Kashgar to Lake Karakul, CHINA - 17 june 2002
Jane and I bade farewell. Our trip together had finally come to an end. She was heading back to Ürümqi this evening as she had a flight to Xi’an the next evening. Meanwhile, I had decided to go to Lake Karakul which is about three-quarters of the way from Kashgar to Tashkurgan (which is the last town towards Pakistan on China’s side).
This route would be part of the famous Karakoram Highway from Islamabad in Pakistan, across the Khunjerab Pass to Kashgar. The scenery, we had heard, was supposed to be amazing.
Sitting on the right side of the bus, I had fantastic view most of the time. However, the road was very bad. Many sections had caved in and the bus-driver had to keep steering the bus onto the rocky section, in order to bypass the disintegrated parts of the road. The trip, as a result, took a longer time than it should be.
After seven hours of rather harsh travelling, a lady next to me indicated this was Lake Karakul and we (a few other tourists and I) had to shout to the driver several times before he stopped for us.
At first glance, I did not think Lake Karakul was worth the effort to come out here specifically. OK, the weather was very cloudy today and spoiled the view, I supposed. With good lighting, the lake could be beautiful. But the people managing the lake had added barbed wires, which looked pretty useless to ward off anything, around the lake and there were even ten dilapidated pool-tables next to the lake. The one or two shops here were in ugly tin cans.
They had not only come and destroyed the view, they were the most unfriendly hosts I had encountered in a long time. We tried to negotiate for a cheaper price for the yurt but were unsuccessful. OK, we had no other choice. But after we paid, they simply left us there, with no hot water nor offers of extra blankets. It felt as if they knew they had had us. Where else could we go?
Before we went for a walk, we inquired the price for food here. Everything was more expensive. Rice was Y5 (usual, Y1). Veggies was Y10 (usual, Y3-6). Meat was Y20 and above (usual, Y6 and above). Fried rice was Y15 (usual, Y3-5). Once again, we knew we had no choice.
However, by the time we were hungry and tried to order food, they now informed us - Veggies was Y20 and meat was Y40 and above. This was ridiculous. I argued with them that this was really unfair as how could the price have doubled in the last 2 hours? Instead of negotiating for a compromise, they simply retorted, “Who told you the price earlier? Who told you?!?!?!”
We were all very cross and the people I was with - Andie from Wales, June from Singapore and Sin Hai from Japan - decided to flee the lake first thing tomorrow morning. I chose not to eat anything that night.
The altitude of Lake Karakul was probably 4000+ m. I had no idea! I did not even pack my sleeping bag. I was shivering from cold the entire night as I lost a lot of heat from the poorly-insulated mattress. I seriously was not sure if I could survive til morning.
Lake Karakul to Kashgar, CHINA - 18 june 2002
I did.
With an excellent blue sky the next morning, I decided to give Lake Karakul another chance. After we packed, June and Sin Hai headed out to the highway to try and hitch a ride at once. Andie wanted to sit by the lake and I decided to walk along the lake towards Tashkurgan and see if I could hitch a ride to Tashkurgan when things got boring.
Yes, now, away from the negative energy at the main yurt area, I felt very at peace and found the lake indeed to be gorgeous.
I passed by a Kyrgyz village after an hour’s walk. A family beckoned me over. The guys here wore hats that were new to me. They were made of felt, were white with black embroidery and pretty tall. Even a baby with no underwear was wearing a small version. I sat with the family, gesturing to the mothers that their babies were very cute. The teenage brother of the two ladies could speak Mandarin and provided translation for us. After a while, they invited me in for some naan and yoghurt.
I proceeded on my trek in the direction of Tashkurgan. For a long time, there were no vehicles going towards Tashkurgan. Most vehicles were heading towards Kashgar. I started to wonder if I ought to try and return to Kashgar instead. I rounded a bend and fought hard against the strong head-wind that nearly tossed me in the air. I had no choice now but to return round the bend and wait, to avoid the wind. So, now I could no longer head towards Tashkurgan anymore.
At 11:30am, I recalled that the daily bus from Tashkurgan to Kashgar would pass by here around noon and decided to forget about Tashkurgan and return to Kashgar. I just crossed the road and merely waited for 30 seconds before the daily bus came by. How lucky I was!
Kashgar, CHINA - 19 june 2002
Well, today would be a rest-day for me. I simply headed to the Ren Min Park, discovered it required an entrance fee as usual, refused to pay for it and and sat outside the park under the shade to update my journal.
Ali, who worked at the travel agency at my hotel, cycled by, recognised me and stopped. We chatted for a while and he suggested I visit the Abakh Hoja Tomb or Fragrant Concubine Tomb which contain 58 tombs or coffins from the Uyghur family of Abakh Hoja.
The story was that a grand-daughter of Abakh Hoja was called Fragrant Maid because she had legendary body aroma. She was so beautiful and aromatic that she later became the concubine of Emperor Qian Long, hence, the alternative name of the tomb. This became a famous Uyghur-Han Chinese union. Well, now I know how aromatic her body odour had been…
Kashgar to Ürümqi, CHINA - 20 june 2002
I had travelled from Ürümqi to Kashgar on the luxurious express train. On realising there was a regular train at half the price but with a travel time longer by 6 hours, I took it for my return trip to Ürümqi. I mean, there was not much difference if the train ride was 30 hours, compared to 24 hours. I just had to sleep longer. But the money saved sure made a difference. Well, good bye, shish kebabs…
Nothing eventful happened. As usual, when the attendants or police or fellow train commuters realised I was from foreign lands and could speak Mandarin, I was subjected to their vigorous interrogations and inquisitive queries. They would always ask me how much I earned. After my reluctant reply, the scene would turn ugly as they lambasted their poverty, their jobs, their government, their wives, etc… It often got quite embarrassing.
A train attendant appraised me carefully and asked, “So, if I marry you, can I enter Singapore?” Err…
Ürümqi, CHINA - 21 june 2002
When we arrived in Ürümqi, just before I got off the train, the train attendant from yesterday looked at me funny again. I feared he would really propose. But he did not. Phew… Or perhaps, I had just lost my last chance for happiness, you think?
I changed my travel plans and decided to go straight to Beijing on a marathon 48-hour train ride and skip all the places in between. I had quite a bit of administrative things to do in Beijing before I leave for Mongolia.
Ürümqi to Beijing, CHINA - 22 june 2002
Slept. Snacked. Stared at window. Read. Relieved myself. Slept some more. Was found out to be a foreigner by now. Fielded interrogations. Ate dinner. Drank orange juice.
To Beijing, CHINA - 23 june 2002
Brushed teeth. Stared at window. Hopped down to the platform for a stretch. Read. Slept again. Ate apricots. Handled more interrogations.
“So, will you RETURN to China?” my fellow travel-mate drilled at me.
“Huh? R-e-t-u-r-n??? No.” I replied.
“WHY NOT?!?! YOU HAVE CHINESE BLOOD FLOWING IN YOU!!!!” he turned beet-red.
Ooops. Interrogations had gone awry. Slithered away to sleep again. Beijing… Beijing… Beijing…
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