http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Zoroaster/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Zoroaster en-us Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:21:51 +0000 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:21:51 +0000 First off just let me say how much everyone's comments mean to me. It keeps me excited to explore more of China. It gets really hard most of the time but the rewards are infitely satisfying. My diorrhea is getting worse but me being the blind and courageous me got up early and booked a 7 hour bus ride into a lake near the border of Tajikistan and Kashmere which is the eastern most point of China http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-14352.html 930am TaxkorganI took the early bus out of Taxkorgan. My stomach was real bad but i didn't wanna let that stop me. Ryan was no where in sight so i guess he must have left earlier. The good news is that my bus was not full but the bad news was that the guy seated next to me could not stop bothering me about my mp3 player my camera my glasses and my hat. All of which he tried on switched on and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-14357.html 1000am In my yurt a yurt is a big tentI woke up with a fever. I went to the W.C twice this morning and i had to go again as soon as i woke up. I felt really bad. Despite this i went horseriding again for an hour. Julie and Bethany have gone back to Kashgar. After horseytime i went back to my yurt and lay there for an hour. I couldn't sleep my stomach had cramps. I had some bread for breakf http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-14354.html The train ride took 24 hours from Urumqi to Kashgar. On the way i met a chinese family that shared the same room as me. They were extremely curious of me and extremely friendly. We ate together and laughed together. Wheni reached Kashgar i was awed at the difference between this city compared to the rest of china's big cities.500pm Kashgar Train StationAs soon as i arrived i noticed that the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-14042.html 700am Buer'JinWe left really early in the morning. The bus ride was going to be long On the way we stopped at some interesting rock formations of which the chinese call 'Ghost Town'. After a long drive back i got back at urumqi at about 1100pm and went to 5 hotels. It was all too expensice. I could not find a dorm that was empty. I finally found a place that cost 58 Yuan per night and decide http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13920.html 800am KanasiAfter breakfast I went walking alone around the lake again and around the grasslands. It was amazing to see how these people live a nomadic life. There were horses goats cows sheeps and even camels After a long and tiring walk i headed back to the cabin..1200pm The CabinWe were getting ready to leave. I packed my bags and got on the bus back to Buer'Jin. In the bus they got http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13919.html 700am Departure from Buer'JinWe got on our tour bus and headed towards Kanasi Forest Reserve. On the way there the view was magnificent. Kanasi is 3000miles above sea level so the trip there was filled with grasslands and mountains. Its located in the most northern tip of China and near the border of Russia and Kazakhstan. It took us 6 hours to get here. On the way there the tour bus was playi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13918.html 700am Travel AgencyWhile waiting for my bus in front of the travel agency i met a couple from Belgium. Tim and Ann. God was i glad they were around. Imagine having to sit through 4 days with a bunch of chinese tourists The bus left at about 830am and i was seated next to a chinese girl. It took about 10 hours to get to the Buer'Jin.900am In the bus.Our tour guide got everyone to come in f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13917.html 1000am Urumqi Train Station Wulumuqi Huoche JahnI arrived at urumqi train station and headed straight towards the travel agency. According to the lonely planet its much cheaper to take an agency to Kanas Reserve Park rather than going yourself since there are no buses to the park and a cab would cost about 250 one way. So i went to 5 different travel agency and paid 400 yuan to one of em. Its http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13915.html 1230am Dunhuang Feitian BinguanI arrived here very late so i took a bath and went straight to bed800am Feitian Binguan My dormThe toilet here sucks the bathroom sucks but the bedrooms okay.. I left to see the famous Magao caves at 900am. The caves were magnificent. 930am Magao CavesAlthough this place was very touristry i was awed at the 34meter tall buddha statue carved within the cav http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-13234.html 1000am Deserts of DunhuangThe bus left at 1000am and after what happened last night i wanted to get the hell out of Dunhuang. After three hours in the bus i got to a place called louyuan which is the center for rail to Urumqi. 130pm LouYuanDammit. My train leaves at 700pm. I missed the last train by 10 minutes. No matter. I went to a nearby muslim restaurant and had some delicious beef noo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/blog-13375.html Before i say anything i want to warn everyone that this will be a boring blog500am Tara GuesthouseI got up and felt really well. No headache and i didn't feel like puking. After buying some bread with yak butter i wanted to hear the sutra chants of the monks before i depart from Xiahe to Xining at 630pm. I went back to Labulang leaned against the wall at the main prayer building and heard t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Xiahe/blog-13154.html 900am Tara guesthouse XiaheI was so excited today. At 10 i have got a tour with one of the monks through the monastery and after that a horse ride through the grasslands of Sanke. I heard Ganjia Grasslands was better but i can't afford going there alone. So i'd settle for second best.1000am The Labrang or Labulang MonasteryEhhh the monks of all monks My guide is the youngest of three so http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Xiahe/blog-13153.html 700am LinxiaI was awakened by my two friends and they made sure i got on the right bus this time. They saw me off and its another five hours bus ride into the mountains. My bus broke down halfway and it took them an hour to fix it so make it SIX hours. But the view on the way up was amazing. We went up this road that is in a valley and a river runs through that valley. So in between us we were f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Xiahe/blog-12861.html China has a way of testing you. She gave me challenges so great that i felt like giving up but the rewards were far more lucrative than i could imagine. My experience in China has been this Beauty in the midst of uglyness diamond in a rough and hateful blended with loveliness. A simple example would be my Hua Shan climb. At midnight climbing up a 2100 meter high mountain with heavy rain was no http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-12780.html 900am Still at Xi'anI've got to get outta here. But according to all the travellers i've met its impossible to get a comfy ticket out of Xi'an. I wanted to try anyway. I just realized i spent 5 days here and thats too long. So after a hefty long breakfast i made my way to the train station.1100am Xi'an Train StationGreat. Their english is poor but my mandarin is atrocious. It took me 30 minu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-12761.html 1100am Youth Hostel.Yesterday i was the local performer. I went down to the bar and performed for thirty minutes. I was an instant celebrity amongst the mat sallehs. As i walk down the hall with my towel over my shoulders everyone i passed said hello to me. I think it is time for me to leave though. I am getting too comfortable here in Xi'an. I tried to book for a ticket from the hostel rece http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-12541.html 1100am Shuyuan Youth Hostel Xi'anI did not plan on doing too much walking today. I knew i had to hike a Hua Shan mountain later tonight so i basically hung out at the hostel wathich some dvd's and buying flashlight batteries and some snicker bars. I did my laundry went to the supermarket behind the hostel walked to the nearest camera store to burn my pictures into a cd and went to get some http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-12429.html 800am Shuyuan International Youth HostelWow this is going to be a great day. Although i was warned by the other people from the hostel not to expect too much from the terracotta warriors i was overly optimistic. History had always been one of my interest and the terracotta warriors date back 240 BC. So it was like a piece straight out of history. I quickly took my bath and waited for the tour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-12359.html 700am Xi'an Train StationWahhhhhh... So many people around me As soon as i got off the train people were walking so fast that i thought we were in a marathon As i was walking up the ramp toward the final ticket checking counter I saw a teenage girl barely 15 lugging a HUGE suitcase up the ramp. She was having a lot of problems with it and after seeing everyone pass her without so much a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi-an/blog-12307.html