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Published: July 13th 2010
After all of yesterdays effort to get across the Irkeshtam Pass its probably a good thing that we have a few days R&R in Kashgar. Kashgar is well and truly on the backpacker/tourist trail so we are no longer the only white people in town. But this does have its advantages and a lasagne goes down very well after weeks and weeks of plov (rice and meat - well ok rice with bone and grizzle).
Kashgar is a strange town, it has two distinct halves. In the south by the main square you are well and truly in Han China; giant red lanterns round the edge of the square, a big screen broadcasting how wonderful China is, Chairman Moa looking down on you. Yet a few blocks away in the north of town you are transported to a traditional Uyghir town with all the hustle and bustle you'd expect in a Silk Road town. The faces are different, the language is different, the clothes are different its like you are still in Muslim Central Asia - there is a nice buzz to the place. Part of the old town with its narrow alleyways and adobe houses is still standing but
Han Chinese Kashgar
the big main square complete with large public broadcast screens, giant red chinese lanterns and marching guardsits being knocked down fast. There are bulldozers everywhere, apparently the Chinese Government are going to provide 'earthquake proof dwellings' as replacements. Its a shame, the old alleyways are full of character and small shops selling everything imaginable, the new apartment blocks are sterile in comparison.
Both halves of the city are heaving with shops selling all sorts of consumer goods - not at all how a communist country should be. There is also a hell of a lot of traffic here; cars, buses, push-bikes, scooters, tuk-tuks and tractor taxis etc. etc. are weaving their way along the wide roads. We are not used to traffic, to cross the 4 lane roads you just look straight ahead and walk and somehow or other the traffic just weaves its way around you. The little electric scooters are the worse they sneak up behind you as you are walking along the pavement then clip you as they whiz past.
Two important events occur in Kashgar. Firstly we get out permit to ride the bike through Tibet. Secondly, after a trip to the hospital for a medical, we get our Chinese driving licence. The medical only consists of an eye test
Uyghir Kashgar
the muslim quarter - all hustle and bustle with street sellers everywhere which is a total farce. The illuminated board only contains the letter E but it can be facing in any directions. The person taking the eye test stands behind the line, one eye closed, and points out the direction the E is facing - only everyone else is clustered round them, both eyes open, shouting out the direction. Everyone passes with flying colours!!
Due to our curtailed trip to Kyrgyzstan we have a few extra days here so there's time to explore the surrounding areas; Shipton's Arch (possibly the world largest natural arch at 1200ft), the Taklamakan Desert (600 miles x 250 miles of shifting sand dunes 100m high), and the Karakoram Highway upto Tashkorgan (3600m) and the Pakistan border (it took 20 years to plan and blast the road straight through the mountains from Islamabad to Kashgar). We have to go by mini-bus as our travel permits do not include these roads. There is some stunning scenery but being on a bus you suddenly realise how much more you see on the bike. On the bike you feel part of the scenery, in the bus you are just looking at it through a window. Everytime you arrange something
you have to double check if its Beijing time or local time. Things are supposed to run on Beijing time but Beijing is over 4000 miles away so its not totally appropriate here.
The main attraction in Kashgar is the Sunday livestock market when everyone from the surrounding villages comes into town. There's a constant flow of trucks carrying all kinds of animal; fat bottomed sheep, cows, donkeys, camels. The fat-bottomed sheep seem to require a lot of attention and the owners are carefully grooming them so they look their best - some look more like poodles them sheep!! In amongst all the animals is the most wonderful array of weather beaten faces, hats and beards. It all well organised with sections for each type of animal and there's lots of selling and buying going on. A deal seems to be agreed, money is handed over but then another big round of negotiating seems to take place before the final shake of hands.
On our way back from the market we stumble across a traditional food festival. The camel, that has been roasting for 12 hours, is just being hoisted out of the clay oven by a crane
the old town
full of character but ..... and is dangling 50ft above the crowds. We muscle in and end up on national TV being given the first taste - it actually tastes quite good, but not as good as the whole cow that emerged from the second oven.
After 5 days R&R we are ready to hit the road again. Our next challenge is to get up onto the Tibetan Plateau. There is only one road and it climbs from 1300m to 4996m in 100 odd miles and then we will have to sleep at 3800m - not at all ideal from an altitude sickness point of view. To avoid altitude sickness they recommend 2 rest days after each 1000m altitude gain and above 3000m only ascend 400m per day - not quite what we are doing but its that road or nothing. Plus its will be 4 days before we get to the next main town and the luxury of running water and toilets!! Fingers crossed!!
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Mandy
non-member comment
Wow
What an adventure, the pictures and commentary are perfect and once again my whole team are with you on this adventure, waiting for the next instalment with bated breath - what will happen next - Tibet or bust! Brilliant - thank you.