August 24, 2008
New pictures
Just managed to upload a few more pictures to the webalbum, mainly from fascinating Kashgar. Enjoy!
Kashgar, where minorities form the majority
After a great, comforable but long train journey through vast plains and deserts, we arrived in Kashgar, in the far western end of China, on Friday morning. It doesn't really feel like China, though: the vast majority of the people here are Uighurs, an Islamic people from Turkic origin. There are also Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Pakistani and here and there an odd Chinese. Most people also dress quite traditionally here: women wearing all sorts of colourful dresses and scarfs, men cheap but rather neat vests with traditional hats and children just about anything that fits them. .JPG)
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We stayed in the Chinibagh Hotel, a rather run-down but cheap and nice enough hotel on the grounds of the former British consulate, where we had a room with airco, TV and cockroaches for 70 RMB. After freshening up a bit, we went into the city, where we got even more enthusiastic about the place: the Friday prayer was just starting, and a lot of people where out and about.
We found the old town, the part of the city that has not yet given way to modernity (/ has not been Sinified), especially charming, with small streets, loads of children cheerfully running around, old women chattering on the pavement and chickens sprinting up and down courtyards, waiting to be slaughtered. It is by the way quite obvious that the Chinese one-child policy doesn't apply here: there are children most everywhere.
The city has a long-standing reputation as a trading post, on the crossroads between major east-west and north-south trading routes. This is most clearly evident in the Sunday market, but also on other days there is a lot of activity: people forge knives, make kitchenware, jewelry or music instruments, weave carpets and prepare all kinds of delicious-smelling food. Of course, we eagerly sampled the local cuisine: we had some of the best chicken we had ever, wonderful mutton-filled buns from street stalls and we ate yogurt with honey, drank Pakistani milk tea and tasted weird fruits.
On Sunday, we went to the Sunday market: a mind-bogging place where literally everything is for sale: clothes, scarfs, kitchenware, jewelry, knives, all kinds of traditional hats, bags, shoes, boots, tools,... There must have been tens of thousands of people, selling and buying, chatting and eating, with salesmen from the wider Kashgar region bringing their goods to the market on donkey-carts, camels, motor cycles, bikes, cars, trucks - anything with legs or wheels, really. It is a million times more charming than your average western-style supermarket!
The other market in town, the animal market, was even more interesting. Thousands of locals (mainly men) were fiercely negotiating the price of a couple of goats, lifting bleating sheep on a cramped back of a donkey-cart, test-driving horses and donkeys and inspecting cows with an expert eye. The peope-to-animal ratio must have been around one to one, making it the biggest animal market either of us has ever witnessed.
We found the old town, the part of the city that has not yet given way to modernity (/ has not been Sinified), especially charming, with small streets, loads of children cheerfully running around, old women chattering on the pavement and chickens sprinting up and down courtyards, waiting to be slaughtered. It is by the way quite obvious that the Chinese one-child policy doesn't apply here: there are children most everywhere.
The city has a long-standing reputation as a trading post, on the crossroads between major east-west and north-south trading routes. This is most clearly evident in the Sunday market, but also on other days there is a lot of activity: people forge knives, make kitchenware, jewelry or music instruments, weave carpets and prepare all kinds of delicious-smelling food. Of course, we eagerly sampled the local cuisine: we had some of the best chicken we had ever, wonderful mutton-filled buns from street stalls and we ate yogurt with honey, drank Pakistani milk tea and tasted weird fruits.
On Sunday, we went to the Sunday market: a mind-bogging place where literally everything is for sale: clothes, scarfs, kitchenware, jewelry, knives, all kinds of traditional hats, bags, shoes, boots, tools,... There must have been tens of thousands of people, selling and buying, chatting and eating, with salesmen from the wider Kashgar region bringing their goods to the market on donkey-carts, camels, motor cycles, bikes, cars, trucks - anything with legs or wheels, really. It is a million times more charming than your average western-style supermarket!
The other market in town, the animal market, was even more interesting. Thousands of locals (mainly men) were fiercely negotiating the price of a couple of goats, lifting bleating sheep on a cramped back of a donkey-cart, test-driving horses and donkeys and inspecting cows with an expert eye. The peope-to-animal ratio must have been around one to one, making it the biggest animal market either of us has ever witnessed.
When we were in Kashgar, there were very few other travellers. The tourist infrastructure (bars, hotels,...) could easily accomodate a tenfold of the current amount of tourists. This is mainly due to China's visa policy, making it more difficult for westerners to visit China during the Olympics. However, there are also very few Chinese travellers here, probably (from what we heared) out of a media-induced fear for terrorist attacks. (A fear, by the way, that is completely unfounded.)
Tomorrow morning, Monday, we leave early by taxi to the Irkeshtam pass, from where we will cross into Kyrgyzstan. Local travel agencies asked ridiculously steep prices of up to 900RMB for a taxi, but we arranged one for 500RMB. We should, if all goes well, arrive in Osh tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow morning, Monday, we leave early by taxi to the Irkeshtam pass, from where we will cross into Kyrgyzstan. Local travel agencies asked ridiculously steep prices of up to 900RMB for a taxi, but we arranged one for 500RMB. We should, if all goes well, arrive in Osh tomorrow evening.
August 20, 2008
Urumqi and the Kyrgyz visa
The capital of Xinjiang province, Urumqi, is quite like any other big Chinese city, the main difference being that a considerable part of the population consists of ethnic minorities: Uyghurs, Hui, Kazachs and Kyrgyz.
The highrise, smoke-stacked itself isn't very inviting and even with placates in the People's Park advocating its beauty, it is an alltogether depressing place.
However, we found a very nice hostel on the advice of Jenny, a very friendly Chinese girl we met on the train from Dunhuang. Maitian International Youth Hostel, cheap accomodation and an open travellers' atmosphere; a good place to relax for a few days. Here we met Francois, a French teacher who gave us valuable information on crossing the Kyrgyz border, and Samantha, a nice English student who travels across Xinjiang after working at the Beijing Olympics.
The best thing about Urumqi is that we got our Kyrgyz visas: the small consulate hidden away not too far from the hostel was able to provide these in three days, be it at a high rate: a hefty 952RMB.. But with this, we'll be in Kashgar by the end of this week, meaning we'll just on schedule for the Sunday Market, which is supposed to be one of the most interesting ones in Asia.. Our expectations are running high on that market event: the ones we saw so far in China have been quite an experience as well, with all kinds of animals being sold: chickens, crabs, fish, frogs, turtoises, birds and squid. Add some colourful vegetable and fruits stalls and fragrant spices, and there you have your average Chinese market.
Tomorrow, we leave for Kasgar in the far end of Xinjiang province, near Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. We managed to get us two sleepers, after queueing for ages in a packed train station (actually, Floris queued, Hanna judging herself to be still too weak to face the crowds). It's a 24 hour ride, but we have quite comfortable lower berths and a table for playing cards (if we can agree on the rules, that is).
After these two weeks of rushing through China, we will lower our pace and hopefully won't be doing too much overnight travelling anymore. When we leave China, we will have covered roughly one third of our total mileage. So far (up to Urumqi), we have spent about 54 hours, or 4300 km, on trains...
The highrise, smoke-stacked itself isn't very inviting and even with placates in the People's Park advocating its beauty, it is an alltogether depressing place.
However, we found a very nice hostel on the advice of Jenny, a very friendly Chinese girl we met on the train from Dunhuang. Maitian International Youth Hostel, cheap accomodation and an open travellers' atmosphere; a good place to relax for a few days. Here we met Francois, a French teacher who gave us valuable information on crossing the Kyrgyz border, and Samantha, a nice English student who travels across Xinjiang after working at the Beijing Olympics.
The best thing about Urumqi is that we got our Kyrgyz visas: the small consulate hidden away not too far from the hostel was able to provide these in three days, be it at a high rate: a hefty 952RMB.. But with this, we'll be in Kashgar by the end of this week, meaning we'll just on schedule for the Sunday Market, which is supposed to be one of the most interesting ones in Asia.. Our expectations are running high on that market event: the ones we saw so far in China have been quite an experience as well, with all kinds of animals being sold: chickens, crabs, fish, frogs, turtoises, birds and squid. Add some colourful vegetable and fruits stalls and fragrant spices, and there you have your average Chinese market.
Tomorrow, we leave for Kasgar in the far end of Xinjiang province, near Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. We managed to get us two sleepers, after queueing for ages in a packed train station (actually, Floris queued, Hanna judging herself to be still too weak to face the crowds). It's a 24 hour ride, but we have quite comfortable lower berths and a table for playing cards (if we can agree on the rules, that is).
After these two weeks of rushing through China, we will lower our pace and hopefully won't be doing too much overnight travelling anymore. When we leave China, we will have covered roughly one third of our total mileage. So far (up to Urumqi), we have spent about 54 hours, or 4300 km, on trains...
Slideshow and trip tracker
Just a small note to attract your attention to it: we finally managed to upload some pictures. For a visual update, have a look at the slideshow on the right (if you click it, it should go full screen).
The trip tracker, the map-tool roughly indicating the route we followed and the places we halted, is also updated.
Enjoy!
The trip tracker, the map-tool roughly indicating the route we followed and the places we halted, is also updated.
Enjoy!
Dunhuang and the Iron Curtain
After arriving in Dunhuang from Jiayuguan on an early slow train, we went to Johng's Guesthouse, a very nice, good-value guesthouse with the quite spectacular sand dunes and camels just nextdoor.
Hanna was feeling a bit sick, so we just had a walk around the guesthouse. Strangely enough, we found that the sand dunes had actually been fenced off, and a bit further down the road we discovered an entrance gate, where tourists are supposed to cough up a steep 120RMB to get access. It didn't feel overly touristy (mainly Chinese tourists, with only the odd Westerner), but handicraft stalls and obligatory camel ride expeditions were of course part of the deal.
We of course didn't pay to get in. We decided to walk along the fence, and a few hundred meters off, away from guards and boys scouting for intruders, we managed to slip underneath the fence and get our free, be it short, original sand dune experience.
The next day, Hanna was not feeling too well, so Floris went to the Mogao caves alone. The 492 caves near this important Silk Route oasis contain ancient Buddhist art, spanning a period of about 1000 years, most of them dating from the Tang dynasty era.
Access to the caves was not cheap (180RMB p/p, including a mandatoy English Guide), but the site definitely is interesting and of immense cultural importance.
From Dunhuang, we took a very comfortable, quiet nighttrain to Urumqi, deep in China's vast Xinjiang province.
Hanna was feeling a bit sick, so we just had a walk around the guesthouse. Strangely enough, we found that the sand dunes had actually been fenced off, and a bit further down the road we discovered an entrance gate, where tourists are supposed to cough up a steep 120RMB to get access. It didn't feel overly touristy (mainly Chinese tourists, with only the odd Westerner), but handicraft stalls and obligatory camel ride expeditions were of course part of the deal.
We of course didn't pay to get in. We decided to walk along the fence, and a few hundred meters off, away from guards and boys scouting for intruders, we managed to slip underneath the fence and get our free, be it short, original sand dune experience.
The next day, Hanna was not feeling too well, so Floris went to the Mogao caves alone. The 492 caves near this important Silk Route oasis contain ancient Buddhist art, spanning a period of about 1000 years, most of them dating from the Tang dynasty era.
Access to the caves was not cheap (180RMB p/p, including a mandatoy English Guide), but the site definitely is interesting and of immense cultural importance.
From Dunhuang, we took a very comfortable, quiet nighttrain to Urumqi, deep in China's vast Xinjiang province.
Jiayuguan and the Fake Wall
In Jiayuguan, which is far less touristy than Xi'An, we stayed the rather rundown "Youth Hotel". The rooms weren't exactly superb, but costed only 40RMB per night per person (= about 4 euros) - a good deal. The atmosphere was a bit grim: the knowledge that rooms could also be rent by the hour should give you an idea why. But after having spoken with other travellers, it still seems one of the best budget options in town.
We didn't stay too long in the hotel, and had a look around in the town. There was a local market, with the usual fruits, vegetables, chickens and food stalls. Here we had a tasty dinner in a local restaurant: very spicy mutton- and beefskewers, with even more spicy noodles and vegetables.
The next day, we were up to some sightseeing.
Jiayuguan is very famous in China for its fortress, a stronghold at the end of the Great Wall - so we headed that way. As with many Chinese tourist spots, historical sites are to some extend transformed into a fun fair, with a tasteless park, concrete statues and the like - not really things we were very eager to see. As the entrance fee was rather exorbitant (10EUR per person), we decided to take the cheap way out and just walk around the whole site. We ventured into the desert, and had a great (free) view on the fortress and the Great Wall.
We then explored a bit beyond the site and ended up in a tract of traditional Chinese countryside, which was really charming. We came across sheep and a donkey amidst colourful corn-, onion-, potato- and rapeseedfields.
Later on, we headed to a second sight: the "Overhanging Wall", a bridge-like stretch of the wall 'hanging' above a river. Rebuilt and not really interesting at all. We could also walk on a bit of the wall, winding its way up a hill overseeing the desert. From afar it is actually quite impressive, but knowing that that part had been rebuilt in 1987 (which wasn't posted anywhere, however), gave it more of a "Fake Wall of China"-feel.
A mandatory 'culture park' with statues of pink camels and concrete Silk Route traders, made the whole experience quite unearthly. The view from atop the wall over the desert and the nearby oasis was however worth the climb.
Back in the town, as we set out for dinner, we came across a group of elderly Chinese women performing a rather complicated local dance with small drums, joyfully observed by the local elderly men. This seems to be a common practice in Jiayuguan (and other places in China), as the previous day we also saw two groups like this, one performing with fans and another with scarfs. Hanna was cheerfully invited to join the dancing, to the great amusement of the locals.
The next day, we were up to some sightseeing.
Jiayuguan is very famous in China for its fortress, a stronghold at the end of the Great Wall - so we headed that way. As with many Chinese tourist spots, historical sites are to some extend transformed into a fun fair, with a tasteless park, concrete statues and the like - not really things we were very eager to see. As the entrance fee was rather exorbitant (10EUR per person), we decided to take the cheap way out and just walk around the whole site. We ventured into the desert, and had a great (free) view on the fortress and the Great Wall.
We then explored a bit beyond the site and ended up in a tract of traditional Chinese countryside, which was really charming. We came across sheep and a donkey amidst colourful corn-, onion-, potato- and rapeseedfields.Later on, we headed to a second sight: the "Overhanging Wall", a bridge-like stretch of the wall 'hanging' above a river. Rebuilt and not really interesting at all. We could also walk on a bit of the wall, winding its way up a hill overseeing the desert. From afar it is actually quite impressive, but knowing that that part had been rebuilt in 1987 (which wasn't posted anywhere, however), gave it more of a "Fake Wall of China"-feel.
A mandatory 'culture park' with statues of pink camels and concrete Silk Route traders, made the whole experience quite unearthly. The view from atop the wall over the desert and the nearby oasis was however worth the climb.
Back in the town, as we set out for dinner, we came across a group of elderly Chinese women performing a rather complicated local dance with small drums, joyfully observed by the local elderly men. This seems to be a common practice in Jiayuguan (and other places in China), as the previous day we also saw two groups like this, one performing with fans and another with scarfs. Hanna was cheerfully invited to join the dancing, to the great amusement of the locals.
August 19, 2008
Itinerary Kyrgyzstan - Kazachstan
The idea is to cross the Chinese - Kyrgyz border through the Irkeshtam pass, head to Sary Tash and Osh and continue towards Bishkek via Jalal-Abad and Tash-Kömür. From Bishkek, we plan to head to Karakol via the southern shore of the Ysyk-Köl lake. We will leave Kyrgyzstan and cross into Kazachstan near Kegen.
In Kazachstan, we will spend some time in and around Almaty, before taking the train towards Shymkent. From there, we travel further to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
In Kazachstan, we will spend some time in and around Almaty, before taking the train towards Shymkent. From there, we travel further to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
The plan is to cover the above outlined itinerary in about three weeks.
Computer Related Frustration Syndrome
It was rather expected: we have been experiencing some problems getting on the web... The Chinese computers we have come across so far, have been of the 5-year old, trashy, HIV-infected kind with unnumerable weird windows popping up. You know: slow and unreliable, keyboard either not working or the typing language set in unalterable Chinese pinyin characters.
Getting pictures from the camera is proving to be an ever bigger headache.
But hey: that's what it's like and we'll just have to cope with it. So don't be surprised if it's a bit quiet from time to time: we expect Central-Asia to be not much brighter in this respect...
Xi'An
Our first stop on our journey was the ancient city of Xi'An. After a pretty good sleep on the night train, we arrived early morning in a rainy Xi'An. As we knew that getting train tickets could at times be quite a challenge, we immediately bought onward tickets to Jiayuguan.
On leaving the station, we saw a small Chinese boy dutifully urinating in an empty noodle box. But just as we were impressed by his cleanliness and aiming skills, he joyfully threw the box and the contents in the air... A warm welcome to Xi'An indeed.
We found a nice youth hostel near the Bell Tower, right in the centre of the city. It was good value for money, and there was a nice and easy travellers' atmosphere. A good breakfast and a adorable kitten made the picture complete.
We then set off to the Terracotta Army, about 1 hour bus drive out of the city. It was still pouring down with rain, but as the terracotta army is sheltered in several buildings, this didn't bother us.
The army itself was quite amazing: about 8000 life-sized statues of warriors, archers and horsemen, burried underground for over 2000 years. This incredible undertaking was ordered by emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China. He must have been quite afraid of being conquered after his death, or plainly mad - or both of course.
On the following day, back in Xi'An, we wandered about at a relaxed pace. The city was quite nice, but not so very different than other Chinese cities we had seen before. With the old monuments (bell tower, drum tower, great mosque and of course the city wall), it felt quite "Chinese" (i.e. less Western than Shanghai), but knowing that the monuments are mostly replica's from buildings that have been destroyed during the cultural revolution gnawed more than a bit off of our wonder and amazement, especially as it was nowhere shown that it were replica's..
However, the Muslim quarter was quite a nice place to stroll around in. Nice small shops, vendors selling dried fruits and road-side restaurants fuming out inviting smells of foods. All this in the backdrop of the great mosque, which is built in Chinese architectural style - rather weird but interesting. Our visit to the mosque was quite enchanting: we visited it at nightfall, when the last prayers were performed.
We enjoyed a dinner of a local speciality: different vegetables and meats, boiled in a spicy broth and dipped in a tasty sesame-paste. Really nice.
Xi'An was a good place as a first stop. From there, we took a night train to Jiayuguan, deep in Gansu province.
On leaving the station, we saw a small Chinese boy dutifully urinating in an empty noodle box. But just as we were impressed by his cleanliness and aiming skills, he joyfully threw the box and the contents in the air... A warm welcome to Xi'An indeed.
We found a nice youth hostel near the Bell Tower, right in the centre of the city. It was good value for money, and there was a nice and easy travellers' atmosphere. A good breakfast and a adorable kitten made the picture complete.
We then set off to the Terracotta Army, about 1 hour bus drive out of the city. It was still pouring down with rain, but as the terracotta army is sheltered in several buildings, this didn't bother us.
The army itself was quite amazing: about 8000 life-sized statues of warriors, archers and horsemen, burried underground for over 2000 years. This incredible undertaking was ordered by emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China. He must have been quite afraid of being conquered after his death, or plainly mad - or both of course.
On the following day, back in Xi'An, we wandered about at a relaxed pace. The city was quite nice, but not so very different than other Chinese cities we had seen before. With the old monuments (bell tower, drum tower, great mosque and of course the city wall), it felt quite "Chinese" (i.e. less Western than Shanghai), but knowing that the monuments are mostly replica's from buildings that have been destroyed during the cultural revolution gnawed more than a bit off of our wonder and amazement, especially as it was nowhere shown that it were replica's..
However, the Muslim quarter was quite a nice place to stroll around in. Nice small shops, vendors selling dried fruits and road-side restaurants fuming out inviting smells of foods. All this in the backdrop of the great mosque, which is built in Chinese architectural style - rather weird but interesting. Our visit to the mosque was quite enchanting: we visited it at nightfall, when the last prayers were performed.
We enjoyed a dinner of a local speciality: different vegetables and meats, boiled in a spicy broth and dipped in a tasty sesame-paste. Really nice.
Xi'An was a good place as a first stop. From there, we took a night train to Jiayuguan, deep in Gansu province.
August 16, 2008
So far so good
Dunhuang, somewhere between East and West, in the deserts of China's Gansu province.
So far everything has been going very smooth: we always managed to get train tickets, hotels and transportation easily. And no quarrelling so far, disregarding arguments over card game rules (but that's just Hanna cheating!).
The 2nd class sleepers on the trains are quite cheap, and really good value. Not always air conditioning, and a little bit short on leg space for Floris, but hey. As Hanna is of a more standard Chinese female size, she's all happy. Travelling by train has been quite charming so far, with friendly Chinese offering us fruits and with very impressive and diverse landscapes.
We will (hopefully) be coming back with more impressions on the places we visited, but let's suffice to say for now that we are happy we decided to halt in some places in China. It will leave us with very different impressions of China than what we experienced while working in Shanghai.
So far everything has been going very smooth: we always managed to get train tickets, hotels and transportation easily. And no quarrelling so far, disregarding arguments over card game rules (but that's just Hanna cheating!).
The 2nd class sleepers on the trains are quite cheap, and really good value. Not always air conditioning, and a little bit short on leg space for Floris, but hey. As Hanna is of a more standard Chinese female size, she's all happy. Travelling by train has been quite charming so far, with friendly Chinese offering us fruits and with very impressive and diverse landscapes.
We will (hopefully) be coming back with more impressions on the places we visited, but let's suffice to say for now that we are happy we decided to halt in some places in China. It will leave us with very different impressions of China than what we experienced while working in Shanghai.
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