Holy cow I can’t believe I’ve gone an entire month without writing anything here. Poor form on my part. But to be honest I’ve been shying away from writing because it slowly became less and less like fun, and more like work. I was forcing it. And I’m still forcing it right now. But I started this whole debacle and, damn it, I’m going to finish it.
And how many months has it been since I was actually in Xinjiang? It’s almost embarrassing that I’ve allowed so much time to pass before actually getting around to writing about the place. I was there in the beginning of October and now it’s March. Not good.
The final leg of my trip in Xinjiang was a stop in Turpan. The city is at an elevation of 98 feet above sea level and is known for very cold winters and very hot summers. While I was there it was easily in the 70s.
Turpan is known for its large production of high quality fruit. This is a result of the combination of the hot, dry summers and a vast, ancient irrigation network. And let me tell you, the fruit I ate there was really delicious.
If you want to visit all of the major sites around Turpan, you need to rent a car for the day. These sites are scattered all about and it’s just too far to go on your own. I was approached by a man putting a minibus tour together and I signed up with him.
Our first stop was at some culture museum. I did not go in. I was on a tight budget after splurging to get to Karakul Lake and the place’s big attraction was a spring. I’ve been to places like this and I could tell from a glance that it would be a big waste of time.
The driver, a nice Uyghur man, asked me, “Are you going in?”
“No, I don’t think it is interesting.”
“You’re right, it’s not. I don’t know why Chinese like this place.”
“Me neither.”
As it turned out my highlight of the day, despite all of the places we visited, was hanging out with the driver chatting. It was fun practicing my Chinese and he was a very nice man. I feel lucky I had this driver to talk to because most of the tourist attractions are not worth visiting. They are a big waste of time.
After the cultural museum we drove past the Flaming Mountain (we didn’t stop and neither should you, buy a postcard if you must) and stopped at the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. I think it should be renamed the 10 Buddha Caves. There’s nothing there. Almost all of the carvings and murals have been destroyed. I was in and out in 20 minutes, about half as long as it took to get there. A waste of time.
We also stopped at a burial ground where only three tombs were open. Another 20 minutes wasted. And we stopped at a place where a lot of grapes are grown. Yawn.
Another stop was at Gaochang, one of the two ancient cities outside of Turpan. If you’re really into the ancient history and historical sites, it can be worth your while. I am into that stuff so I thought it was pretty neat. Unfortunately there is not much left of the city. There are plenty of mounds of what used to be buildings and some walls like in the picture above. And there is a large temple at the back that is impressive. Other than that, not much to see.
Jiaohe is definitely the star attraction in Turpan. This ancient city is mostly still standing. Granted that ‘mostly’ is just the walls, but you can clearly see the delineation between different buildings. Situated on a large plateau, the city provides for hours of wandering. It was a surreal experience and reminded me very much of wandering through Pompeii. So if you’re into that, you’ll love Jiahe.
Jiaohe was the last stop for the day, so we arrived a little late (around 5 or 6 PM I think). Right in that “golden hour” for photography. Although it meant I didn’t have nearly as much time as I would have liked to wander and explore before it got dark, I did come away with plenty of amazing photographs.
I think it’s pretty hard not to take a great photo when presented with this maze of ancient buildings kissed by the setting sun. In that hour before the sun finally went down, the place was just beautiful.
So that’s it for Turpan. My advice? Visit Jiaohe and skip everything else. It’s really not worth the expense and the time. Take that extra time and relax, eat fruit, drink beer, and enjoy the warm weather.
I’m back in the US (for good?) and am still trying to adjust to life here. Here’s a quick rundown of some of things I need to constantly remind myself of:
- Don’t hold money with two hands when paying for things
- Say “Hello” and “Thank you” instead of “Ni Hao” and “Xiexie”
- Don’t cross the street where ever I damn please in the midst of traffic
- Don’t expect to see little kids peeing on the sidewalk and people spitting on the floor at my local deli
You know, the important stuff.
Anyway, I have had one thing on my itinerary of things to do upon my return for a very long time. And what’s that? Why, get a haircut of course! It has been 2 years and 6 months since my last haircut, I think it’s about damn time. In fact, the barber who cut my hair jokingly said I had to pay extra because I haven’t been supporting his profession properly.
So I went from this:
Yes, I am the kind of nerd that owns a Sega Dreamcast shirt. And I love it.
To this:
One goofy expression free with proof of purchase and mail-in rebate!
I’m surprised at how short it is. It’s definitely going to take a while to get used to after having long hair for so long. But one thing is for sure, it’s amazingly convenient to hop out of the shower and not have to worry about brushing/combing your hair. How awesome is that! To me it’s like a completely novel idea. How much time I save!
Like few of the things I do, there was a reason behind me going for so long without a haircut. The reason was so that I could donate my hair to a charity called Locks of Love. From the organization’s website:
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
I became aware of this charity group when I was at school in Buffalo. I participated in several 24 hour dance-a-thons to raise money for Camp Good Days and Special Times. During the course of the dance, there is a group of people who are identified as going to donate their hair. At some point they leave to get their hair cut. When they return they wear masks and caps to cover it up, and are only revealed at the end of the dance. It was such a heart-warming experience and I knew that some day I would do that.
And now I’ve done it! I’ve donated my hair to charity and hopefully it will go towards helping a child lead a happier, more comfortable life. At times I may miss my long hair, and I will look little silly for a while (as in, a bald spot where it was cut too short), but that single reward will always outweigh any possible negative I can imagine.
After 11 days gallivanting through Yunnan, I find myself back in cold, bleak Xi’an. The temperature is 37 F, the sky is a blanket of gray (a lovely combination of clouds, smog, and dust, I’m sure), and now the hot water in the foreign teacher’s apartments are turned off during the day. This is quite a jarring transition from the blue skies, sunny days, and nearly-constant 60 F temperatures of Yunnan. Why exactly did I come back?
When I last wrote here, I was in Lijiang resting up after hiking the incredible Tiger Leaping Gorge. From there I was planning on continuing to write throughout the course of my journey, but unfortunately things did not work out that way. Dali was great but my hostel did not have the capabilities for me to write a blog post. Not a major loss, I think.
Dali is a fantastic little town and I enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing for four days. I spent a lot of time on balconies reading books and sipping beer on bright, sunny days (which was every day). And the food. Oh, the food. Dali is apparently home to an endless string of Western food, cafes, bars, and the like. Normally I don’t go in for that sort of thing when I’m traveling, but for some reason it just seemed totally appropriate in Dali. I gorged myself on Western-style food and had my fair share of milk shakes.
Unfortunately the food in Dali was my downfall. I must have ate something bad which resulted in the worst case of diarrhea I have ever had in my life. I was confined to my hostel for my entire time in Kunming (three days). I didn’t see a single thing while there; I couldn’t even make it out to view the eclipse. At one point I tried taking some medication for it, which I must have had an allergic reaction to because it caused me to vomit twice. Quite annoying, really. It was a big disappointment to me that I didn’t get to go see the Stone Forest.
But on the other hand, I have seen a lot of stuff in China and I’m totally OK with passing up one or two things along the way. At this stage in the game, it’s just not as important to me anymore. Yes, I would like to see all these really cool sites, but if I don’t make it, no big deal! There’s still plenty of other things I can go see or do.
Now that I’m home in Xi’an, I am just exhausted. Coming off my latest sickness, as well as my recent bought of swine flu has left me tired, weak, and missing a few pounds (I’ve gone down over two belt loops since the beginning of the semester). I feel like I just don’t have the energy to get out there and travel for the remainder of my time in China. And how little time I have left! I leave on January 29, only eight days from now, to return to the US for good. My one year of teaching English in China is up. I would have liked to stay longer working as an engineer, but it didn’t work out that way. Oh well, life goes on I suppose.
I will be sad to leave China, but I will also have an exciting new stage in my life to look forward to. Where I will end up, I have no idea, and that’s kind of a cool feeling.
I’m not sure what I’ll be doing with myself for my last week in China. I’m considering taking a quick two- or three-day trip somewhere. But like I wrote, I’m exhausted. And I’m a bit traveled-out. Despite my significantly slower pace of travel in Yunnan, my illnesses over the past month have really taken their toll on me.
But you know what? Despite all the trouble I’ve been having over the past month; despite my terribly swollen ankle and my stomach “issues,” there’s one thing that made it all totally worth it. Tiger Leaping Gorge:
With my second semester teaching English now over, and the new year brought in, I find myself quite uncharacteristically spending a day relaxing in Lijiang, Yunnan province.
Let me first say that Lijiang if boring. Like, really boring. At least for me. Lijiang is famous for it’s old city district, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a nice place and there is definitely a certain charm about it. The architecture, the winding cobble-stone alleys, and the small streams quietly burbbling away give the impression of a time in China when a place like this was simple and peaceful.
Unfortunately, a lot has changed since that time. Lijiang’s old town is a much different place. It has been completely invaded by people looking to take advantage of the glut of tourists that regularly visit. This place seems like an endless maze of guest houses, restaurants, bars, and shops. If you like shopping, eating and drinking, and absolutely nothing else, then the old town is the place for you. At the moment I am incredibly bored. There’s nothing to do!
It’s uncharacteristic of me to be spending an entire day relaxing while traveling because I am pretty gung-ho about getting out and seeing the sites, as it were. I always try to make sure I have something to do or some place to go to during my days precisely so that I don’t find myself sitting around in a hostel doing nothing. But given my recent rash of travel fatigue, I’m trying to take things a bit slower. I’m trying to take a little more time to enjoy some R&R and the beautiful weather down here in South China. It’s hard to believe it’s January; I’m only wearing a t-shirt and jeans as I write this.
I think this day of rest is especially important for me because over the past two days I had an awesome and exhausting experience. I hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was just so incredible alking along the deepest gorge in the world. Everything about it was amazing. Words alone fail to describe what I experienced for two days; unfortunately you will have to wait until I return to Xi’an to see some pictures.
The hiking was pretty harrowing. 7 hours the first day going straight up the side of the gorge and 8 hours the next day coming down the other side. My ankle is pretty badly swollen right now and my entire leg hates me. Hopefully today will ease some of the pain and I can recharge my batteries for when I head further South to Dali.
Traveling as I am right now is kind of a liberating experience. I have no set plan, I have no itinerary, I have no return plane ticket. I will simply keep traveling until I don’t feel like it anymore, and then return to Xi’an. It’s great to be able to say “I have no idea” when people ask me what my plans are. I’m just going to go where inspiration takes me and stay for as long or short a time as I feel like it. The world is my oyster, as the saying goes.
Last week I had read a long string of New Year’s resolution posts, and decided that the world has seen enough. Despite that, I found myself writting up a post detailing my goals for 2010. Not resolutions, mind you, real, achievable, measurable goals. In my opinion resolutions are for people who like the idea of change but aren’t really willing or committed to putting in the effort. I have goals for 2010 and I will achieve them. Or die trying.
I was planning on uploading the unfinished piece so that I could work on it while on the road. But unfortunately I forgot in my rush to pack and get out the door. A piece of advice: whenyou have to leave for the airport at 8 AM don’t stay up until 1 AM drinking with friends without having packed a bag or done the mess of dirty dishes in your kitchen sink.
That’s all for now. There won’t be any photos for a while but given myslower pace of travel I should have plenty of time to write. Until next time, when I will (probably) be writing to you from the back-packer haven of Dali.
After spending a few days in Kashgar and visiting the awesome Karakul Lake, I was ready to move on to the next step in my trip. I planned it so that I would start at the furthest point away and then make my way back toward Xi’an. With that in mind, my next stop was the capital of Xinjiang: Urumqi.
Unfortunately, Urumqi is much like any other cookie-cutter city in China. It has very little character; it has no soul. What uniqueness it does get is from the resident Uyghur population. In my opinion, the Uyghur culture present in Urumqi is the only reason to actually visit this city. Otherwise it seems lifeless and boring without much to hold one’s attention.
My reason for stopping in Urumqi was for something far outside the city. About 110 km outside, in fact. That reason was Heavenly Lake. At an elevation of 2000 m, the lake covers an area of 4.9 km². It is, simply put, an amazing sight to behold.
The weather was much better during my visit to Heavenly Lake than my stay at Karakul. I would have to say that Heavenly Lake is much more beautiful. However it is also much more touristy. It is a large tourist draw for the region and the government has built up the area a lot (an $100 million project) to accommodate the people.
This resulted, for me at least, in a much more inauthentic, plastic experience. In comparison, my night at Karakul Lake was exhilarating. We were way up in the mountains, completely isolated and so far from civilization. It was amazing. While Heavenly Lake is incredibly beautiful, the overall experience paled in comparison.
A lot of the information and guidebooks that I’ve read bill Heavenly Lake as the place to spend a night in a yurt. I say screw that. Obviously I don’t know what it’s like there, but judging from the kitschy feel of all the other tourist crap I assume you would have an infinitely better experience staying up on Karakul Lake. That’s just me, though.
There are a few other tourist attractions around the lake, like this small temple going up the side of the mountain. I believe it is called the Temple of Maternal Grace, but I can’t remember for sure. From the main tourist area it’s about 1 km walking around the edge of the lake. Of course, they don’t tell you until you’ve walked all the way there and climbed half-way up the mountain that you have to pay an extra 20 RMB to visit the temple. A very common, very annoying trick to bleed tourists for money in China.
There’s not much to look at in the temple; it’s much like any other one I’ve seen in China (but I’m not going to get into that again). However, one bonus is a great view of the lake from high up on the mountain.
Well, there’s not much else I can say. In summary: Heavenly Lake is gorgeous but it is chock full of tourists (I was there during the off-season and there was still a ton of people). It really is an amazing sight, though, and I’m very glad I made the trip out. If you only have one day to spend in Urumqi, as I did, I strongly suggest you use that day to visit this lake. Oh yeah, and don’t waste your time visiting any of the other “tourist sites” in the area.
Last weekend I visited Luoyang, Henan province for a two-day trip. Now that I think about it, that trip is most likely where I picked up the swine flu. I took a train down there and a bus back; plenty of opportunities to pick up some germs and bacteria.
While I was in Luoyang I visited three important sites: Longmen grottoes, Guanlin Temple, and White Horse Temple. Originally I was planning on staying longer and making a day trip out to Song Shan to see Shaolin Temple. In the end I decided to skip that part and head home early.
Why did I decide to do that? Why did I decide that seeing the birth place of kung fu (actually, it’s gong fu, but that’s not important) just wasn’t worth the three hour round-trip travel time? Because I’ve been hit with travel fatigue.
What is travel fatigue, exactly? Brook Silva-Braga puts it succinctly in his backpacking documentary, A Map for Saturday:
You just get to a point where doing all those same things that have been so fun for so long aren’t fun anymore.
One of the travelers he interviews in the movie expresses exactly how I’m feeling right now:
You go off to see these waterfalls and mountain ranges and gorges and it’s just spectacular. But when you see so many waterfalls, you just go, ‘Oh yeah, it’s another waterfall. It’s another mountain range. Yeah, it’s another beautiful landscape.’
Over this past year I have been traveling all over China. I’ve seen so many incredible things and had so many new, exciting experiences. But something hit me while I was wandering around White Horse Temple. I am sick and tired of busting my ass running all over China to see the same thing over and over again.
Namely, the temples. I’ve seen so many temples in China and they look almost exactly the same. Different location, but same damn buildings. Same damn statues. Same funky little trees, and incense holders, and prayer halls. The repetition and sameness is maddening. Sometimes I look back at the pictures from these places and it’s hard for me to remember which temple they’re actually from!
White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple ever built in China. I was expecting something unique and grand and mind-blowing. I was sorely disappointed. It looked exactly like every other temple I’ve seen in China. And I’m fed up with it.
To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s a list of all the temples (as far as I can remember) that I’ve been to in China:
- At the Summer Palace, Beijing
- Qingyang Temple, Chengdu
- In Seven Star Park, Guilin
- In Qingling Park, Guiyang
- Lingyin Temple and 2 others, Hangzhou
- White Horse Temple, Luoyang
- Guanlin Temple, Luoyang
- Confucius Temple, Nanjing
- Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai
- Fuxi Temple, Tianshui
- Daxingshan Temple, Xi’an
- Da Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
- Temple at Heavenly Lake, Xinjiang
Fortunately there are not many more temples on my list, so it won’t be too hard to avoid them in my remaining time here. But the feeling was such a unique experience for me. I love traveling and couldn’t imagine doing something more fun and fulfilling. But at that moment I was tired of it. I wanted to go home and sit in my living room with my computer and do absolutely nothing all day.
It seems like no matter what you do, eventually travel fatigue will hit you. So how do you deal with it? In my case, I’m not a full-time traveler so I can easily take a break from my weekend trips to recharge my batteries. There’s no problem there.
But what about the long-term travelers? The ones who are out there for months, even years, at a time? Boris Glumpler at Travel Junkie gives a few interesting suggestions on how to fight travel fatigue:
Find something to do. Get yourself a job. This will structure your life even more.
Don’t be hasty. Take as much time as you need. Only once you’re ready to head back out into the wild again, do so!
Don’t close yourself off and keep an open mind. Sometimes, even if you don’t feel like it initially, you can have a great time by just saying yes, when asked by fellow travellers [sic] to come out for a drink or two or go see a temple or something.
As my time here in China comes to an end, I look at the list of places I still want to go and it seems so long. Part of me is not excited for that. Part of me is not looking forward to all the traveling I plan on doing in January. Because you know what? Traveling is work. Sometimes it’s really hard work.
But I’m not going to let that stop me. I’m determined to see as much of China as possible with what little time I have left. I do look forward to when classes end and I can travel a little bit more slowly. Making short weekend trips, as I have done, can take its toll. It will be nice to have a change of pace. I’ll be able to take my time and not push myself too hard.
The month of January will hopefully see me do plenty of traveling. I just hope that I don’t burn out in the process and become travel fatigued all over again.
Yep, that’s right. I went to the provincial hospital here in Xi’an to get tested. My results came back and I passed! With a ‘+’! That’s good, right?
Not so much. All my traipsing around China has finally caught up with me. I’ve got the swine flu. I’m quarantined inside my apartment for a full week, after which I have to go back to the hospital to get tested again.
Swine flu isn’t all that bad, really. It’s not unlike any other flu I’ve ever had. However, what I’ve read is that it is particularly dangerous for asthmatics (i.e. me) because of how it affects the lungs and breathing. So I need to be especially aware of how my breathing is. If it becomes worse I need to go straight to the hospital. My presumption is that if I don’t it could lead to serious complications.
So I get to spend my Christmas and my vacation alone in my apartment. Yippee.
This ain’t a pity party though. Rather, I think this is a great opportunity to show all of you how annoying China’s medical system can be.
I started my Monday by going to the campus medical clinic to get tested for H1N1. They did the perfunctory exams and told me I had something like swine flu but it couldn’t be confirmed. I had to go to the hospital to get checked for sure.
At the provincial hospital, I first walked all the way to the back (the place is like a small campus) to the foreigner’s building. The guard at the gate said I couldn’t go in but would not explain why (in my experience you rarely get an explanation from police or security in China). So I had to wait for 5 minutes for a nurse to come out and show me where to go.
Following her I had to walk back to the front of the hospital, where I had originally entered, to another building. The doctors there told me I had to go register in the main building, at a window down a hallway off the entrance room. It cost 3 RMB to register and I took the receipt back to the doctors.
The doctors examined me a little bit and asked me about my medical history and all the usual stuff. Then they said I had to go back to the window where I registered to pay for the medicine and the tests. So I did. The medicine was 197 RMB and the test was 200 RMB.
First I had to take the receipt for the medicine to the pharmacy to pick up the Tamiflu and some cough medicine. Then I brought the other receipt back to the doctors so they would test me. Finally done!
Keep in mind that, during all of this, no one spoke a word of English. The only way I was able to navigate this labyrinth was because I had my school’s foreign teacher liaison with me translating. I take pity on any foreigner that has to go through that who can’t speak really good Chinese and doesn’t have a friend/coworker with him.
At the time I was still very sick and not so steady on my feet. My only thought was, “Geez, this is a lot of walking for sick people in a hospital.” My translator’s response was, “Yes, it’s not so convenient. But usually people in China have family members with them.” To me, that doesn’t make it OK to be wildly inefficient.
So this is your little window into how screwed up things can be in China. All the walking back and forth is absolutely absurd, especially for people at a hospital (assuming, of course, that one is at a hospital because one is extremely sick). That’s the downside.
Systems like this are in place in many different ways in China. You must register with one person, pay with another, and pick up with another. My assumption is that this system intentionally creates more jobs, which China is in desperate need of (regardless of how redundant they are). That I can understand. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
On the up side: my entire visit, examinations, and treatment cost me a total of 400 RMB ($58.58). So, China’s medical system may be very inefficient but it sure is cheap!
Despite all the troubles I had in Kashgar, and the fact that I was initially not allowed outside of the city, I did eventually make it to Karakul Lake. After my return to my hostel with my tail firmly between my legs, I spent the rest of the day brooding. The following day was when I nearly got kicked out of my hostel. So instead of dealing with that incomprehensible hassle I decided I was going to get to Karakul no matter the cost.
For reasons I can’t remember, I had decided that Karakul Lake was the main reason why I came all the way out to Kashgar. Leaving without seeing this famous lake would be a big defeat in my book. And I just can’t have that, now can I?
It was surprisingly easy to arrange for a travel permit and a guide through my hostel. For anyone thinking of visiting Kashgar, I strongly suggest staying at Kashgar Old City Hostel. It’s an awesome, laid-back place with a very nice staff whom all speak very good English. To top it all off, the hostel is right on the edge of the Old City. Or at least what’s left of it, anyway.
I ended up forking over 600 RMB for my permits and guide. And another 50 RMB for my stay in the yurt. Obviously if I could have waited around for some other travelers to join up with it would have been much cheaper. But I was on a tight schedule and was determined to make sure I got to Karakul no matter what.
I’m serious about never going back to Kashgar. So what’s 650 RMB for a once in a life time opportunity? Money well spent, if you ask me.
The 5 star accommodations of the night. There are five of these cement yurts sitting in a row. Each yurt is about 15 feet in diameter and 12 feet high at the peak. Each has a single stove in the middle to generate heat and cook food. There’s not much greenery to speak of, let alone trees or bushes. Therefore the Uyghurs use animal manure in the stove. Although it does burn well, it creates a none-too-pleasant odor that stuck to my clothes for the next few days. That is definitely one part of the experience I would not want to repeat.
Being that I was visiting during the off-season there were only two yurts open. The other three lay empty. In the background you can see a sliver of Karakul Lake and the mammoth Muztagata Mountain partially hidden by the clouds. We slept literally a stone’s throw away from the lake and in the shadow of the mountain.
A proper look at Karakul and Muztagata. I’ve read that during the summer the water is like a mirror of the mountains and sky. Unfortunately the cold winter winds never stopped blowing, resulting in the choppy water before you. The surrounding area was generally cold, damp, and gray. Not surprising, really, considering it was October.
Despite the fact that I didn’t get to see the “mirror lake” I was still surprised at how beautiful it is. For the most part the clouds obstructed the full view of the mountains. Nevertheless they made for an impressive sight. The pictures don’t really do them justice, I’m afraid.
I implore you. Don’t make the same, stupid mistake I made. I went up to Karakul Lake with only the clothes you see me wearing. And a vest. Holy crap is it cold up there. And in October? Forget about it. Literally within 5 minutes of being outside my limbs were numb. It was incredibly stupid of me not to think that a lake at 11,800 feet would not be cold at that time of year. Even in the summer I imagine it gets chilly.
Anyway, here I am reclining on one of the many bright, colorful sleeping pads the family laid out for me. It was surprisingly soft and the equally colorful blanket they gave me was quite warm. Sleeping inside the squat, round, cement home was definitely a pleasant experience.
You’ll also notice I am holding a beer. I was joined in my yurt by four foreigners traveling together. It just so happened to be one of their birthdays so they had brought a case of beer up into the mountains to celebrate. They were kind enough to share with me. They all made it through one beer before passing out due to the altitude. For some reason I had no problem with it. Either it was the first few days spent in Kashgar (4,100 feet) acclimating me or my asthma medication (I have no idea why that would help, I’m just venturing a guess here). Actually, you would think that due to my asthma the altitude sickness would hit me worse, no?
We were treated to this wholesome breakfast in the morning. Possibly the hardest bread I have ever attempted to chew. It was like a rock. The Uyghur bread is very flavorful, but also very difficult to eat. The easiest way to eat it is to soak it in the infamous Yak milk tea.
I would describe Yak milk tea as an acquired taste. Immediately following the first sip I nearly gagged. But after cautiously sampling it throughout the morning, I came to conclusion that it is indeed possible to enjoy this concoction. Yak milk tea is regular green tea with, you guessed it, Yak milk in it. Also, a TON of salt. It is really, really salty. It reminds me a lot of Turkish ayran; a salty yogurt drink. But this Uyghur drink is hot and more liquid-y. Basically a lot more unpleasant to drink.
By the end of breakfast I was nearly half-way to actually enjoying it. I enjoy almost anything I eat or drink so that can give you an idea of how bad I think it is. But I do see the merits of it buried way down underneath the salt. It might have been the delicious bread I was dipping into it, i don’t know. Regardless, this salty drink is not for the weak stomach’d traveler out there. You have been warned.
Despite the overcast skies the day before, the sun did decide to come out bright and strong the next morning. There was a thick fog coming off the lake, providing for a really beautiful glow over the water. The previous day’s weather disappointed me a bit; I was expecting much more picturesque scenery.
By the end of my stay on the lake, in a yurt, I was in high spirits and satisfied that all of the trouble and expense I went through to get there was well worth it. I can only imagine what the lake and mountains look like during the spring and summer. Absolutely beautiful, I’m sure.
December 17th,2009
China,
Travel | tags:
China,
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Back in October during my 10 day vacation I took a trip through Xinjiang. The first step in my trip was Kashgar; the last major holdout of traditional Uyghur culture and architecture in China. Although there are several reasons why I’ll never go back there, there are plenty of reasons why I enjoyed my stay in that fine city.
Frankly, there is not much in the way of tourist destinations in Kashgar. I think of the city as a jumping off point for other sites such as the Taklamakan Desert, Tashkurgan, Karakul Lake, and access to neighboring countries. Despite some difficulties I did manage to visit Karakul Lake but I didn’t have time for any of those other things. Fortunately, I did manage to find a few things to do to keep me occupied during my stay.
But really the reason to go to Kashgar is for the above sites and the culture. Even though Chinese modernization is quickly steamrolling through the city, it is still completely saturated with Uyghur culture and their way of life. It is so radically different from the rest of China that it’s like stepping into another world.
In my mind, that reason alone is good enough to make the journey to Kashgar. And I suggest you do it quickly. Eventually the Old City will be replaced with high-rise apartment buildings and shopping malls. The fantastic character of this unique city will be gone forever.
Near the center of town you can find the 59 ft (18 meter) tall statue of Mao Zedong. I’ve heard somewhere there is a saying that the further you get from Beijing, the bigger the Mao statues are. I don’t know if that’s true but this one is pretty darn big. Unfortunately the location is not exactly the most grandiose place.
The statue sits in front of some banal government building facing a small square and a less-than-stellar park. Being not so picturesque, I think visiting the giant Mao is more for novelty’s sake than anything else because it really is a huge statue. Go see it, take some pictures, and leave. There’s not much else to do in the immediate area.
The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China and is located inside the Old City. It was built around 1442 and can house up to 20,000 people at one time. The entrance is quite striking and rather large (as so many things are in China) though it didn’t exude the deep feelings of culture and history that I had originally associated with such an important site. To be honest, I think the Great Mosque in Xi’an is way better. Other than a series of lackluster gardens, there’s not much to see inside the mosque itself. I suggest forgoing the 20 RMB entrance fee and sticking your head in for quick peek. That’s really all you’ll need.
Id Kah Mosque sits at the center of a large square surrounded by a plethora of shops and stalls selling all manner of trinkets and snacks. Couple that with the fact that the Old City is just a few blocks away in any direction makes for a pretty neat area to visit. There is a very big downside, however. While I was there I always saw a platoon of soldiers “guarding” the square. They literally stood there all day staring at the mosque. During prayer times there were three or four platoons, about 100 soldiers in all.
Given the riots that occurred back in July it doesn’t surprise me that there was a large military presence. But I find it offensive that the government thinks it’s necessary to station troops outside a place of worship. I’m not religious in any way, but I can easily see how someone would be disgruntled by soldiers standing outside his church/synagogue/mosque/what-have-you watching him like a hawk. The heavy-handed gesture of placing soldiers there really typifies my perception of government attitudes towards China’s minorities.
Kashgar’s Old City is really the biggest draw for the town itself. You could spend hours, if not days, wandering the streets of this quickly disappearing area. I wrote about this place way back in October, and I don’t think there’s a better way to sum up my feelings than what I’ve already written:
The Old City is a glimpse into the traditional Uyghur style of living that, unfortunately, is slowly being demolished to make way for high-rise apartments, plazas, and reproductions of Islamic architecture. If for whatever reason this is of interest to you, I implore you to make the journey to this town before the demolition is complete. It’s a tragedy that an area so full of history and culture is being swept away for the sake of industrialization and modernization. It’s so full of character and charm while the high-rise apartments I see being erected all over China are so completely lacking in it.
Kashgar is known to host two very big markets every weekend: the bazaar and the animal market. Can you guess which one I went to? Unfortunately I only had time for one over the weekend due to my overnight stay at Karakul Lake. I’ve seen plenty of different bazaars all over the world. Also at that point I was on a pretty tight budget so I wasn’t planning on buying any souvenirs so early in my trip. Therefore it was an easy decision to head to the animal market.
I’ve never actually been to anything like an animal market before and let me tell you I was not disappointed. There must have been thousands of animals for sale. Sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, horses, chickens, and all manner of fruits and vegetables. The animals seemed to go on forever. It is a really impressive sight. Though I must say that the smell isn’t pleasant at all.
I spent about an hour walking around viewing the animals and watching the mass of Uyghurs conducting business. For only the price of a bus ticket, visiting the animal market is a great way to kill a few hours.
The Aba Khoja Mausoleum is an easy bus ride about 5 kilometers outside of town. Built in 1640, the tomb is supposedly one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Xinjiang. As you can see from the picture, it is very large and very beautiful. It is covered in green and blue glazed tiles that glitter in the bright sun. The building is a tomb so there’s not much to see inside aside from coffins. But the outside was more than enough for me.
There are a number of small attractions in the area, including two decaying mosques, an orchard, and a graveyard. General admittance to the mausoleum also allows you to visit the two mosques. While they have fallen into disrepair, they are still nice for a quick visit. You will be charged extra to visit the other sites (a common tactic to get your money in China). I didn’t bother with those as it didn’t seem to be worth it.
So that wraps up my stay in Kashgar. Coming up next is my trip into the mountains to visit Karakul Lake where I stayed in a yurt overnight with a Uyghur family.
I have been a member of CouchSurfing since February 9, 2009. During that time I have surfed with and hosted many different people. I have had great experiences and the rare bad experiences, just as I’m sure many others have had.
During the course of my travels and using CouchSurfing, I have come to recognize a few common courtesies guests should extend to their hosts. There is already a great list of tips for surfers on the CouchSurfing website. It is very helpful and I think it is a great start. Some of the more important ones (to me at least) are: Make Plans, Discuss your schedule, Learn your host’s guidelines, and Follow your host’s lead.
While that list is a good start, I think there are a few extra tips one should take into consideration when surfing someone’s couch.
Keep in mind that these are entirely subjective to my own experiences. It’s certainly possible that I’m too much of a control/neat freak and this is over the top. But from my own encounters with surfers and hosts alike, I give you my own tips for being a good CouchSurfer:
1. Hygiene
Personal hygiene is a big one for me. If I am going to invite you into my home, I expect you to have a level of personal hygiene somewhere above none. Granted, you may not always be able to take a shower or brush your teeth in your host’s home (especially in China). But if the opportunity presents itself you should take it to wash the dirt and smell of travel off you and your clothes.
I may be a little insensitive here, but personal choice or lifestyle is no excuse to bring all manner of pungent odors into my home. Just because it’s cool to bathe only once a month back on the hippy commune where you live most of the year isn’t an excuse to sleep on my couch and leave it smelling like a compost heap that’s been sodomized by a hobo.
And you know what else? I don’t care how “rad” or “gnarly” you think your “dreads” are. They stink. And they leave my pillowcases smelling like a rotting rodent carcass. Wash your hair.
2. Tidy Up
This is possibly the most important of all surfing tips. Tidy up after yourself! This includes while you are actually inside your host’s home and while you are out and about exploring.
While in your host’s home, make sure not to clutter his personal space with your stuff and garbage. Anything you bring with you that ends up being garbage (snack wrappers, plastic bags, etc), make sure you clean it up right away. Don’t let it wait until the morning; do it now. Show a little respect for your host and his home by not making it messy.
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When you go out exploring during the day (or night, as it may be) take all of your belongings and put them as far out of the way as possible. Sure, you may be doing a yearlong trip around the world and have a HUGE pack, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some corner to stick it in. And try not to leave your toiletries or gadgets lying all over the place while they’re charging.
My personal philosophy when surfing with others is to leave as little evidence of me actually being there when I’m out. I take all my stuff, put it back into my bag and place it somewhere out of sight. My host is generous enough to give me place to rest my head for free. The least I can do is not disturb the tranquility of his home by forcing him to navigate around my backpack and avoid my toiletries.
3. Their Schedule, Not Yours
Even before surfing with someone, make sure that your intended schedule is compatible with his. It is important to understand that the majority of hosts have lives that involve either work or study. So if your host needs to be up early, you shouldn’t be coming back in the wee hours of the morning after a good time at the bar.
If you plan on having late nights and your host is totally cool with that, all the better. But if your host needs his sleep and wakes up early, then you should consider staying elsewhere.
But being clear about your schedule with your host is important if it’s anything out of the ordinary. If I’m up at 7 AM for work, I don’t want to agree to host you and then find out you won’t be coming back until 4 AM (this has actually happened to me, if you can believe that).
4. Ask For Their Advice
Even if you don’t want or need it! Sure, you may have done tons of research before your trip, read your guidebook on the plane, and asked people on the street. But if you’re staying with someone who actually lives in the place you are visiting, then who else could be a better source of information?
Another great reason to ask your host is to give him a chance to show pride in his home and knowledge of the area. As an ESL teacher, I find the easiest way to get my students talking is to ask them about themselves or their home. Well, get your host to talk about his town.
Not only are you showing respect for your host by asking for his advice, but you are also giving him a great opportunity to tell you all his favorite places and maybe even some stuff you won’t find in the guidebooks. Regardless of whether or not you will heed his advice, it will most certainly give your host a boost of confidence if you ask him for help navigating his town.
So there’s my four additions to CouchSurfing’s already great Tips for Surfers. I admit that I am a bit of a neat freak, so take this with a grain of salt. It may be the case that I’m being too controlling or too over-zealous. But hey, it’s my house and I’ll run it how I damn well please, thank you! From my own experiences I have cultivated this short list of extra habits I always do when surfing someone’s couch. And I always appreciate it more when my guests do the same.
One important thing to remember is that if your host has a problem with your behavior in his home, the case may be that he is too shy or too polite to say anything to you about it. So always be mindful of how your host conducts himself in his house, how he manages his home and his stuff, and try to pay attention to his reactions or attitude when you are in his home. “A man and his castle” and all that, you know?
And don’t forget, always leave a deserving reference for your host for other potential surfers to see. In the world of CouchSurfing, references are like currency. They show your appreciation for your host, and they help out other surfers looking for a place to lay their head at night.
Happy surfing!
