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Published: July 27th 2005
At 45 degrees in the midday heat, Turpan is no place to chill. The air is dry and your body must fight the enormous wicking power to hold any moisture it can. The answer? I decided that the best approach would be to seek shade and drink the cool grape juice and other sweet fluids on offer. The locals, on the other hand, head for the nearest sand-pile to bury themselves in the scorching sand! I noticed this all around the old part of the city as I headed off in the midday heat on my bike (I guess we all had reason to be skeptical!).
Nosing around in a little alley, I found myslef on a short trail that led up a small rise and onto a mud/clay plateau area with a bunch of small ruins scattered around. It was evidently an old cemetary, with a number of weathering shrines and grave markers. Having a peek inside one of the small shrines, i found, not for the first time on this trip, a human skeleton. This one had the skull intact and being alone in a totally foreign surrounding made the find seem a little like archaeology...
About
What do you do when it's 45 degrees?
Bury yourself in the scorching sand, of course...2km south-east of the city, situated among endless vineyards, stands the ancient minaret of the Emid Mosque, an Afghan style mud-mosque built in the 18th century. Exploring the narrow hardpan dirt roads around this relic, amongst a sea of grapes, one can't help but feel a little enchanted... Biking back through the tiny streets, I am met with smiles and waves, and the kids say "Hello" only once. (This is all a little novel after months of straight-faced chinese and kids saying "hello, hello, hello..." until they are too exhausted to say any more; starting on the next before the last is even finished!)
A friendly family of watermelon vendors, among other things, invite me to stop and munch out with them... not a bad idea really, and i found the melons to be some of the sweetest and juiciest I have ever tried! And then a bit of food at the market...
A gruelling 8 km or so on my tiny bike in the blazing sun led me into the desert and to the ancient ruins of Jiuhe. The ruins stand on a raised mudstone plateau that has been cut off by a forking river to form an
Mmm... samsas
lamb on the inside... inland island. Within the ruins and as far as you can see to the north, west and south, everything is dry and deserted. The bottom of the river valley and back east toward Turpan are lush and green!
I wondered and explored the narrow alleys running between the old mud walls of the city. The whole landscape was a completely foreign and over awe-ing thing for a young guy from the wet islands of NZ.
A cool drink of date juice was the perfect way to finish the day, under shade in a vine-lined street in Turpan. The bazaar in the Uyghur part of town is a hive of activity most of the day long, but really buzzes just before dark; my favourite time of day here - food time. Tonight it is BBQ'd lamb (so succulent) and some great naan bread, before being again invited to hang with the local lads and play interesting tall white guy...
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Tim
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The travel mullet is slowly coming along I see
The travel mullet is slowly coming along I see. Should have agood one in a few months