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Published: August 4th 2006
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Six days of travel along the Southern Silk Road in taxis, a jeep, minibuses, and a sleeper bus, and I have made it in one piece across the boarder to Golmud. The intention is to make it across to Tibet...
It has been a bizarre 6 days on the road...So many things happened where we stare at each other and utter, "What is going on?? Why is this happening?"
Only in China can you check into a bus station hotel and come back an hour later and the room be conveniently transformed into a construction site.
As a once wise aussie politician would say.... "Please explain??"
Only in China can a genuinely helpful local turn into what seemed like a serial stalker when she would not leave us alone until we had decided which hotel we would stay in.
Only in China will you be told there are no buses to the next stop and be forced to stay in a dump, only to find out moments later when wandering the streets that there are indeed buses!!
Trying to get into Tibet has also been a strange strange process.
There are two ways to
get into Tibet. The legal way and the illegal way, and as it turns out are one and the same.
Well, along with 2 Americans Katie & Tom, we tried the legal way, dishing out about US139 each to buy a permit we never see and a ticket on a local bus. We were told after payment that actually there is no bus today and that we must leave tomorrow.... Thinking that it was pathetic when we were originally told we could leave at 3pm, so we asked for a refund.
That afternoon, we spent what seemed like forever dealing with evil bus drivers who may accept a bribe to take us on the bus and get us through the boarder illegally. Some approached us but the price was too high at 800Y. Later on, 2 boys approached Tom and said they will take us across for 500Y and leaving at 4pm. Perfect.
At the last minute, with backpacks on our shoulders the touts told us, no they will only accept 600Y. Really, we didnt care at that stage how much but it was just the principle of an agreed amount and then them backing out on
it. Greedy men, it was to be expected since we were dealing with people beneath the law... So seriously annoyed the 3 of us decided to go direct to the Tibetan Bus Station and see if we can just purchase tickets there. Getting out of the taxi, we were greeted by the very same touts!!! These nasty buggas had followed us all the way to the bus station!!! I couldn't believe it!!!
In disbelief the 3 of us were shuffled into a dark and musty room. The 2 touts said, "OK OK 500Y OK"... so they had changed their minds again and gone back to the orignial amount. By this stage i was clearly pissed off and wanted to get out. They said "No No, Police out the front". We were expected to stay in this dump of a room for 4hrs until the bus left!!! The most hilarious and ironic thing is that while all this discussion was happening there was a Holy muslim man bowing down in a corner on a piece of carpet chanting his daily prayers!! It was the most ironic and bizaare scene like in a movie.
The touts explained through a dictionary
and broken english that if the police saw us leave the station they would know that what we were doing and the whole option of going by bus illegally would be out the window. Well, i thought these guys were bad news and I said to them "see u later" and walked out in broad daylight, to surprise surprise, an empty street with no police in sight.
So it was decided that we would not deal with these losers again and just go back to the Licensed Agent and buy a proper permit and leave the next day...saving us the mental torture f having to deal with these people ever again. Sure we pay more to enter Tibet legally but it would be worth it.
So this morning with payment made, we met the agent who took us to the bus station to begin our 25-30hr bus journey, only to find they were dealing with the very same touts!! We looked at each other with perplex..."is this the legal way or the illegal way??" It didnt help also when the agent wanted us to wait in the same dark mingy room....a case of serious dejavu. So it seemed
we may have paid double to go through the legal way yet only in china maybe, legal and illegal its all the same??
Right now I am sitting in an internet cafe waiting for the bus to leave. The departure date was 4pm, then 6pm, now 7pm. Who knows when we will get out of here!!!!!!!
Anyway, on this journey I have stayed at some amazing places along the southern silk road. Hotan is a lively lively town with rich Uigher culture, fantastic markets, food and enchanting people. Further on: Cherchen - Charklik - Huatugou - Golmud can be summarised as endless deserts and desolate mining towns. Some pics to remember this journey, must dash for Tibet.
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