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 beautiful state of the road meant we were getting a rate of 61 miles per gallon of diesel compared to 45 in Britain. The Tien Shan mountain range on the left and semi desert on the right. This is the Taklamakan desert which means “place from which no living creature returns” in Uighur, and a more likely “place of ruins” in Farsi. After the 4-star hotel in Aksu, the Korla hotel was more down to earth. Lovely staff including the man in the restaurant who waited up until we arrived and cooked up a beautiful meal of noodles and stir-fry.
