decided to play some songs. That completely changed the feel of it all. From being annoying sales people, to the sweetest crowd we have every played for in a matter of moments. Little kids, mothers and people of all ages came to see from the yurts across the street. It was such a pleasure to share some music. The crowd made room for some men to dance a bit. It was pretty unbelievable.We head on down towards Tashkurgan stopping along the way to admire the magnificent landscape.Eventually we reached Tashkurgen, checked into a hotel, only to check out very annoyed at the staff trying to double the price and that too with no running water and all kinds of construction being done in the hall. So we walked across the street and booked a room there. It actually turned out great as we met a Pakistani man who had just opened a gift shop selling Pakistani souvenirs. His name was Mustafa and along with a man from the Pakistani bus we ran into earlier named Javed, we head to a Pakistani restaurant. Andy was hooked on Pakistani food at this point. Along the way we picked up some dry fruit to help with altitude sickness as I was getting a bit of a headache. Once at the Pakistani restaurant there was a steady stream of Pakistanis coming in. We ran into more people from the bus from earlier in the day. They all said we should have just hopped on the bus with them. We ate some good food, played some music, then head to one of the hotels where a lot of Pakistanis stay and played more music in the lobby.It was late and I was a bit afraid that we would wake people up, but our hosts insisted that it wasn't a problem. They were all business men, mostly trading in fruit and they knew the Pakistanis we ran into in Kashghar as well.After a bit, a man in a green uniform stumbled out of a room across the way. His eyes were almost shut, his hair a mess, face all red, he just stood there across the lobby staring at all us. He didn't look too happy. I invited him over to join us, but he just stood there. The other Pakistanis around me explained that he was a Tajek, and sarcastically said he was the Minister of Oil, drunk out of his mind, and not to bother with him. So we continued, and so did he.Finally he got the hotel staff to cut up some melons and presented them to us. He sat down and really enjoyed the music. He kept asking us to play more.Andy handed him the Rabab and he played and sang an amazing Tajek song unlike anything we had heard before. He just stared at Andy and me as he sang with a huge grin ear to ear. Yeah, it was kinda creepy, but man could he play. He begged us to stay, but we were tired and managed to get out and back to the hotel. The Pakistanis we met in Kasghar and Tashkurgan were all from northern areas like Swat and Gilgit. Their hospitality was very genuine and it felt nice to be welcomed and to speak in Urdu with all of them.

Kashghar 2

The next day we ate breakfast at a Pakistani restaurant which Omar had seen the night before. We met a bunch of friendly Pakistanis who worked in the fruit import and export business. After, since it was Sunday so we head out to the famed Kashghar Sunday Market, though it is open every day...just bigger on Sunday.There were lanes of all kinds of carpets, cloth, decorations, household goods etc in the market. The instruments that Andy tried were not up to the quality of what we had seen the day before, and I wasn't able to find the traditional clothing I had hoped to, but it was interesting to see, though perhaps a bit over hyped. We walked around for a while, then grabbed a ride back to the old part of town so we Andy and Omar could make their instrument purchases. I hung out for a while, then head out to the bazaar across from the Eid Ka Mosque. The lanes there were very interesting. There were some beautiful mosques and balconies, along with food vendors and people's homes. I wandered about for a while before returning to the tourist shops around the Eid Ka Mosque. I wandered them for a while before joining Andy and Omar. Andy was in the process of choosing having the instruments packed and figuring out the logistics of shipping them, with very little time left as we were taking off the next morning for some sightseeing outside of town. Omar had already made his choice and had a Naagara drum. I hung out as they played around and I joined a bit here and there. A funny little girl wandered into the shop. Every time the fan blew on her she would flinch. She didn't say much, but just watching her look at things and be curious and funny was very interesting. She sat down with me for a bit, before running off to new adventures.Mohammad was tireless and very excited as he ran around between customers making many sales that day, all the while taking care of Andy's needs too. Afterwards, we went to another beautiful restaurant, that featured some live Muqaam music. It was a real treat to check out. Omar had his drum, and the waiters and staff kept looking curiously and asking if he would play as the other musicians had finished and left. Omar started drumming and we both sang some songs. It was funny how quick we were surrounded by excited restaurant staff. It was a lot of fun to give them something to enjoy. The management got a little bugged, well one guy, so we stopped so as not to get them all in trouble. We finished our food, then played a few songs outside before heading back to the hotel where we ran into Musa, one of the Pakistani fruit import/exporters we met at the Pakistani cafe. Actually, helped us at the laundry next door as the guys were trying to explain what they wanted. He happened to be walking by and he helped us communicate in Uighar. We played some music for him and whoever else wanted to be woken up in the hotel, before going to sleep.

Kashghar

The bus brought us to Kashghar in the morning. We checked in about bus tickets to Kyrgyzstan, then jumped on a little motorcycle with an attached wagon to get to the Chini Bagh hotel. From there Andy and Omar got some tour info about exploring the mountainous areas on the way to the Pakistan border. With that in mind for the next few days, we head out to see the old part of town. As we walked down the street, a drunken man invited us to his brother's birthday. He insisted that we join him as he was an english teacher. So I invited him to come pray with us at the Eid Ka Mosque which we were headed to. That got rid of him quick.We walked down some lanes to the old city and followed them to a row of shops with people making wood items, musical instruments and metal pots. I walked into a shop with antiques and the shopkeeper spoke to me in Urdu and English. His father had been to many countries and much of the antiques in his shop were from Pakistan. He suggested I trim my mustache, in fact he really wanted me to trim it, as he showed me how well manicured his was. He was a very friendly person, working all day in the shop, but still full of good cheer. We walked across into the best looking instrument shop and met the owner, Mohammad Abu Bakri, whose family had been making instruments for 4 or 5 generations. He had all kinds of Uighar instruments, including huge bass variations we had never seen. Andy had planned to purchase some and Omar was interested in a good drum. We sat down and started jamming with Mohammad who was very warm and happy to explain the different instruments to us, without any expactations. We started playing different songs and found that old and new Pakistani and Indian film songs were popular amongst the Uighars. He shared some songs with us and we shared a bunch with him, both playing each other's music as a crowd streamed into the shop and outside the glass window. After a while, I walked down the street as Andy and Omar kept jamming.I passed the metal workers, ate some Uighar ice cream, as we had in Urumqi, then happened upon a little barbershop. It had two barber chairs, and was run by two boys who were about fifteen at most with a number of small assistants. I sat down and little eyes all over started watching me. I waited my turn then showed an old photo and with gestures decribed I wanted a mustache trim etc. I figured I'd follow my new friend's advice. I checked to make sure that they use fresh blades etc and then let the kid do whatever he wanted. It was pretty funny, with the little assistant kids watching and helping, and getting my hair washed more thoroughly than I ever thought possible. The young barber himself was very meticulous and after a long time and lots of care, we were done. The guys were still at the shop, quite shocked to see me.We did some more music, as Andy and Omar tested out different instruments. I saw some amazing Muqaam paintings, of traditional music in a catalogue of Uighar instruments. There was a tiny little boy who kept hanging around to see us. He'd ask me something every now and then, I think asking for some money, but mostly just stood and watched. I got him to clap during one song at another shop, but he would not take the food I bought for him. I suppose the sweet little kid was probably begging for someone. We also stopped by the shop of Mohammad's younger cousin and jammed with the cousin and another boy for a few songs before they closed shop.We walked over to a beautifully decorated restaurant, where Andy amused some bald kids with a piano. They even turned off the restaurant music as he played, until some stuffed shirt made him stop playing. We ate some food, then walked back and went to see the Eid Ka Mosque which was the largest mosque in Kashghar. There was a whole open area around it with shops. We walked back to the hotel and got some sleep.

One month on the road!

To celebrate our first month of travel together, we all decided to have some stomach problems. Mike joined in a bit early, but obviously didn't feel like being a part of the team on this one, because he quit quick. Ubul's mom made some special corn gruel to help us at the family restaurant down the street. After, we spent some time outside of town by a large river. I wasn't feeling well, so I sat on one side and sketched. The rest of the guys and our taxi driver jumped in for a swim. There were all kinds of kids and adults (all male) swimming in the river. As I sketched a lane off to one side, a crowd of 15 kids crowded around to watch. When they left 15 more came by. It was pretty funny hearing their voices and picking out a few words here and there. I showed them the sketch from time to time as I worked on it. It was funny, but cool to share with the kids. After I finished, I passed it around to the kids that were around me and one gave me a "Yakshi" and a thumbs up :). We spent some more time at various spots around the river before rushing back to get our things and jump on the bus to Kashghar. Mike parted ways for a bit to do his own thing, and we'll meet up with him again in a few days. It was a pretty sad goodbye to Ubul and his family. Even with language barriers etc, we really felt close by the time we left. Particularly Ubul, who made time for us and was just so much fun to be around. He is one of the warmest, kindest and funniest people we have met on our trip, and being here with him and his amazing family has been one of the best times in the whole trip.

Khotan Day 2

I woke up early and painted a sketch of the courtyard in Ubul's home. I spent a couple of hours building it up as Ubul and his mother walked passed, checking in on my progress and working on breakfast. I could not really communicate my gratitude to Ubul's mother for her hospitality in words, but it really made me feel good to present her with the sketch as a gift once it was finished. The neighborhoods around there are very nice. They are similar to small town neighborhoods in Pakistan. Being in Xinjiang province is like being in a different country from China entirely. After cleaning up, we walked outside. A neighbor invited us in to eat some nan, and piles of watermelon and cantelope. We spoke for a while, then took off to Ubul's family restaurant. Later in the evening we walked around town, sampled some different kinds of food, went to the river, then went to the market square to look around and eat some food in the open market. After all that walking we head back for some sleep.

Arriving in Khotan!

We rolled out of bed the next day and head for the bus station next door to go to Khotan. Along the way, we passed lots of desert, stopped at a town and ate some food, before finally reaching Khotan. Once there we called a musician friend named Ubul whom we met in Beijing. His brother came to get us. We hopped in a taxi and told it to follow him to Ubul's family home. It was similar to the museum home we had seen the day before. Simple, spacious and very beautiful. We were all exhausted. He and his family brought us tea, delicious sliced watermelons and cantelopes, and a hearty soup to help us sleep. We had met Ubul during a performance at Beijing and I gave him a sketch I had done of him and Omar and he had jammed on percussion afterwards. That was it. From there to the hospitality, warmth and love that he and his family gave us was really amazing.

Cherchen and Bin Chi Leen (Ice Cream)

The next day we woke up, I went to visit my pals at the internet cafe and when the guys woke up we walked around town. We could only get tickets to Khotan for the next day, so we had another day in Cherchen. After checking out a little market where Omar and Andy bought some cool hats, we went to the ice cream place that had broken our hearts the day before. Once there we waited for a while and then ate some watered down tasting soft serve ice cream.We really amused the store owner with our enthusiasm for ice cream. After eating a few, we head over to the local museum which was housed in the former home of a local man who..um..doesn't live any more. The lady there was kinda nuts, but we saw some traditional tools, got a feel for the layout of a traditional home and saw some beautiful carpets in what remained of the household. From there we wandered around some more, asked the music store guy if there were any local musicians we could hang out with, met one who wanted to charge us lots of money to put on a show, and did not seem to understand the concept of just wanting to share music with fellow musicians, so we took off and ate at a nice restaurant.As we ate, a crowd of kids gathered and watched us. When we stepped out, we went to a general store where the lady there spoke english. We bought some ice cream as many children watched us. We sat down eating ice cream amid giggling children who had been playing outside the restaurant. The general store lady invited us to sit on some stools with her and we talked for a while about our travels. She was really kind and brought us some sliced cantaloupes.After a while, the little street tough from the previous day walked up and smacked Mike on the back. He joined us for a bit and spoke his strange street language then left. I was hoping we'd see him again. We walked around some more, then went back and slept.

Cherchen

The bus kept making stops and the lights would go on all night, so none of us got any sleep by the time we got to Cherchen at around 5am. We walked over to a hotel by the bus station and got ourselves a good rate on 2 double rooms thanks to Mike. I woke up around 11am the same day, and the guys were still getting some much needed sleep. There was no water, so I went downstairs and let the hotel owner know, with the help of my phrasebook. He got the idea and said something, but I didn't really get it. So I walked back up, hung out, went back down a couple hours later and still nothing. I could not really understand the replies, but the owner and his family were all very friendly and we smiled at not being able to understand one another. One man in the lobby asked me where I was from and when I replied Pakistan and America, he bought me a Future Cola. I asked about an internet cafe and followed directions down the street. Once there I realized I didn't have my ID on me, so I went back to get it. By then the water was back and I cleaned up before going back to the internet cafe.There is a lot of paperwork at the hotels and internet cafes whenever you sign in. Language barriers don't help this, but the girl and guy at the internet cafe very sweetly typed things into google translate in Chinese and translated their questions to English. They were very patient and polite, as many people I have found here. Another thing that I really appreciate is, even if people might look at you a bit because they don't see foreigners all the time, they still extend the exact same politeness and courtesy to you as they would any Chinese person, for the most part. There are many sweet polite things that people do, like handing you change with both hands in a very respectful manner, or saying there's no need to thank when you say thank you etc. There are many polite customs here, and it adds something good to even the smallest interactions with people.My friends met me at the internet cafe once they were ready and we set out to wander the streets of Cherchen. Andy had found some fresh sesame nan, so we got a few and munched on that. We stopped at a music store, because music always trumps food when it comes to priorities and picked up some traditional Uigher music cds. There Mike met an interesting, assertive character who shall be referred to as the Low Rider for her interesting bicycling techniques. She joined us as we explored the market, funny babies with poop ready pants, and settled down for food at a restaurant.After that we walked down the road through some neighborhoods with beautiful, ornate, wood doors and brightly painted metal ones. Along the way we met many friendly people, and walked through some corn and sunflower fields before making our way back to the hotel.There are lots of cute and funny little kids here. Often, little ones, seeing us foreigners will shout out "Haaalllooo!" with the happiest little smile you have ever seen while walking past with their moms.The little boy in the last pic of the third image met us at lunch. He played with us all during our sit at the restaurant. When we walked outside, he picked out a special booger from his nose and then hugged a leg off each of us..well except the Low Rider. He pulled away from her. She likes kids..but I'm not sure they like her :).We rested a bit, then head out to get Andy from the internet cafe and check out some music at a club with the Low Rider. The music was fun and seeing some people dance was also cool, but it was a monday night and the place was fairly empty so it lacked a certain energy.Andy, Omar and I head out to explore a little further outside. We came upon an open area full of pool tables, food stalls and people enjoying the night. We tried some iced, yoghurt flavored with sugar and pineapple juice that we added.We met a very sweet Han Chinese woman who was born in Cherchen. She explained and translated for us with the Uigher shopkeeper. She talked about how her family had moved there from across China for better economic opportunities, then also mentioned a 24 hour ice cream parlor. She had no idea how much joy that brought us. She'd probably never seen 3 grown men so excited about ice cream. We got directions, then walked over to it, only to find it open, but all out of ice cream. This was worse than the time we found the ice cream machine shop, full of wonderful ice cream dispensing machines...but no ice cream.A little broken hearted, we decided to return the following day. After a long dark walk, we got some sleep.

In Korla

In the morning we dragged ourselves out of bed for some complimentary breakfast. There were sesame breads with bean paste, eggplant, tofu, milk, vegetable dumplings etc, all very good. Next we grabbed bus tickets for the evening. That's what it's going to be like for a while, as we travel through towns, not necessarily known for points of interest, making our way west.This town is known for the oil industry. Most of the shops we saw were all selling machine parts etc. The day was somewhat relaxed. We left that night for Cherchen.

Korla

I went out to hunt down an internet cafe while the guys were sleeping. Phrase book in hand, I walked the streets, each person pointing me in the general direction until I found it. After updating some blog stuff and sending out some emails, I head back to the hotel and waited for the guys who had left in the meantime. They came back with bus tickets for that evening.

We had planned to go see a glacier that Tasawar had mentioned and we also wanted to see Tasawar again and meet up with Ubul, a drummer we had met in Beijing who was coming back to this area that day. At that point we were running low on time and could not get in touch with either, so we just relaxed for a bit then caught the bus to Korla. Thus began out turn south across the province, to eventually reach Kasghar.

The bus was very nice, and the scenery outside was breathtaking. We passed all kinds of rocky mountains, gravel trails, desert sand with rock formations poking out etc as the sun made the sky and clouds glow orange and pink as it sunk ever lower. Eventually we were driving in the dark, along a highway with virtually nothing around. We made a few stops along the way before reaching Korla in the dead of night.

There were still some general stores and hotels open. We trudged around with our backpacks, comparing prices, but ended up staying at the only place that could accept foreigners by law. I think it may be a licensing issue or something.

So, at around 2am we waited as the guy at the counter of our hotel filled out forms with our passport info...very...very...slowly.

Finally we went up to sleep, agreeing to get the passports back in the morning.

Tian Chi

 

Mike was feeling tired, so the rest of us hired a car and went out of the city to Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake). The drive out took us past barren desert and rock, past some Kazakh Yurts, and a river until we arrived up in the mountains. From there we walked up many, many stairs, following a beatiful river, up to a waterfall, a gorgeous greenish blue lake, and up to a second larger lake with boats. We wanted to continue up to a small structure at the top, but ran out of time. We ended up walking around a narrow trail with a guide rail, around the second lake, before we started back to the bottom. It was a tiring walk, especially since we never really get a chance to fully recover before the next walk. There's too much to see and too little time. It was amazing to be up in such a beautiful place. We spent time on the way up resting at spots and just taking it in. The waterfall, the lakes and river were all very soothing, and peaceful.

From there we returned to the hotel, got Mike and met up with a Pakistani man named Tasawar, whom we met on the bus the day before. He met us at a restaurant near the hotel. Mike stayed back to rest and we went to the Uigar market again, for some more ice cream. We checked out some musical instruments, talked at length to Tasawar who spoke Uighar also. After that we checked out a large department store much like one you would find in the US. It was fun trying to explain that Andy wanted to buy a towel. After being led to many other things, we finally found one. I met a super cool robot on the way out.

We thanked Tasawar for his hospitality then grabbed the bus back to the hotel for some sleep.

Urumqi

The next morning, still enroute to Urumqi, I awoke to sleepy eyed children stumbling out of bed, tiny toes all over. I joined the herd, borrowed some toothpaste and cleaned up a bit. My pal Li Zhou, hooked me up with some green tea that he had generously purchased for me and we listened to some music on our headphones, hoping to make it through the day as the little savages woke up.

Lots of terrifying giggling followed. Omar and I escaped for a while to the next car, but the evil little cats found us, popping their little heads in one by one, creeping up behind me and delivering painful blows to my back. I held back my tears, trying desperately not to cry in front of everyone as they set their sites on a new prey. We were sitting in the aisle, outside the compartment of one of the blue shirted train staff. He made the mistake of leaving his door open while reading a newspaper. The cats were jumped through the doorway, looking under his bed, on top of it and all around, asking tons of questions and settling in next to him. He was clearly in shock. Fearing for his life, he played it cool, then bravely tried to shoo them away without any luck. They giggled and ran around his compartment before leaving when they felt like it and slamming his door shut behind.

They joined Omar and myself in the hall for a bit, and I had to subdue them with some tickling, before they ran off again. Finally we reached the train station at Urumqi. We said our goodbyes and I exchanged info with a college professor and Li Zhou, the high schooler. One of the friendly kids offered to help me pull my heavy backpack down. We went out the platform and the herd lined up for a headcount. Omar, Andy, Mike and I waved good bye and head out. It was raining a bit as we walked down into a Muslim noodle shop. The locals stopped and watched us. Two kids with aviation suited ears stood newspaper hawking forgotten and watched us. They unfroze when I pulled out my camera. We ate some food, then grabbed a bus to another part of town to look for a place to stay. Prices varied a lot so we kept looking until we found a cheaper place. The room was being cleaned so we left our backpacks with them and head out to see the city. We walked around a bit, then hopped on a bus to the Xinjiang Autonomus Region Museum. The museum had amazing exhibits on the wide range of diverse people living in the Xinjiang province. From European/Russian looking Tartars, to Mongols, Han Chinese, Uzbeks, Uighurs and many more. Exhibits showed beautiful handicrafts, clothes, musical instruments and other cultural effects from each of group of people. Other sections of the museum showed excavated remains from ancient civilizations, including mummies. All in all, it was a beautiful museum though it underscored the reality of the province.

From there we head over to the Erdaoqiao Market, which is surrounded by Uighur neighborhoods. On the bus, we befriended some Uigher students who showed us the way as well as a Pakistani businessman working in the area. We went with the students, down to the marketplace. We had heard some nasty racist things said about the Uighur people that really made us mad, before we got there. Various negative attributes were prescribed to this entire group of people by some other people at the museum. I actually met some Uigher students while sitting in the lobby of the museum as well and they were, as most people tend to be, very warm and gracious. The students we met on the bus, were likewise very warm and friendly to us. Certainly you have to take precautions whenever you are in a new place and with new people, but that goes equal for all people, and you don't want to become so paranoid that you fail to see the beauty that exists in the wonderful people you meet along the way.

We looked at music instruments and I saw that a few things I negotiated down in Xian had starting prices of half of what I haggled down to. It was a fun marketplace, with so many diverse people, as we had seen in the exhibits in the museum. This area had a very different feel with signs in Chinese, English, Uighur and some Russian. Four scripts and a multitude of ethnicities, styles of dress etc poured in from all around. There were some mosques, and a beautiful square.

We looked around for some fresh nan, but all we could find were stacks of cold, hard bread at all the shops we went to. Finally, we walked over to an area that was full of outdoor eateries and asked around. Many people did not speak Chinese here, so we had to try and use Arabic and Farsi words with some English and lots of hand gestures and funny faces to try and communicate. People were very friendly. We ate some amazing watermelon and I picked up some traditional music cds. Mike ate some spicy noodles and chickpeas, with flavors quite unique from what we had sampled in other parts of China thus far. At the noodle stand, we finally managed to explain that we were looking for fresh nan, straight out of the tandoor (clay oven). He talk to another kid who had his own stall. Finally the kid at the other stall decided he was going to take us. He walked us all around, weaving through crowds, as we struggled to keep up, until we had walked across a good cross section of the amazing Uighur neighborhood and arrived at a nan shop. They had closed and the boys working there smiled as our nan hunter friend explained what we were after. After much talking, they agreed to bake a batch of smaller sesame buns. Omar tried really hard to get them to make a few nans, but they weren't having it. It was a tremendous amount of effort to start the tandoor, and prepare it for baking bread. Three boys, in a rythmic patterm dunked their head and arms into the firey tandoor, placing the dough balls on the inner walls. They joined us outside after getting the whole laborious process started. A crowd of people formed around us as we spoke to the boys inside and outside the shop. We greeted them with a Salam (Muslim greeting) and that helped to endear us to them instantly, but perhaps more than that just our silliness made them happy. Omar and Andy decided to learn how to count in Uighur. None of these kids or adults spoke Chinese. They looked at us very confused as we explained 1-2-3-4-5, counting on fingers and they laughed and repeated, until finally some people in the crowd figured out what we were after and they taught us.

It made everyone really happy, as we waited for the buns to cook. Omar pulled out a page of Uighur phrases from his book and tried them out, much to everyone's delight. People laughed, but the crowd was actually very friendly. They warmed up to us kids, and lots of little ones crowded around and watched. We kept watch of our things as you need to in any crowd..though I still lost my camera that one time in Mongolia...but people were genuinely curious. The boy who brought us about a mile to the nan shop refused any food or anything in return. He simply helped us and then sped off on his way back to work. The kids at the tandoor didn't try to make any extra money off of us, or be mean or anything but the nicest hosts one could ask for. The humored our silliness and we all spoke to pockets of the crowd in our broken words and smiles.

Eventually the bread was ready and we had 5. One of the boys at the tandoor offered to take a photo of the inside of the tandoor for me and I gave him my camera to do just that. The people were so friendly do us and asked for nothing in return. We offered some entertainment, but that was really all they wanted. One man even offered to let us stay with him, though we graciously declined. One new mother, with her seven month old baby in hand spoke Chinese and communicated with Mike. Andy shared music on his laptop, and had a huge crowd of kids around him and a generously lent hat from one of the children. These were not people who had much in the way of monetary riches, but they were some of the warmest, sweetest people we could ever hope to meet. I think often if you put out a good feeling regardless of whether you feel you are getting it back or not, it brings out that in those around you. It doesn't work every single time, in every situation, but it is the only way I know to make being amidst strangers so enjoyable.

We made our way to the bus station, exhausted, with the help of the Chinese speaking mother with her cute baby in her arms, and the kind man who had offered us his hospitality. We said goodbye and hopped on the bus. Finding the tiny hotel at night proved challenging. We all had some idea, but it took us a long time to trace our steps back and find the landmarks we needed to get there. Eventually we did, only to be told that we had been given the room in error.

Foreigners were not allowed to stay in that hotel, and so we would have to find some other arrangements. They refunded our money and graciously called around to try and find another place. We went off in search of places, carrying our heavy backpacks, but their suggestions were outragiously expensive. Apparently it is common to run into the situation where lower cost and lower quality hotels are not allowed to house foreigners, likely more out of maintaining an image than anything.

So we pulled out the lonley planet guide, called a place near the train station and found rooms at low prices that allowed foreigners. The place is the least nice place we have stayed at. The bathrooms have friendly short doors so you can talk to your neighbors while handling your business, but the halls are dark and instead of keys, you get tags that you show the floor attendant who unlocks your door. Still, thanks as usual to Mike's hard work and Chinese language skills, we got out of an annoying situation and found a decent place to sleep at night.