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Xinjiang Province; China

Mar
2004-09-14 15:28:14

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there five are double bunks behind each other in three rows with a tiny aisle in between. The aisles are stuffed with shoes and sandals, there the Chinese spit a lot (yes, also in the public transport) you have to watch over your shoes. In your mind you can see the plume of smell coming from the deeper layers of the shoes and the feet of your neighbours. The smell goes up to the roof and to the back of the bus, where we are sitting. Raymond gaps for air and has put his head outside, experiencing the feeling of the hot desert air and facing the risk of getting burned in the 50C desert sun. The experience is like you breathing in a hairdryer or into a exhaust of a local bus. Desert? This bus is not supposed to go through the desert this would mean that we are heading in the direction of Turpan and not for our 4000m summit The driver confirms this route. The bus doesn’t go over the summit, it makes an extra 600km to avoid it! We arrive after 12 hours in Khorla after 250km asphalt and 300km gravel road… nice sightseeing route.

Back-up plan #2… after 3 hours of sleep we inform at what time the first train leaves for Turpan. On a map we have seen that the train runs through the mountains (where we wanted to cycle). At least we don’t have to take the smelly bus back to Turpan. “Ten o’clock in the evening and only once per day” answers the desk clerk to our question. The first smelly bus to Turpan leaves in 20 minutes and we take our last deep breath of fresh air.

Tulufan (pronouncement of Turpan)

11/09/2003. With 6 other Chinese tourists from Hong Kong we have arranged a day tour around Turpan. For us this is the finishing touch in our attempt to ‘study’ the ancient Silk Road. Together with Samarkand and Buchara in Uzbekistan Turpan was one of the main cross points in the network of roads that we call now the Silk Road. We visit the

Thousand Buddha caves, the Karez system, two ancient cities and a wine estate. We find the Karez museum (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/turpan/karez.htm) and the ancient city of Jiaohe (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/turpan/jiaohe.htm) the most interesting to experience. The Karez museum explains a water transportation system that has been used for the last 2000 year and can be traced back to the Han dynasty (202 BC - AD 220). The ancient Karez system is comprised of a series of wells and linked underground channels that uses gravity to bring ground water to the surface, usually far away from the source. In Turpan county there are more than 470 systems, totaling over 1,600 kilometers (1, 000 miles) of tunnels. It is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Turpan, a village in the middle of the ´Turpan depression´ which is an oasis in the north of the Taklamakan desert gets it’s water through these channels from the mountain range just north of this oasis. Digging the tunnels must feel like al mol because they are 1 meter wide and 1,20m high, but essential for survival and The ancient city of Jiaohe has been alive between 200BC and 1200AD. All that is left are a lot of ruins that mostly look like someone has been making huge sandcastles. The miniature model of the city however explains it all and it really fascinating to walk through this ancient city.

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