Day 104, September 8th, Linze
We got up early in the morning and drove to a fruit and vege market in Jiayuguan city to stock up with food. We then drove to the first watch … Read more
We got up early in the morning and drove to a fruit and vege market in Jiayuguan city to stock up with food. We then drove to the first watch … Read more
A drive of 240 miles to Jiayuguan, the western end of the Great Wall, passed through arid desert with frequent oases, some of which like Guishanan, were very large and … Read more
The Mogao Grottoes were simply stunning. The first cave was cut in 366 AD by a monk to meditate in and subsequent travellers cut more caves painted with the most … Read more
There isn’t really much to say about deserts. I’m fascinated by them because they are basically nothing. I spy with my little eye something beginning with S. Sand? Sky? As … Read more
Day 100, September 4th Hami The morning was spent at the excellent Turpan museum. It had artifacts dating from 6000 BC including textiles, shoes, clothing and paper with administrative records, … Read more
Day 99 September 3rd Turpan The road from Korla to Turpan runs through semi-desert similar to the Ust Yurt Plateau in Uzbekistan but without the nomads and their huge herds … Read more
Practically nothing to say. A long drive of 540 kms to make up for the day lost at Kashgar. A boring motorway and frequent police check posts and tolls. The … Read more
Rather sorry to leave the lovely Seman Hotel which was £21 a night and was the old Russian embassy from when Kashgar was an independent fiefdom in the 19th century … Read more
Day 93 Kashgar A bus came for us to take us back to Ulugqat customs compound. Kashgar is a huge city choked with traffic despite the four-lane major roads running … Read more
Day 91, 27th August, Sarytash An eventful night’s sleep. Woken first by the crunching of gravel as something big walked past the van. Probably a cow. Then woken by a … Read more