Going through

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Kashgar is nothing like I had ever expected. The first thing when I crossed the border from China, I saw, was a line of camels transporting goods across some rather rugged terrain. Kashgar is by no means real China. The Arabic writing, the dark complection of everyone, the attitude, the streets, the cloth, quite essentially everything and anything is more or less like I would imagine Marroco or Cairo to be like. Unbelievable thought culturally really interesting.
Due to the unrest in Urumqi just a month earlier (whereby several hundreds were killed triggered by ethnic fighting between Uighur's and Han's), hundreds of Chinese military and anti manifest troops were patrolling the streets. They seemed more afraid for themselves rather than the crowd.

I was still hoping to enter Tibet and and inquired as to what the cost and complications would be to going from Kashgar through all of Tibet overland. 3000 dollars was the cheapest option... This for four days of a private guide, driver and car but still outrageous.
I then took a 500km journey south towards Hotan stopping on the way at the intersection wof where the road actually leads off into Tibet. Well in spite various attempts including paying and night travel, there was no way for me to go into Tibet. The reason being that not only the unrest have doubled precautions but due to the upcoming 60th anniversary of the PRC, the transits has essentially ceased. Arriving late in Hotan (due to bad roads and slow traffic) I spent the night in a brothel renting one of the rooms. not the most comfortable (pictures on the wall of perfect sceeneries similar to Central Asia) but not very relaxing. Interesting experience nonetheless... The following day took a bus with bunks in rows through the Taklamakan desert. It brings a whole new meaning to the word death by heat crossing the 500km where there is nothing at sight besides desert, dunes and structures in the sand holding the dunes from covering the road incessantly.

In Central Asia one is able to remeber the alphabet, get to know some words and comunicate in some ways with the locals. Manadarin has 3000 basic carachters, countless dialects, and deep China is not exactly Oxford academics so its quite interesting to try to mumble ones way through. The trains are paked in the standing tickets and the journeys, in spite of the 80km/h average, endlessly long. I headed to Dunhuang for its famous caves.

I had expected the scenery to change rather quickly becoming similar to northern Vietnam; obvious mistake. Its a complete desert still just filled with hundreds of Chinese tourists. I stayed in a 3 star hotel for less than 12usd a night having brought it down from 100. At the caves, in spite this place being thousands of kilometers from any major city, countless buses packed with Chinese coming to see this unique cultural heritage. the caves are surprisingly expensive to access (nearing 25usd for the standard (cheapest) ticket). The security towards them and the infrastructure is similar to trying to board a plane in London. Well not quite but, all must be done in tours (though easily escaped from them), and no cameras are allowed. The caves are works of art. They required hundreds of hours of work with astonishing detail on frescoes and mosaics. Just memorable.

I then decided to head towards Xi'an home to the world famous Terre Cotta army. Because everything else was booked out the standing ticket was very cheap but the 25hours journey a little trying. Effectively I only spent 5 hours standing as once a seat number is given out to one customer the seat is not re assigned for the remainder of the journey.
Xi'an is a growing town in with modern and old building surrounded by strong fortifications. The population here is entirely Han and far more as I had anticipated. I met an English student and a Bulgarian with whom we had a most luxurious meal, with a separate room and personal service for less than the cost of a McDonald in Geneva.
Then next day we went to appreciate the magnitude of the of the Warriors which had be built to help the emperor pursue his rule in the afterlife. They are truly magnificent, amazing detail and the work that the archeologists and artists have achieved in restoring to original splendor a few hundred men and a handful of soldiers is remarkable. Most still remain under earth and waiting to be unearthed thought it seems surprising that the 700.000 men that were involved in the construction of his mausoleum (though supposedly holding a river of mercury to defend anyone from entering) and this army merely made 6000 guards.
With the Bulgarian I then continued to Datong a town which in itself has nothing to offer besides a sight of modern China where they are renovating and destroying every building which is not looking impeccable and at the same time building modern old styled wooden constructions with companies such as Starbucks within. We went to see the hanging monastery which lacks to impress because the river which streamed there previously has been diverted and the infrastructure is highly modernized for tourism and safety. We visited then the highly impressive Yongang caves, which has some very different yet just astonishing works of excavating huge quantities of stones thereby leaving the walls or center pieces in shapes of Buddhas pagoda's and animals. It also included some Indian gods and the third tallest Buddha of China. Its unbelievably big considering it was inside....

Finally took the train to Beijing. finding the hostel on a broken up street but full of fun stands and good atmosphere..

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