Am I still in China?



As the days move by, my drive to explore and travel continues to intensify. Here I sit with so many options at my reach. At some point in my long-term plans I left behind what I think “should” be right, and have gone with what “feels” right. Not to scare you off just yet, and dive deep into my recent thoughts and feelings, but this last place I visited was unlike any I’ve experienced to date: Enter Xinjiang…



WARNING: This entry is long, which is not a bad thing, but just a heads up, as I know many of you are very busy people. As you will read, this has been the most moving and enriching travel experience to date. I’ve included many pictures to give you a better idea, as my words can only partially explain this encounter. Enjoy!

In my last blog I ended with my thoughts on the future, what and where I was planning next and a slight rationale behind the ideas. After extensive research I went with an impulse and headed West. Now when I mean west, China is a very large country so I should specify. I went as far west as you can travel. Xinjiang is the furthest West/North West province of China, bordering Mongolia and Russia to the north, with Pakistan and Afghanistan to the west. The landscape is desert in the center, stretching to huge expanses of mountain ranges all around. Very rugged, tough terrain. Very hot in the day, freezing at night. This territory is called an Autonomous Region, being that the majority of the culture and feel of this area is Uighur, mainly from Kazakh decent versus Han Chinese. While still part of China, this region, its people and lifestyle, felt like another world entirely. Now don’t get me wrong, Chinese influence is heavy in certain parts, but the more remote you get, you forget what country you’re actually in. Just picture it as the most solitary independent region of China’s vast expanse. As I’ve noted in the past, solo travel has its rewards, but company offers a different, very positive aspect that I’ve grown to deeply appreciate. I was lucky to have timing coincide with China’s national weeklong holiday, so with a bit of persuasion my trek turned from solo to a four-person crew, with my bro and a few friends onboard for the journey.

Enough prep and background, you get the idea. Jump aboard China Eastern Airlines direct to Urumqi, immediately negotiate for a flight leaving in a half hour direct to Kashgar (Kashi to the Chinese). Bus from the airport, dump the bags in a shady hotel (passport, money and air tickets in hand), and we’ve hit the streets of Kashgar 10 hours after leaving Shanghai. Immediately upon arrival you can tell you’re in a different world. The dirt streets, dust, smells, language and food all scream at your senses. Most people live in small mud/stone homes; with twisting little paths leading through a maze of open courtyards and rows upon rows of homes. The entire town was not like this, where the main city center had paved roads and cement structures. However, the majority of the surrounding city all reflected this description. A mosque placed in the direct center of town confirms the Muslim presence as the main religion. As I strolled the streets, taking it all in without interfering much (the ritual I’ve started to follow in any new place I visit), the biggest surprise was the age of people I saw. Most were kids, age 1-6, running, playing, eating, working, with more and more kids on every turn. This was juxtaposed against very old locals, long grey beards and grandma looking women baking Nan. (Nan, a pizza-like bread, was served everywhere, often combined with lamb skewers. More on the food later…). So, imagine you’re strolling down these dusty streets in a Middle Eastern feeling Muslim town, and all you see are little kids and grandparents. Top that with every kid saying “Hello” in English, and polite tugs on your shirt and pants. Smiles and friendly nods from the elders as you pass. Simply put, the most welcomed I’ve ever felt from strangers in a distant town. An overwhelming experience that left a smile on my face until I fell asleep. With all these “hellos” I had to at least learn how to reciprocate in their language, so after a lengthy conversation with a taxi driver, understanding maybe 10% of what he was saying, I came away with “Yakshimisiss” as hello, and “Rahkmet” as thank you. The hellos and smiles following doubled if that was even possible. Great first impressions, grabbed a quick dinner including something called Xinjiang pad mien (noodles, vegetables, lamb and spicy flavors…yum yum), and I’m snoozing in prep for the days to follow.




We got up the next day motivated to hash out some plans for exploring further. After doing some research we learned that the Kashgar Sunday market is a crazy, crowded, proper local scene not to be missed. Indeed it was. First was the animal market, with lambs, goats, donkeys, horses and cows, all for sale. Negotiations everywhere, often heated, and everyone feeling all the animals with two hands, testing for health and fitness. Then on to the goods, with everything you can imagine. Knives everywhere, silk, fruit, you name it. Street food everywhere, with open meat markets. This took a little getting use to, where if I included pictures it would be quit graphic. Imagine small wood carts set-up with fresh lamb (the whole thing) hanging on wood spikes, heads on the ground and bees and flies everywhere. You get the idea, pretty gnarly. Strolled the market for a few hours, loved the pomegranate juice, dried fruit and watermelon. The Xinjiang region is renowned throughout China for its fresh fruit.






We rolled back to the hotel, hashed out plans for the next few days…

Itinerary:
- Hire a car to Tashikurgan (border town with Pakistan 8 hours away)
- Drive to Karakul Lake (spend the night in a yurt hut)
- Back to Kashgar
- Train to Urumqi

Up at 8am the next day to jump in our packed car for an 8 hour drive down the ancient Silk Road (used by travels and merchants between Europe and Asia for centuries), also known as the Karakoram highway. Within 15 minutes of leaving Kashgar the scenery totally changed, huge mountains on all sides, snow, up and up we went. Wanting to stop on every turn we were surrounded by spectacular views as we followed the river along a corridor of huge peaks. Made it into Tashikurgan, a small mountain town, as far west we were permitted to travel. Off in the distance over some peaks is Pakistan. This area was very serene, with a green pasture/marshland lining the center of the valley. Not many people, lots of stares here, but friendly curiosity. We were walking on the outskirts of town and an old woman walked up to us, gesturing for us to come in. We sat in her simple home for a few minuets are she offered us some Nan and tea. So welcoming and genuine. A powerful feeling of acceptance with all. We thanked her and continued on our way. These types of encounters would mark this journey, with curiosity and friendliness going hand and hand. We hiked around all day, and spent one night in this calm little town.





Back in the car early, off to a pristine lake a few hours north. The type of lake you see reflections of snow tipped peaks on all sides. We hiked around the lake to discover nomadic sheep headers on camels. A memory that will forever stay with me: Looking back across this lake as this friendly man rides off on his camel. This is why I’m traveling I thought to myself. I know it sounds corny but I simply have no other words to articulate the feelings. Moving on… We were invited to spend the night in a yurt (half tent/half hut), so we thanked the young couple for their hospitality and stayed. The most genuine, friendly couple lived here with two young girls. Again, I’m at a loss of words to describe the welcomed feeling and hospitality we received. The food was awesome, the air was freezing and I watched them cook and heat the yurt with dried yak dung as I laughed to myself. I had just read about this type living in a book I was given in the states before I left, and now I was living it. Check out The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, a bit wordy but a great read. That night was cold, and when I mean cold, I wore almost everything I had in my small pack while inside my sleeping bag. The stay was well worth the discomfort. We did make it outside around 12am to see a full moon setting over snow tipped peaks, and more stars than you can imagine. Such clean air, no clouds, the Milky Way wrapping around the horizon to join earth. I was left speechless once again. Up early for the sunrise, quick breakfast of rice and veggies and we’re on the road back to Kashgar.






More exploring in the city, some resting and reading and it was time to say goodbye to the far west. We all felt sad to leave this place we had only just met, but that’s the type of affect a place like this can hold on you. Each of us made jokes about staying here and never coming back to Shanghai, where in reality part of what we said was true. As with all things, change is the only constant, and me moved on.

The next leg of the journey was not the most pleasant, which involved a 24 hour train ride, a royally f’d up stomach and getting woke up at 2am because I was sleeping in an empty upper bunk that wasn’t “assigned” to me, yet nobody ever took it. We’ll just say this train experience was not as pleasant as my Shanghai-Beijing run, but still an experience to walk away from. Last minuet we decided to jump the train early and got off in Turpan, a totally desert oasis. There is really northing there, but a stop off on the journey through. We took a bus out to this remote ancient village where people still live, with a small town carved out of a hillside where the river exits the hills. A cool local spot, with so much history. Definitely worth the stop, with ancient Buddhist caves as dessert. That night my stomach returned, but my friend’s dropped out on him. More local Xinjiang food, noodles, veggies, all tasty! Off to a small mosque the next day, a very cool spot perched within a vineyard, no crowds, no tourists, just us. The memories and moments continue to stack up and blend together, so much peace, excitement and bliss. I’m at a loss for words once again. I sat in the highest tower of this old mosque, reading of all books, The 5 People You Meet in Heaven (I’m still waiting for each of the them to show up, ha).





Three hour bus to Urumqi the next day, not the best place, much more modern, loud and trash covered versus where we had been. A bit of culture shock coming back to this place. We were all pretty exhausted at this stage, so a quick bite and dreamland here we come. Our last day in Xinjiang was spent at another lake (Tian Chi), much more touristy but still very cool. Explored around, perfect weather, more trees and scenery. As you can imagine, having been in predominately Muslim towns, we were not drinking alcohol on this trek, but here in Urumqi a friend recommended a small spot called Fu Bar, so we grabbed a drink, food and toasted to the end of a successful journey. While there was four of us, there was many times spent in silent curiosity and amazement, that were shared with each other only with a look. An awesome team to travel with, perfect company. Flight early as I dozed off looking at distant peaks disappear over our airplane wings.



Xinjiang, an oasis from the modern world. Thank you.



As you can tell my original rough plan of coming to Asia has began to shift, where the freedom of travel and exploration has taken the place of permanent residence and job search. I’ve reflected on this new direction my life has taken, while welcoming it. China has offered me the opportunity to experience so many great things, where South-East Asia is next on my radar. Plans are plans, and they are made to shift focus of direction. As of now, I plan to continue this drive to explore when I have the freedom and means to do so. This Friday I’m jumping on a plane to the Philippines and from there my next step is open. I may return to the states to work, head across the water to Indonesia, or backpack through the jungles of Vietnam. This flexibility and openness spurs deep thoughts and contemplation I’ve never experienced. Shanghai will always be there if I decide to return and work, but for now I’m following another path.

Be well.