Turpan Kashgar
After a 28 hour bus journey thru desert to here Kashgar, Jingle Bells was not the music I was expecting to here blasting out in the square but a nice touch anyway.
Anyway to backdate. Took the 10am sleeper bus from Jiayuguan to Turpan. Dull journey thru desert, a few windfarms and a nice sunset with the snow capped mountains in the far distance was about as good as it got. At 3am dumped onto the streets of Turpan as the bus continued on its way. Never a good time to arrive and left in the hands of dodgy taxi drivers but ended up ok.
First thing that struck me next morning was despite leaving the hotel at 10.30am it was early morning still, I had come that far west. As it turned out the local time 2 hours behind. Took a taxi to the Jiaohe Ruins, one of the ancient desert cities of the old silk road. Despite being destroyed by the Mongols in the 14 century still visible ruins and worth the effort. Then wandered back to Turpan.
Having not so long ago been travelling up 5000m into the clouds of Chola mountains, according to lp the highest pass east of Lhasa, now it was down to 154m below sea level to the second lowest depression in the world after the dead sea. Turpan is a pleasant city, easy going with a mix between Uighur and Chinese. The centre a modern city with nice parks and water/light displays to music. As you walk away from the center its more traditional, ancient Uighur houses, donkey and cart and a plentiful supply of grape vines everywhere for which its famed for. Being muslim plenty of minarets and the arabic script and local uighur language widely used and in the bazaar more like the world of Ali Baber and the 40 thieves which had been shown on the bus vcr
– and there have plenty of taxi drivers in the north who could have played the part of the 40 thieves !!.
robably should have stayed longer but having spent a whole wandering aroung the streets and sights felt leg weary and so took the 1pm sleeper bus to here Kashgar.
Tags: China, Travel, Turpan
petefurlepa