Methuselah On The Move - Update 5 (Bishkek to Kashgar)

---

Bishkek to Kashgar

Writing this update in Kashgar in western China. We are in one of the most westerly of the Chinese Provinces – Xin Jiang. The population of the province is mostly Uighur (pronounced Wee ger). There are also a large Kyrgyz population who are located in the western part of the province and in Kashgar. There are also a fair number of Chinese who have been part of the Chinese “trans-migration” into the region. The Uighers and Kyrgyz tolerate the Chinese (Han) but resent their presence.

The first leg of the trip to Kashgar from Bishkek was Bishkek to Tash Rabat. I’ll take up the story from Bishkek.

Tuesday 10 September:

Left Bishkek by bus after having met up with the rest of the group the night before. The makeup is two Australian, one New Zealander and the remainder English (15) including the tour leader. The road out of Bishkek varied in quality from new to one giant pothole. Once clear of the city the road was dual carriage as far as Lake Issy Kul. Along part of the route the western end of the Trans Caspian Railway ran beside the road.

The road we were on is the main highway linking Bishkek (and Kyrgyzstan) to China and the rest of the world. It is the route that just about everything the Kyrgyz use enter the country. The road is in the process of being rebuilt – by the Chinese. The sore point with the Kyrgyz people is that the Chinese did not employ local people but brought in their own workers. The deal was – if you want a new road free of charge – play by our rules. Another sore point in the country is the Canadian run mine near Karakol – the Kyrgyz only get 30% of the revenue from the mine. Again the Canadians brought in their own workers.

Back to the road – as I mention the condition along the route varied considerably. In places it was bone-jarring. The result is that all road trips in Kyrgyzstan are slow and tiresome – more so than in Uzbekistan. The new upgraded road, which will mostly be two lanes from Lake Issy Kul to the border. The project is due for completion in 2015.

Once we left the highway at the western end of Lake Issy Kul we travelled along the northern and western shores of the lake to a town called Karakol. The lake is quite picturesque and is about 200 km long by about 50 wide. It is salty, is the largest body of water in Kyrgyzstan and has no outlet. The north western corner of the lake is popular with people in Bishkek who escape to the lake on weekends during summer. The lake is surrounded to the north, east and south by the Tien Shan Mountains. On the northern side of the lake we stopped and looked at two sites, both archaeological.

The first was at Cholpon Ata – a Scythian Petroglyph site date to about 2^nd Century BC to 2^nd Century AD. The site, which covers 46 ha contains a large number of rocks with pecked art work, mostly hunting scenes, on them. There are also various stone arrangements, walls and burials. We spent about an hour at the site, including time for having our lunch. Later in the afternoon we stopped at a second site which consisted of a number of large burial mounds on either side of the road.

We arrived in Karakol late in the afternoon after a 400 km trip. The hotel we were booked into is probably the best we have had so far on the tour. It was very modern, very clean and obviously intended to cater for European and rich Kyrgyz.

Wednesday 11 September:

Before leaving Karakol we visited three sites of interest.

First was a timber Russian Orthodox Church built in 18????. When we visited there were preparations being made for the celebration of the beheading of Saint Mathew. As a result there was a large number of babushkas preparing the church etc. The interior of the church was interesting, as was watching early worshippers visiting the various icons. Olga, our local guide for Kyrgyzstan took myself and one of the English ladies to what was for her a very special icon. It was a picture of a female saint holding a Russian Orthodox Church in her hand. The saint was Saint Olga after whom our Olga was named. She was born on the Saint’s feast day.

Next was a short visit to a mosque – a most unique mosque. The mosque was built in 1910 by a people known as the Dungan – refugees from civil war in China. The mosque is of interest due to it’s style which is not strict Islamic. There are quite a number of Buddhist features in the design mainly the roof style – pagoda like. Whilst there a local, who appeared to be the odd job man, explained to us through Olga the prayer schedule that strict Muslims were expected to keep to. Prayers are said five or six times a day.

The last place we visited before hitting the road again was the Prjevalsky Museum and memorial just outside Karakol. Prjevalsky was a noted Russian explorer who made five major journeys through eastern Central Asia, Western China and Mongolia and into the Himalayas. Prjevalsky tried four times to visit Lhasa in Tibet without success. He was refused entry as he was a Christian, thus his wish to meet the Dalai Llama was unsuccessful.

We hit the road again heading to our night stop at Kochkor south west of Lake Issy Kul. On the way we made a lunch stop at Djety-Oguz (Valley of the Seven Bulls). The valley gets it’s name from a series of red rock outcrops, one of which is known as the seven bulls. The story of how they got that name is too long to repeat here so you will have to wait tll I get home. Just ask me if interested. We drove about five kilometres up the valley to an open meadow area. In the area were a number of Kyrgyz “nomad” camps, which were occupied by shepherds and others utilizing the area as summer pastures. After lunch we were given the opportunity to stretch our legs and walk the 5 km down the valley to the village. The scenery was spectacular – we were in the lower foot hill area of the Tien Shan Mountains.

On to Kochkor and a home stay in a number of local houses. We were also given local food for dinner in one of the houses. The facilities were basic but clean and the family running the house I stayed in very friendly and helpful. Had a good nights’ sleep despite the snoring and farting from one of my room mates.

Thursday 12 September:

Drive to Tash Rabat another valley utilized as summer pastures. On the way we passed through the Central Tien Shan Mountains. There were spectacular views that were marred by the ever present dust haze. On the way we climbed through mountains we went through a number of passes: the first was Ak-Bejit Pass (3282 metres asl) which was just before the Kyrgyzstan Checkpoint; next Tuz Bel Pass (3050 metres asl); and finely Torugart Pass (3752 metres asl). Again along the route were “nomad” camps. The modern “nomads” when utilizing the pastures live in a number of different lodgings: traditional Yurts, old Soviet era “caravans” that had been used by construction crews; and modern tents. In most locations all three were present.

We made one notable stop during the trip – at a “nomad” camp. The purpose of the visit was to try a local delicacy – fermented mares milk. I was the first to try it and then the others plucked up the courage. What did it taste like? Quite a distinctive taste really. It had a sort of yogurt taste with a bit of fizz. There was also a mild “horsey” taste if that makes sense. The alcohol content is about 4% and the shepherds whilst out tending their stock get rather drunk on the stuff. We also tried a freshly made Hurut also made from mare’s milk. It tasted better than the stuff I had in Uzbekistan – less salty.

We arrived at Tash Rabat and moved into our accommodation – Yurts. Rather disappointing really after the Yurts in Uzbekistan. They were rather roughly finish – no decorations (or at least very meagre), no felt walls and rook – plastic sheeting and thin canvas, and beds, not mattresses. They did have a heater/stove.

After settling in we went for a short drive to the actual Tash Rabat site, which is in an upland meadow. Built into the valley side is a stone building known as the Tash Rabat Caravansary. There have been a number of interpretations as to what the building was. What it wasn’t was a Caravansary. The site is in a blind valley 20 km from what was the main caravan route of the Silk Road. Another interpretation was that it was a fort. One look would tell that it couldn’t be as it was undefendable. The back wall – I was taller than it, plus there were no defensive positions, firing slits etc. Apart from the main entrance there were no openings in the walls. Each interior room did have a “skylight” to allow light in during daytime. Based on the interior layout of the building, with the main passages and central open area forming a cross, the building is believed to be a Nestorian Christian Monastery. The Nestroians were/are a religion that believes that Jesus the Nazarene was not a god but an ordinary man. They have been persecuted throughout their history. The religions originated in Syria and spread east. It is of note that the Mongol Hordes under Genghis Khan were a mixture of four religions: Shamanistic, Buddhist, Moslem and Nestorian Christians. Genghis Khan’s wife was in fact a Nestorian.

After the visit to the monastery we were again given the opportunity to walk the 5(?) km return trip to the camp. It was a bit more than 5 km.

Friday 13 September:

Friday the 13^th. Oh what a day. After an uncomfortable night – cold and uncomfortable bed we hit the road for a long, uncomfortable but interesting trip to Kashgar. A road trip not to forget – over the Torugart Pass into China. The name Torugart Pass is in fact a bit of tautology – translated Torugart in Torug pass. So what we are doing is describing it as Torug Pass Pass. Anyway on with the story.

First stop was at a military checkpoint where Olga had to register all of us including herself and our drivers as entering a special military area. Once that was done we continued on our way fighting for space on the narrow gravel (corrugated) road with trucks, buses and more trucks. Remember we are on the equivalent of the Hume Highway without the bitumen. The next stop 2 hours later was at the Kyrgyz Customs and Immigration Station for the Torugart border crossing. Here we encountered dozens of trucks heading for China, all empty. We were to encounter hundreds of the dam things on the journey. It was Friday and all the Chinese based drivers in Kyrgyzstan were trying to get across the border before the post closed for the weekend. Luckily tourist buses have priority at all check points.

After customs and immigration – a rather pleasant lady who spoke perfect English we continued our journey. Oh! The place was crawling with military and there were barracks close by. Photography strictly forbidden and enforced.

The final leg to China – 7 km to the border crossing and our woes were far from over. There are no Kyrgyz troops or official at the border crossing – only Chinese troops controlling their side of the border. Once at the border we did not know how long we had to wait. All up there were probably a dozen busses waiting for their passengers to get across. The busses don’t cross – just the passengers. As a result we had to wait for our Chinese bus to arrive – when nobody knew – we were dependent on the vagaries of the Chinese military and border and immigration people.

Whilst waiting we ate our “picnic” lunch and waited. After about half an hour the border gates were closed and the Chinese troops disappeared – lunch time. Our tour guide Helen, said they could be an hour or more. Anyway whilst the cats were away! Cameras came out and lots of pics taken of the border crossing (we weren’t allowed to photograph the Chinese troops). Luckily they were only gone for half an hour, but it didn’t affect us as out China bus still hadn’t arrived.

After probably half an hour three busses were seen approaching from the Chinese side, as well as more busses and trucks from the Kyrgyz side. Great excitement at the site of the busses over the border – everyone hoping that one would be for their group. Luckily our bus was the second to arrive but had to discharge passenger coming to Kyrgyzstan. Once we were given the OK to board we grabbed our bags and had to form a single file at the gate – so the Chinese could count us as we came across – the paperwork had to be done right. Once on the bus we headed down to the valley over a very rough road. What made it worse than Kyrgyzstan was the fact that every 50 metres or so you would have a 10 metre smooth road.

Next stop was a Chinese Security checkpoint. Again trucks everywhere with busses fighting their way through. Several trucks were trying to jump the queue and were blocking the road. OK everybody out and grab your luggage which had to go through a screening machine. Guess what – the machine was broken. So the checks had to be done the old fashioned way. Open your bag for them to go through them. Back to the bus, luggage into baggage space, back on board and off for a 70 km and 2 hour ride to the customs and immigration station. We were still in a sort of no-man’s land except we were passing through villages etc. Once on the valley floor the road improved dramatically. Bitumen, double lane all the way. It was on this section that we came across the first accident we had seen – a truck on its side at the bottom of an embankment. We sped past at 50 kph so don’t know the results.

At the checkpoint, everybody out, grab your luggage and head into customs and immigration. Now the Chinese have a great system for entry and exist cards (when it works which luckily is most of the time). Our Chinese guide (actually a border crossing broker) took our passports and swiped them through a reader (like swiping a debit card) and the machine printed out the card which all we had to do was fill in the space for our hotel and sign the form. Simple and fast. When we had our passports back we lined up and went through immigration (fast and efficient – I had a pleasant young Chinese lass again very good English), then take you bags and place them on the conveyor to go through the scanner again. Back on the bus to continue on to Kashgar.

Stepping back a bit. The 70 km from the pass to customs and immigration we passed through a special zone inhabited by ethnic Kyrgyz people. They as with the Uighurs are Muslims. The Chinese are spending a lot of money on houses and facilities for the Kyrgyz as they are in a sensitive area and the Chinese want to keep them sweet. The Chinese are also trying to use them as a “buffer” against the Uighurs who as mentioned earlier don’t want to be part of China.

While I’m writing this it sounds as though there is some demonstration going on out in the main road area.

We arrived at our hotel at around 18:00 (we left at 07:30) and checked into our hotel - The Semen Hotel. OK before the jokes start its pronounced Sem en, and it’s on Semen Road.

Saturday 14^th September:

In Kashgar one of the old important cities on the China leg of the Silk Roads. I use the term Roads as there were more than one route utilized by the caravans. Sadly much (in fact most) of the old city has been destroyed. The government authorities ordered their destruction and replacement with modern structures based on similar designs to the old buildings. The reason is that the area is subject to severe earthquakes and the old style buildings collapse too easily and are considered dangerous.

In the morning we visited a number of sites: the ???? Mosque and mausoleum (under repair); a walk along part of the rebuilt old town; and Idkah Mosque. The last is the main Friday Mosque in Kashgar. There is a large Persian carpet hanging in the main prayer room. Apparently it was a gift from the Ayatollah Khamenei when he travelled to Beijing after the Iranian revolution. Interesting that he prayed in the mosque: he’s a Shia and the mosque in Sunni (equivalent to the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland).

The first place we visited ?????? Mosque and Mausoleum was in a very large complex which contained two Summer Mosques. These are open on two sides. Inside the mausoleum are 52 people from five generations of the one family. Photos inside were forbidden and enforced. Outside near the door was a sign warning us to be careful of falling!

The walk along the streets to the Idkah Mosque was along a street that had a number of craft workshops along them, as well as a street devoted to Hats, Spices (and many other things – scorpions, dried frogs, dried snake, dried lizard, dried bats), and a clothing street/complex. I couldn’t help myself – bought another “silly” hat – well two actually as I went back for a second later in the day. The craft shops along the first section of the walk were really workshops. Pokey little places with a surprising amount of equipment squeezed into them. The main specialties were metal working (traditional and modern) and woodworking (again traditional and modern). At one of the carpenter’s shops I stooped and watched a chap making a traditional stringed musical instrument.

In the evening four of us: Keith from Manchester, Patrick from ???, Flo from NZ, and myself decided not to go out for the group dinner that evening. We stayed in a café/bar next door to the hotel, in fact within the hotel complex. The place is called John’s and it sells both local and Western cuisine. John who owns the place, along with two others along the Silk Road tourist trail is a sort of Mr Fixit. Actually a rogue: money changer, procurer, etc. Service in the place was slow: Max, the Italian gent on the tour, waited two hours for his bowl of spag bol. Was able to get my laundry done at John’s (at a reasonable price surprisingly). John’s also has free WiFi connection. Password is cafejohn.

We had a few drinks, then a few more. When the others had come back from their dinner they saw Keith, Pat and myself sitting at a table covered in beer bottles – Flo who celebrated her 70^th birthday in Uzbekistan had already gone to bed. The group had to come in to see how much we had drunk. Turns out there were 20 bottles on the table. This was at 21:45 (9:45 pm for those unfamiliar with 24 hour time) and we decided to have some dinner. Problem was the chef had gone home, so Mrs John whipped up three bowls of chips and some slices of slightly stale bread. So we had chips and chip butties (without the butter) for dinner.

Sunday 15 September:

Not a good start to the day – no hot water – a cold shower and blocked toilet. Had to go downstairs to the toilet in the reception area. Had to use the Ladies as the gents was out of service. Returning to my room I found the maids servicing my room. At least I didn’t have to report the block dunny – they cleared it. Came back at lunch time still no hot water.

Anyway first port of call was the livestock markets. Quite an experience – but in some ways disturbing. I had never seen so many stressed animals before. The owners were none to gentle and the way the animals were tethered …………

The place was bedlam city. Shouting matches (actually serious negotiations) all round, animals making their different sounds. The smells! An interesting mix of various animals, animal dung, wood smoke, cooking meat and spices. The animals on sale were: cattle; sheep (including fat bottomed); goats; donkeys; camels; and yaks. We spent an hour walking around the lace. AQIS would freak out if I didn’t wash my shoes before I come home.

Next we went to the farmer’s market. Again an interesting place. One section was devoted to birds – geese, chooks, turkeys, ducks, some unidentified. This was the most crowded section. I think that was because there may have been cock fighting going on down the back. The place again was bedlam. Over one quarter of the place was devoted to dried fruits and nuts. There were mountains of dried apricots which had two or three people sleeping on them, or had gents standing on them using shovels to bag them up. Again much haggling and shout. You knew when a deal had been made as the buyer and seller loudly slapped hands and shook them. Sometimes there was a broker involved in the negotiations. There was another section selling various types of leather.

We spent half an hour here then moved onto the central bazaar. This was devoted to clothing, household items, carpets, furs, clothing, spices, nuts etc. The more interesting and crowded part was at the back and sides. There was a street and section at the back devoted to selling food – fresh and as meals. Again the smell was an interesting mixture of spices, smoke fires (charcoal, coal, wood and god knows what else. After an hour and half there we decided to get on the bus back to the hotel. I spent the afternoon packing then moved to John’s with my cameras and puter to download my photos.

Several people came in and said the hot water was back on and was scolding. About 17:30 (you work it out) I went up to my room for a shower. Guess what – the bloody water was cold again. Not happy Jan. Several others got caught as well.

In the evening Helen took us to a local Food Court. Food Court? Far to fancy a name for it. She said the food was delicious. Checked out the dishes on the stoves (all stalls more or less had the same menu) – chicken legs boiling away, snails stewing, items that could not be identified on the hot plate. Several people decided not to stay (I was a bit iffy but stayed anyway). Turned out we could select stuff from the fridge – kebabs (chicken, liver etc), fish, prawns(?), spring onions, various sausages (of some unknown meat) etc, etc. I think you get the picture. Helen ordered a chicken dish with noodles (a big plate). We got stuck in (some with trepidation) whilst sheltering from the rain under a brolly. Neighbouring brollies were being liberated by the wind. Anyway back to the food. It was bloody delicious and very spicy. A couple complained that it was too hot, not me. It was the spiciest food I have had in China – even beats Xian. As well we had a couple of Penguins. Penguins? A insulated jug full of beer with a beak on the lid. Sort of looks like a penguin. Beer wasn’t bad.

That ended the day nicely. However on return to the hotel checked the hot water situation – still cold.

Monday 16 September:

Early start this morning. Breakfast at John’s Café – scrambled eggs with ham (probably less than 20 gm) and great coffee. Then on the bus for a 5 hour ride to Kara Kul Lake. The lake lies below Mount Muztagata (7546 metres asl). The road was very good except in several short sections where a number of major projects are being undertaken. The projects involve the construction of tunnels through the mountains and hydro-electricity plants in the lower valleys. The scenery along the route was fantastic – snow covered mountains, desolate mountain ranges, small villages, and two checkpoints. The first in a small village was a Police checkpoint – the driver just had to check in. Next was a military checkpoint manned by armed soldiers. Here we all had to alight from the bus and check the bus through. We took the opportunity for a photo stop of the surrounding peaks. A short while later we made an emergency stop (dinner last night was having an effect on my guts). Wasn’t sick just a bit of loose bowels.

The highway we travelled on, the Karakorum Highway, is the main road south to Pakistan, Tajikistan, India and Afghanistan, and follows the Gaz (Ghaz) River which drains Kara Kul Lake. It is a military area hence the military checkpoint. On the trip near a new reservoir we were passed by a military convoy heading north. The convoy consisted of about 25 empty cargo/troop trucks. Within one of the gorges, probably Tiger Mouth Grge, we saw our second accident site. A large tip truck was upright in the ditch by the side of the road, with part of its cab and right hand front wheel were on the other side of the road. An inspection on the way back indicated that it had been hit by a massive boulder falling from above. Take your mind off things for a while. There was also a truck (again a tip truck) upright but leaning toward the river with one wheel not on the ground.

We arrived at Kara Kul Lake just before lunch. The area is quite picturesque, however we could not see the mountain peaks due to low cloud. The clouds did give a more dramatic effect. The lake covers an area of about 10 sq km. There is a board walk around the western shore – well a partially collapsed board walk. The biggest pest were the local “sales people”. The only English words they seem to know are: hello; hello; hello; look; no money; hello; hello! I bought some interesting rocks that had been polished and had a hole drilled for a chain or string. One was a bright red and the other green. OK I also purchased another silly hat.

We spent two hours at the lake. It was cold, especially when the wind blew which was quite frequently. When we left the area of the lake and entered the gorge we were driving through a dust storm. Since leaving Tashkent I have been bugged by a conundrum. While flying to Bishkek and looking out the plain window I saw numerous grey/yellow patches which after a while I thought were sand dune fields in the mountain valleys. Later I was not as sure as I saw snowcapped peaks with the snow/ice the same colour due to dust. Today my first assessment was confirmed. At the reservoir, Bulungkol Reservoir, there were extensive sand dune fields on the far shore. We found out why the dunes were there on the return trip – the sand storms.

Our last port of call on the return trip was in a village called Opel. We stopped at the village on the way up for water and food supplies for lunch (and a loo stop). On the return leg we visited the local market that was still in full swing. Generally it was similar to the three markets we visited in Kashgar only more rustic. We arrived back at the hotel at 18:30 (you work it out) tired and dusty and looking forward to a shower, hopefully HOT. It took a while but eventually the water became sort of hottish – the first hot shower I have had in three days. Now sitting in John’s drinking a beer and completing the day’s blog. Tomorrow at 07:30 we retrace our steps to Kyrgyzstan – reversing the process on coming to China.

---

Comments

[leanne]

enjoying the blog
Hey Charlie - your blog is painting an amazing picture of happenings on the trip - but so glad I am not seeing the animals at the markets. Stay away from "BIG FALLING ROCKS" and travel safely. Leanne