bollerud: July 2010

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Ray, Silk Road. May 29, 2010

Good flight over and arrived on time…about 6PM. Customs was as easy as any country I have visited. Ride to hotel did not show as promised. Got a taxi, driver was in a panic at airport as she had never been to this section of Beijing. But she was next in line and rules are “take him”. 45 minutes later and many phone calls, back streets, we arrive at a frightening looking place!! In total darkness. Smog so bad could hardly see.

Up the road was the hotel….extremely nice. Off to shower and air-conditioned room. Up at 5AM and off to B-fast in 2 hours. Smog so bad can’t see much two blocks at most….can’t wait for the countryside.

Met a couple from Australia, he is a World cup flag football player in the over 50 team. He is 65. Then met 3 more people, not in my group either. Today walked, got lost, found farmers market, nude kids, fish and melons to die for.

Meet the group in an hour. Today the hotel door would not lock and it took 3 trips to the desk to fix. Still do not know whether I am in the right room as no one speaks English and all requests are in multiple…yes and no and all ok. Naturally the hem and pocket seams on travel clothes let go today .. my 25 year old travel pants may want to retire.

May 30, 2010

Brutal day of walking and site seeing ….just dead at 9PM. Went through the Temple of Heaven park for 2 hrs. Celebrating the worship of heaven from 600 BC till the last dynasty in 1900. Then wonderful meal across from Mao’s tomb…nice ambiance!! Can see the ol’ guy in the casket if you wish to stand in line forever (it is that way day after day) he is the George Washington of China. We skipped it. Then to Tienanmen sq., the Great Hall of the People (legislature) and the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty (primary building time in 1400-1600). All are so large as to overwhelm the senses. The boulevard between the Sq and the Great Hall is 4-5 lanes each way...a sense of massiveness everywhere. The actual T sq has added large (football field length) screens showing pictures of people happily enjoying everyday life. My sense is this is new and built to make you think the tanks could not have been here, others in the group had the same impression.

Then to the Forbidden City. It goes forever…larger to smaller for what seemed like a mile or more. All basically the same and just except for an alter, a few chairs and a dirty rug. Quite boring after about five of them… Angkor Wat was so much more interesting. Last eve attended a “famous” Kung Fu show….not so good….sort of like a cheap Broadway play that busted….it is loved by the Chinese…longest playing show…some 3500 performances. Manchurian food after and the pork ribs were to die for…a consensus of the meat eaters!! Dry and spicy with sesame and hot peppers.

The crowds are a shock…belly to butt and shoulder to shoulder most of the day. Kind but pushy…guess you have to be that way with so many people. In the parks the 40-80 year old crowd all playing games from cards, domino's, tossing rings to catch with your head, kicking something that looks like a large badminton “bird”, and yard badminton. The mixed gender groups are almost back to back and having a great time. In other parts of the park are outdoor Tai Chi, ballroom dancing etc.….any and all join in as you wish. I sat with an older gent playing a special Chinese musical instrument which he insisted on my trying…total failure…sounded like Dad on the Violin!! Took picture…funny how his partner insisted I pose….they grab you by the head and twist it till they are satisfied with the look. All done kindly. In fact they seem to love posing as if models….all ages. Teen girls are a trip…hot pants and skirts, gaudy t shirts, heavy makeup and teased hair and then they mostly wear a heavy weight panty hose, the damnedest assortment of shoes….big, heavy, hundreds of straps….something resembling the 60-70 London.

May 31, 2010 up at 5AM and off to the wall…back at 4PM.

Beijing…no smog the past 2 days. This is a new city; everywhere we go it appears to be less than 20 years old and most much newer with beautiful architecture. Not an old building in sight. Landscaping is better than I have ever seen… broad swatches along the highways, surround buildings with roses, ornamental trees and row up on row of popular often 20 or more rows deep along the highways. Only occasionally will you see an old building. I see no poverty, no begging, no homeless, and all is as clean as Germany. High rise housing everywhere in the downtown near the work. Where do they put the elderly and poor? I have no idea if they are cared for in homes, or what. Motor bike are all electric and all buses are on natural gas. No diesel except for some older trucks. Lots of cars. Today we traveled 2.5 hours N to the Wall and every city we passed thru was the same…newly landscaped, highways lined etc. I wonder what it will be like as we head W and into the more rural areas.

The Wall….where we went (the Simatai Wall) is a less visited, well preserved section. It is 2.5 hours N of Beijing. Once there you take an old double chair ski lift 2/3rds the way up and then a car pulled by a cable about 200 yards up (45 degree angle) and then still walk uphill for 20 minutes. On top of this razorback ridge (about 20-30 feet wide) runs the wall as far as the eye can see. Only short sections are open to public…..it was enough…like literally walking up and down black diamond ski trails. Most was steps and about 10 feet wide at top and a tower every 100-150 yards. At end of where we were allowed to walk, the ridge was so narrow that only a single wall with a walking path on the Chinese side lead to the next area where the wider wall began again. It is 20-30 feet high and towers another 20 -30 feet higher. And on both sides the mountains are steep, loose shale. How anyone could consider invading in that territory is beyond me….in fact they never did to my recollection. They came in from much further W and down the Gansu corridor.

Tonight the acrobat show and tomorrow the Summer Palace followed by a 9PM train to Xian (she-on). Hope to get a foot massage tomorrow as it is a recommended Chinese specialty. Nice group so far…only odd ball is an American woman who is a real “me-me”, and begins ever sentence, in a teaching tone of “Well in America we…..”

Day 3 we are avoiding her, but she just “gloms on”….a classic caricature of “the American tourist”. And she has been teaching English here for 2 years….so she is always correcting the guide. Well a group this size has to have one!!!

Ray, Silk Road. Beijing Monday 31st and Xian on June 1 and 2.

Just had the foot massage…oh my God! What a jolt of energy from the right foot. At times hurt and others pleasant….energy came from a pain area, even the masseuse laughed. Would do it again when possible…cost was $22 for an hour.

Last eve the acrobatic show was worth ever Yuan (200). How does one get the body to twist in such ways? And the strength….4 people piled on top on one person’s head …they stand one one foot and other foot is directly above their head…two couples stand nose to nose with feet like that and two others do head stands on their head and on their feet two others hanging off with one more standing one he head and all are twirling pillows with the free feet or hands. Some slim and others built like “brick shit-houses” (Old Norwegian saying).

Last eve bought polo shirt and pair of shortened pants for 200 Yuan ($28). Starting to throw out other stuff I brought. Most clothing is 50-70% less…shoes, packs, etc. and that is in Beijing in the good stores.

Spent time at Summer Palace…filled with families again…very crowded …this is where the last emperor was under “house arrest” by his mother the Dowager Queen. What a bitch! He was in a beautiful place, confined to one house (of 50 or more available) and she had the windows painted and all doors but one bricked up. He was finally poisoned by her 2 days before she died. And then the revolutions/civil war began and lasted till 1949 except for several years of fighting the Japanese.

Chris and Vero a good way to save on diapers…go Chinese. Got a great shot of Chinese baby outfit…open back, no diaper and they carry the equivalent of a “doggy bag” or use their hand to catch the deposit and depose of….where???....can’t figure it out but did see the latter occur on the street.

Saw the first outburst of anger today…our bus driver was cut off by another…he boxed the guy in and got out and after much waving of hands and yelling he returned and off we went. The guide just laughed…no problem just venting. Ah road rage in China.

Went to a tea tasting afterward…very fine flavors and all very different. Am bringing back some names and descriptions. By the way we do not prepare our herbal and green tea properly. Water should be slightly more than 185 degree. They make it hotter, then pour it into another container and wait. After a while they add the tea, swirl, wait 10 sec. and pour away the water saving the leaves to which more water is added, wait 20-30 seconds and drink. With black tea use the same process but use very hot or boiling water. If water is too hot for green or herbal tea it destroys the ingredients that are medicinal.

Tonight the Muslim quarter and then the train.

Saw my first and 2nd beggar and found the slums in Beijing….about 3 square blocks…but vibrant, safe, walked through many times and eat there twice….more old Chinese than slum, not as in the US, more like any 3rd world country.

Julie I am taking pictures of Chinese wedding dresses…..a display of traditional and color. Wow.
And the train station…could hardly breath, so many people in line waiting and then 9:30 load and gone. 4 bunks…me, a nice couple of Auses and the “dragon lady from America”…first thing she says is I snore so hope you don’t mind!!. Turns out she did not snore but the other 2 did…thank god for ear plugs. Train was quiet and pleasant but we are confined to the compartment….no club car etc. We traveled about 1000 miles SW last eve.

Ah XIAN….the center of Chinese history and glory…..this is the area of ancient man and many of the “golden dynasties as well as the traditional start of the silk road. It is considered the “real China”.

Foot massages are now catching on and receiving rave reviews…I may have set a trend..up to 4 converts.

I note the Chinese are a happy and laughing group of people. Easy to smile and have a lot of fun with their games. They often walk in groups laughing and joking. While the Japanese walk stiff, in a straight line and are very serious. However on crowded streets the Chinese are all business…either move, get out of the way or get bumped with some force….have had old ladies walk right through me and never an apology or even give a look of anger or disgust..Just a habit of survival in a crowded country.

Went to another show last eve…another great meal (steamed dumplings…about 15 different kinds and all formed to resemble an animal….duck, pig, cow, birds, turtle etc) followed by a dance story of the golden dynasties. Beautiful costumes of silks flowing in the dance. A nice sound, color and light show…but while the shows are all different they have a sameness to them….sort of for tourist consumption, they lack the specialness of a local ethnic performance.
Walked through one of the many parks to and from the performance..Everyone playing, music groups, a group walking on a foot massage path and lots of young making out in the dark. Seems the young make out and the older people play games.

Returned from the Terracotta Warriors…amazing 8th wonder of the world. It covers 56 KM underground, much of which has not been excavated. They are more than life size and each one has a different face. They had thousands of artisans produce the faces (a separate item that was inserted on the statue. They have different expressions, facial features etc. All done by 720,000 artisans in 200 BC. It took 35-40 years to build. The king at that time had a palace that was 51 KM long…yes that is not a mistake, I double checked. They chromed their swords and arrow tips for hardening and sharpness (a process that was developed in Germany and US in about 1935). They used bronze at the time. And all warriors were painted; some have been excavated with the colors intact. All were buried in dirt and wooden structures, which of course did not last long. You can see the timbers (petrified) still in place…and all floors were paved in fired brick. They have opened 4 pits…each is about 500ft by 300feet and they have built a climate controlled building over each of them. 3 are open and one is for professionals only. After the king died many of the chambers where opened in a revolt of rage by the workmen and burned which helped preserve some of the artifacts. You can still see the charcoal burns.

Ray, Silk Road. Lanzhou and Xiahe(show-who) June 4, 2010

Arrived in Lanzhou at 6:30AM it was a rather rough night train(we are now 2500 km West of Beijing). Train tracks were noisy and rough. Had Breakfast of beef noodles (noodles and beef broth with hot chili…very good and local specialty). Boarded bus for 3 hours then by boat to the1000 Buddhist caves at Binglingsi…actually only 170 survive after the 2nd largest dam/reservoir constructed on the Yellow river. Impressive site and in process of much needed repair. Then boat back to bus and 3 hours to Xiahe for two nights (Tibetan autonomous region of China). It is at 9700ft and cold…I did not pack for this so may end up with a Tibetan coat. This is part of the old Tibet and the people look very different…darker, taller, faces more angular and large noses and the women’s cheeks are bright red. Rather handsome lot I must say. Some of the men are quite fierce looking, dressed in combination of our old west…boots, hats, and very large heavy coats. The sleeves are tied around their waist at mid day and in AM/PM used as a cape…seldom using the sleeves. Women dress the same and both have gorgeous silver decorated leather belts. Some men carry side arms or knives. Sorry to say that no one looks bathed. Must be tight extended families….often see young mothers passing the babies off to the grandmother who beams with pleasure and stuffs the baby in under her heavy garments. This is a town filled with Buddhist monks at a very famous monastery is here with 1000-1800 monks.

One member, Tom is ill…he and Allison are a lovely couple, just retired teaching. He is in treatment for prostate cancer so tired a lot. Then there is Brian and Julie I know little of them except for the bad habit of being late, easily lost, and being the food “cleaner for the group”, skinny as a rail and eats like a horse. One eve we were to leave at 7PM sharp, so at 7 Brian decides to take a shower and we wait. He eats only bread for breakfast (10 slices) and won’t spend money on food but at a group meal he is voracious and a real pig. We get to the train station and part of a crowd of 1000’s and following the guide through them Brian decides to stop and change shoes. What a hoot. And then there is “Dragon Lady”, now she is a piece of work…going down the steps at train station…very steep and very long like subway in NY…she decides to walk her roller suitcase (of course the largest suitcase in the group) down a smooth section in the middle….slips on her butt and lets go of the suitcase which careens on down knocking little ol” Chinese over like bowling pins. The group ignores her so has taken to following any two persons who are talking and loudly interjecting her “expert thoughts” on any and all subjects.

Another lovely couple Jeff and Camellia are fun to be with and he is a wealth of knowledge…too bad they spin off in Kashgar. He is a geologist, metallurgist, and hobby historian. Judy is quiet just retired and has recently lost several friends to disease…very nice conversationalist and won’t try any new food! She came with Ian and Tanya who are quiet and off by themselves…he is a real camera operator and both are experienced travelers. Paula so far is a very nice airhead . Bev is a very nice semi retired teacher of teachers in the methods of math for elementary kids and an artist of some talent. Julia I know little about at this point. Had a lovely little meal tonight in a Tibetan restaurant ….yak yogurt mixed with honey, spicy bean curd and local mushrooms and Bok Chou …delicious and a beer for $4.00. Tomorrow we visit the Labrang Monastery of the Gelugpa Sect of Buddha (yellow hat sect). E’angzongzhe ? the head is 2nd only to the Dalai Lama and the Panchem Lama in Buddhism.

What a place, about 1800 monks including teachers and students. Apparently this is one of only six great teaching monasteries and I believe 2nd only to Lhasa……they have schools of philosophy, medicine, music/dance, can’t recall the others. We visited the shrine of each of the schools. But it was almost revolting while beautiful. Turns out all candles burning, many offerings, and hard to believe many “paintings” are of Yak Butter…and it smells rancid….no very rancid. I have pictures of some of the Yak Butter creations as it is hard to believe what one sees…many bright colors which turn dark over time. And the awful stench of sour yak butter is everywhere and worse the Monks reek of it and my guess is they never wash their robes…they are filthy and have the odor of body and yak smell. The monks never work…only study and receive lots of money from their followers. The Tibetians are a very religious group and nearly everyone is mumbling a manta or prayer all the time on the street and carrying there beads. Oh yes Dragon lady today took over the conversation with our special guide and then attempted to lecture us on what she learned. Since she has traveled to Nepal she is the Buddha expert.

This PM we traveled to the grasslands of the nomads…thousands of sheep and yak. A small 2 room cement block building every ½ mile or so. We stopped at a herders place for several hours to visit. She operated a temporary loom in the field where they weave a piece about 12 inches wide and perhaps 30 plus feet long. Material is wool. They then sew the pieces together to create larger pieces. Later she invited us inside for food. 9 of us in a room 10 by 16 with bed/table combo and a large hot stove heating yak milk and yak tea. Served yak tea, puffy flat bread, and then made little balls (golf ball size) out of combining yak milk, barley flour, yak butter and yak cheese. Rather tasteless but our Tibetan guide ate a bowl and claims it makes for flat belly and you only need one meal a day. That was my birthday celebration and they sang happy birthday for me. No one would believe my age of 67 (all guessing I was in my 50,s). That made them wonder why I did not hear so well…and Trissi I did not have the heart to tell them. That was a lift and a gift. (Of course dragon lady had to spill her yak milk all over the owner’s electronic equipment).

Back to the streets today…where the men and women are crouched in little circles bidding on the price for a special herb, only available once a year…valued as “invigorating”….sort of universal to seek such an item. I did not buy as Kathy was not along!!! Apparently they use a secret process of bidding and one group never knows what another pays. They have wads of money like Vegas and little brass scales. The guide said it is valued same as gold. I have pictures.

Tonight a wonderful birthday celebration …the staff of the hotel sang Tibetan songs, then the Tibetan guide sang some songs followed by a gorgeous cake and a special candle that opens like a lotus and a candle burning at the end of each flower petal. Very lovely. I made sure all the hotel staff got a piece of cake which was much appreciated. They were young Tibetan girls with long black braided hair and bright red cheeks…it is not makeup and appears rubbed raw or a result of the altitude.

Left via different route through incredible arid mountains that are terraced as nothing I have ever seen…for 50 miles….a real bread basket.

In Xiahe there are more military…saw several bus loads…never felt any threat from them only smiles. More poverty here or is it the nomad way of life….herders, farmers etc verses big city life. All streets dug up for new water and sewer lines but not much new building.
One observation is every large city appears to be recently rebuilt (they level blocks of the old the build brand new)….wonder what they will look like in 30 years if they don’t clean in the air pollution. They quality looks good and of course the infrastructure is new….roads, sewer, water, electric.

Overnight train to Jia yu guan to the Hexi corridor, lots of desert and the end of the Great Wall. We will be approx 3300 miles west of Beijing perhaps more. I slept, with the aid of a pill. We left at 10:30 and arrived at 6:15AM …This is a new city built from scratch starting in 1958 and still under construction. Population of 250,000 and all Chinese brought into to work the refineries for iron ore which is abundant in the surrounding mountains.

Last eve had the worst meal of the trip….ate in a “western restaurant”…they served warm beer out of the case and would not replace it with cold, the food was grease, and the pizza too spicy to eat (actually Brian the cleaner ate all of mine and parts of two others) and the bill was more than any we have paid elsewhere. Whole group was revolted. Back to noodles, rice, yogurt and dumplings.

Next correspondence from Jia yu guan.

Ray, Silk Road. June 7,8,9, JIA YU GUAN….HEXI CORRIDOR AND DUNHUANG

We visited the underground tombs of the Wei and Jin Dynasties (200 to 300 AD). Only one is open to public. There are over a thousand in the Gobi Desert (Gobi means gravel and sand desert). Beautiful tombs….35 feet underground, 3 rooms, filled with gorgeous paintings of everyday life and of course missing implements, jewels, etc which have been stolen. They are in perfect shape, constructed of dry laid brick and the design is similar to a pizza oven accept each room can accommodate about 10 persons. The painting on the brick makes me think of early Picasso…simple flowing lines giving a sense of life on the move. Paintings of herders, butchering, making silk, cooking, playing etc. Biggest ongoing problem is protecting from grave robbers one for obvious reason and other is if improperly opened they either collapse or the air destroys many of the artifacts.

PM visit to the Jia yu guan fortress and the end of the Great Wall. The wall directed all traders through this wall going both E and W on the Silk Road. They could sit here for months awaiting a passport as officials determined the tax they would pay. The wall is enormous and looks out on the Gobi Dessert. Construction is of pounded mud inner walls up to 30-40 ft thick and the outer was as thick but brick.

The wind blows strong year around, in fact China is building the world’s largest wind farm out there somewhere.

Then on to the “hanging wall” which is a totally reconstructed section of the Wall that funnels all traffic to the fort and is the highest point in the region. They have reconstructed it to perfection (more Disney style and John Sandy would have a heart attack). Another of the group had a birthday tonight…Camellia…very nice in an outdoor place with the same cake and candle and little girls showed up and gave a gymnastic show out of the blue.

Wed. we crossed the Gobi desert…7 hours by bus. It is gravel/sand with camel shrub so sort of grey green. Guide in fact says the Gobi desert is in Mongolia and this is the Gebi desert(gebi means gravel and hard pack which is everywhere). Tends to be irrigated all along the road back about 2000 feet on both sides for much of the way. Bus drivers are required to change every 3 hours as it is so monotonous that you tend to become hypnotized. Some of the wrecked vehicles along the way attest to the wisdom of having no accident.

We drove by the world’s largest wind farm under construction…..at least 2 hours of driving and it never let up. When the Chinese decide to do it they go big. They are also planning a similar site for solar electricity generation. It seemed like a steady stream of massive trucks going both ways carrying large piping, machines etc. These trucks are as long as a double in the states.
It is so dry that everyone is complaining of sore nose/sinus. AM and PM quite cool but mid day to 8PM very hot ( We are in Dunhuang (Don-hong) now and it again looks a prosperous city(41C).

Last eve visited the Crescent Lake and sand dunes…the dunes are 300-600 feet high and very impressive…everyone goes at sunset as the light changes are very impressive. I declined the camel ride to the top and did not walk up…sore heals from the hanging wall walk yesterday. Again the Chinese have turned it into more of a Disney site…landscaped, lots of kitch, and even plastic tree trunks…yuk. Tom and I took an ultra lite plane over the dunes ….beautiful and damn scary...they did not mention that the winds are quite nasty late in the day and it was a wobbly turn and landing but worth the view…lots of adrenalin and fatalistic thoughts when he hit the wind currents. Have invited Tom and Allison to visit in Aug before Julie’s event, they may stop for a day on the way to Nova Scotia.

Today the Buddhist caves, then 3 hours to train station to catch a 1:30 AM train which arrives at 5:30 so it will be a brutal night for sleep.

Dragon lady is now gently being moved from room to room among the single ladies….as no one wants to have her as a room-mate. Rest of group is quite easy and interesting…I now refer to Brian the skinny eater as the “cleaner” as he eats whatever is left over on other’s plates in addition to his own. And get this, his wife will actually go to other tables scouting for uneaten food for him toward the end of the meal.

We visited the Buddhist Magao ku caves South of Dunhuang. A must see, they are from the 4th to 10th century more or less and in much better shape than I imagined. At first glance it appears the Chinese have constructed a complete facade of cement stairs and entrances….then you realize it protects the caves which were otherwise exposed to the elements and deteriorating quickly. Can’t really describe the color and drawings, the two Buddha’s (which the Chinese refer to as the 1st and 2nd largest in the world…remember the Taliban blew up the largest). Caves vary in size from very large 40 by 40 by 40 to 70 feet high and all painted (murals using blues, green, red, yellow, white, black, aqua etc. . We saw at least 4 that would rival the Sistine chapel…smaller but remember 4 -6th century. Many of them are allowing visitors for limited times, when the humidity gets too high they are locked and others are opened, so no two visits are likely to be the same. We had an excellent guide/historian. In one from the 5th century they had painted all the different races and ethnic groups that passed thru…including Caucasians, blacks, Arab, over 40 different representations. Many of the paintings have a halo around the Buddha and his students.

This PM we did some more shopping and a little damage to the wallet….then another foot massage for the group and a meal. At 10:30 we took a 2.5 hour bus to some other city to catch the 1:30 AM train to Turpan…of course it is delayed so we boarded at 3:30AM, We are all exhausted and it is now 9AM and still bunked on a hard sleeper (dorm style…6 to compartment…me and 5 single women and I have bunk 9…which means good luck in Chinese…guess I will wait to get home to try my luck). We are now at the 2nd lowest place on earth (500 feet below sea level) and it is bleak, grey, and dark brown and no green in sight. We all experience incredible sinus pressure from being so low and hot(44C).

A Chinese teacher practiced her very excellent English with me for 2 hours in the train station. Thought it was interesting when she said that she seldom has a chance to practice, as Americans are shy or into themselves…”why don’t they want to talk to us?” She asks. She was forty….looked 25 and headed to Shanghai with 40 other teachers. Fascinating that in China the education structure is similar to ours even down to family and loans pay for college and most student’s graduate with debt. She also mentioned that people are now more open, playful with each other and with foreigners than 10 years ago. She credits the change to prosperity not necessarily to a change in govt policy. They certainly have created a large middle class that is quite prosperous.

Some observations of China: They spit in public…anywhere they just hawk it and ”spit O” on streets, in concerts, entering any facility, train station waiting room etc. Another observation is that I have yet to see a policeman with a gun; they carry walkie talkie and sometimes a baton…no cuffs. Hard to figure. Same with military presence, I see none with the exception of two busloads and some that have insisted they have their picture taken with me. Even the guides ask if I am a military man!..funny maybe the shirt I wear…I asked and they said it is my build (I am liking china!). Our first guide took to calling me a CIA person and it has become a running joke between us as he, as so many Chinese, have a great sense of humor and love to tease.

We enter Turpan soon to see the underground irrigation system built 2-3000 years ago and still operating along with some other sites which I am not up on. See you in Turpan.

Ray

Ray, silk Road. TURPAN TO URUMQI (ER-UM-CHEE) JUNE 10-11.

Miserable train ride and the last in china thank god. Boarded at 4 AM and arrive at 11AM…but they wake us at 8 AM…no food. We board the bus and go directly to the ancient Buddhist city of Jaioqhe perched on a cliff like island between 2 rivers. It is made of pounded adobe (clay and clay brick)…wind erosion has left little to be seen…it is about 2 km by 3meters Much of it is underground, only temples above ground. Most of the ancient cities in this area were Buddhist until the Muslims attacked in 14th century. We finally get to eat at 2PM, then taken to the hotel and out again in ½ hour from 3:30 to 9:15…I went to bed hunger. I was so tired I was cross eyed. Saw more underground tombs, the ancient city of Gaochang about 4 km in circumference. Same as the other in terms of shape. Then more underground tombs (Confucian and Buddhist). Incredible artifacts from here are in the Museum…unbelievable beauty in sculpture, jewels, combs, pottery etc. Finally to the Kartz underground water supply….5000 km of underground tunnels dug 2000 years ago and still operating to bring snow melt from the mountains with no evaporation. One of the great wonders of the world. Smaller projects dug in ancient times all over the region. Oh yes and also saw the Emin Minaret (about 140 feet high) build in 1777.

So damn hot can’t compare it…39C…drank 4 liters of water and hardly urinated. We are again all miserable with exhaustion and burning sinus’s….today June 10, 2010 we leave for Urumqi, a very modern city, which is 3000 meters high and in the mountains.

This is Uygur country…I notice more poverty in the small towns. Their features are dark and range from almond eyes and flat nose to very delicate features, straight noses and often slender builds.

This area is filled with industry….oil, mining, refining, coal fired elect plants, and another huge wind farm (actually 3 huge wind farms by the time we finished the ride). It is an oasis…grapes everywhere along with other crops….happy to report I can still get green veggie’s…baby bok choy and green beans…always with rice, some meat and noodles with every meal. Very filling but don’t feel stuffed and thank god it lasts…often I go with 2 meals a day. In Turpan I noticed peoples beds are outside, too hot inside so they sleep in the yard.

Today a 7 hour bus ride with many breaks and again nothing but wind farms, laying pipeline, interstate is 4 lane and new, building a high speed train, already have the freight lines in, test drilling everywhere along with high tension wires, refining etc. I begin to think that every new congressman should have a required bus ride through this area and the rest of china to see what is happening in order to make good policy decision re USA. They are building infrastructure everywhere at a very fast pace…literally 1000s of huge trucks, excavators etc at work. They are eating our lunch and we argue re: right wing/ left wing and they just cruise on by. I suspect in 10 years China is a powerhouse beyond anything we can imagine. And we say they copy but don’t invent…guess what….they know that and the universities are now addressing that issue…creativity, inventing, starting businesses etc. They do not mess around. How can our congress make decisions when they operate in a cocoon of silly issues…the Australians laugh about us they say they are bad but we are ridiculous. Oh well enough.

In Urumqi we visited the museum and are blown out of the water….incredible display. Many of you may recall in the NY times about a month ago the travel section on the lost civilizations of W China. The people buried in boat like structures, with posts above ground…we saw the mummies and had an excellent guide…they are of the Euro-pod race, blond and red hair, beautiful delicate features, high cheek bones and long toes and fingers and gorgeous artifacts. This is from 3000 years ago and the dry conditions preserved them perfectly. They used no embalming, just laid them to rest in graves. Many artifacts of pottery, embroidered clothing, metal wind masks, compound bows with metal arrow tips. The area had one or more large lakes at that time. Now the Taklimakan desert is one of the hottest and second largest in the world. Many cities are perfectly preserved the climate change occurred so rapidly many personal items are found with bodies in the houses.

Another nasty group problem…you enter and leave all museums thro museum shops. Group got into shopping and bought but stayed on schedule. As we are leaving on a tight schedule(2:30 PM drive to Heavenly Lake and back for dinner and show at 7PM…drive takes 1 hours) Brian runs back and begins to negotiate on a piece of jade which he had been looking at for 30 minutes…the museum closes…won’t let the guide in and Brian walks out 45 minutes later with the jade and clueless that we have all been waiting and have now missed lunch and are rushed the rest of the day and arrive late at everything else. I started screaming at him and he just looks at you and smiles and talks about his jade purchase!!!

Heavenly Lake is like Lake Louise and again big hotel and new kitsch everywhere…then on to the Uyger folk show and meal…turns out to be a mediocre buffet and Bollywood show….just awful. That is my last; I swear to God they are awful. I was lucky enough to be able to turn off my hearing aids….others said they envied me as they suffered. AND THEN THE EVENT…..

At this point I have a horrible sinus infection, and need sleep. We get to hotel at 11PM…check in …I jump in the shower …1st of the day and a knock at the door. Thinking it was a group member I wrap in a towel soaking, opened the door and am pushed out of the way by a rather large busty babe, I grab her and turn her around and push yelling get out of here. Shaken I dry off and put on PJ’s and another knock, again open, and another young, high heeled tuned up babe tries to push in. At this point I call the desk, no one speaks English and after 10 minutes I am still hearing “is all ok” and then “just a minute” and on hold again. Now midnight and I call and ask them to locate the guide and I hope they understand. 10 minutes later I have the lights out am in bed (alone) and another knock…a women manager who can’t speak English just stares at me as I try to explain no women!(actually she was sort of attractive compared to the others). She walks off and I crawl in bed and another knock on the door….now a very slender high heeled babe just stands there saying “I come in”. Then the guide calls and I tell him he must call the desk and put a stop to this. Obviously the desk was cooperating as the women knew I had a single room and they knew the room number. At that point I am worked up and start thinking a pimp will break down my door demanding money…so I place all the chairs in a blocking position by the door. Finally I have a fitful night’s sleep and nightmares. We had to be up at 6Am breakfast and catch the bus to the airport at 7AM.

The group says I should be happy to be a 67 year old “babe magnet”. Turns out the hotel was an “entertainment hotel” with nightclubs and two floors and often frequented by Russians…perhaps I was a mistaken Russian.

Next to Kashgar (Kashi)

Ray, Silk Road. KASHGAR OR KASHI AS IT IS CALLED HERE June 13, 2011

Arrived by plane from Urumqi…2 hour flight over incredible mountain range to the real Uyger country. They are Turkic in race and Muslim in religion. There is a long history of Muslim/Chinese rebellion going back centuries and continuing today. No sign yet of military but expect to see it as we get out of urban Kashgar on Tue ..We are going to a restricted area for an overnight.

Beautiful older men and women showing all the signs of a rugged life. Good guide who is setting limits on the group re: time…we need it.

Will visit some Mosques and tombs. Sunday we do the Animal and craft market and have a meal with a local family in the old town. On Tue a pagoda about 45 km away and on Tue and Wed we are at Lake Karakul in the mountians (10,000 feet)…a restricted area where the rebellion is active. Will stay in Yurt Wed eve and go to Kyrgyzstan on Thur, rebellion and Russians permitting.

I can see the Pamir’s and black mountains here….unbelievable…white and black…snow and rock but only 50 mile apart approx . This area borders with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and I believe Turkmenistan

Yesterday saw the 60 foot statue of Mao on the way in….he is quite revered still in china and pictures of him available everywhere but very few in public places. Visited the Abakh Khoja tomb…the holiest place of Sufi Muslims in Xinjiang (the Sufi’s are a minor sect from N of Iran and believe this life is illusion and all that matters is afterlife therefore discourage invention, the new, changes. The guide says that because of them this area is 50-100 years behind other regions). The tomb was built in mid 1600’s of adobe/brick with a huge double dome….John and Laura the most common name on special tombs inside(72 total) was HOJAM….better speak to John re: his ancestry again he may have made a switch from” a to e” to throw us off re: his heritage. We also saw several very old Mosques however where not allowed in as they are under restoration.

And in keeping with the “babe magnet” theme I was picked up right in the group, by “a nice looking teacher” from up N…finally got away and back to group and she peeled off and went after some other guys.

Then a Uyger meal in a very good restaurant…after several Uyger meals all I can say is interesting, hearty, yogurt is very good….but that is about it. Nothing to write home about. They put pure fat in all the shish kabobs…one of four slices is fat or if you so desire you can get all fat! As this is a very Muslim area no alcohol. Group found some beer source and we will down a few to say goodbye to Camellia and Jeff this eve, a lovely couple from Australia.

Sunday visited the famous animal market…what a zoo! Animals, people, tractors, donkey carts, motorcycle carts all pushing and shoving, honking and braying and my god the dust..Donkeys, sheep, goats, bulls and cows of every kind everywhere. Men and boys chasing goats, sheep and cattle that got loose. Stoves made of brick/adobe or 50 gallon drums cooking soups in bowls the size of our fire pit, shish ka bobs on the fire, veggies and then butchering which is occurring among all this activity which is sold or thrown into the pot. . Wild is all I can say…saw cattle jump out of trucks and be dragged, most of the animals are male with huge testicles…and I mean big(think footballs). Very large sheep and goats…come up to my belly button or higher and some very small white goats about knee high. Everyone is buying …suspect most of the animals will end up in the pot this week. At one point I was harshly pushed aside for some distance by a man...alarmed I turned, only to see a very large bull running at me, he just sideswiped me as they struggled to get control of him. That shove saved me from possible serious injury.
Tom you would go crazy here as they had the knife makers and sellers…beautiful knives and very sharp and we can’t transport them across the border. As with anything around here if you look or touch they will not leave you alone…I swear at one point I had three guys with knives and cleavers chasing me…trying to sell one….looked like something out of Arabian Nights.
Then a walk thru the old town…authentic on outside and beautifully decorated homes on inside… we had a Uyger meal with a family….dried fruit to start, then cold spicy bean noodles, all the flat bread you can eat (tastes like old pizza crust), two courses of wheat noodles with a little sauce, followed by shish kabob (2 each) with the fat of course, then yogurt, followed by fresh tiny apricots that were delicious and finally a bland rice with some melon in it. And tea all the time. All while sitting on the floor. Fun and different.

Then the “Sunday market”….which is like any in the world….a large bazaar with any and all goods from condoms, hardware, polyester silks, hats to fine jade and carpets. Again you look and they will follow you for a ½ block. This was a large covered market like in Cambodia or most other countries. Have to be very careful as most is knock off.

And finally back to our shitty hotel…I moved 3 times yesterday…finally packed everything and went to the desk and insisted on a better room saying I will pay the difference. They put me in a nicer room and the price was the same!! Except no hot water! That was still a major upgrade however.

Tonight a goodbye Turkish meal with Cam and Jeff…sad to see them go as both are great humorists….meal was crap except for the eggplant.

Again keeping with the babe magnet theme the new lady is always finding opportunities to put her hand on my shoulder etc….the married couples are laughing at me and mentioned she had the hots for me and I had better show her a picture of Kathy soon to back her off. Hell she is in such need of a “tune up” it had not occurred to me that I was her target.

Tonight Dragon Lady announces at the party that she wants to read a story from Reader’s Digest to the group…it did not happen…I seem to be the only one to say no. But the others snicker and roll their eyes.

Now as for the cleaner I have got to the point of giving him that nick name in person and his wife the “scout”….sort of fun….They are actually accomplished travelers just eccentric. Everyone is laughing at him because he had a “crying jag” in the past 24 hours. Turns out that jade tea pot that we all waited for him to buy at the museum and he was so proud of as he negotiated such a low price…well as he left, he spotted the same tea pot in another section of the same store for ½ of his negotiated”low” price… Apparently part of being late was caused by the disorientation he experienced when buyer’s remorse set in. That is the way it is here. You have to look a lot and negotiate with real determination and just buy if you love it.

Monday we went to another old Buddhist Stupa S of Kashi in the Taklamakan desert. . WE were stopped by large mounds of dirt in the road and directed onto the desert. After a mile we hit sink holes but avoided getting stuck, suddenly some boys and men appear and direct us back to a village which we meander through…this is in the middle of nowhere…many newly constructed houses. We take two 10-12 year old boys on board as guides and finally end up on the road again arriving at the Mor Stupa. Some adventure. Boys wanted to take pictures with our cameras and catch snakes to scare the women and sheep. One wanted my animal t shirt which I would have gladly given him except I had no other shirt along and we were going for lunch in a restaurant. Too bad. And in the middle of the desert we come upon about 100 green houses under construction creating employment for the local community. Very unusual design which you may be interested in Eleanor or Kin.

By the way Eleanor your strong suggestion I take the scarf from Cambodia was brilliant…I have used it everyday and even store keepers want to know where they can get it!! Thanks.
Then another craft store with Local River jade and mountain jade items and carpets. Carpets a good deal…river jade very costly…$2000 for a small pendulant. River jade is rare and looks like any other rock accept to the trained eye…cut it open and wow…sort of creamy white with brown imperfections that the artist works with to create relief figurines. One rock half the size of a football will support a family for 3 years.

Oh and the traffic and driving in Kashi. Combine Italian speed and daring with people, cars, cycles, huge trucks and buses and donkey carts everywhere, remove all rules and policemen, close your eyes, pray like hell and sure enough they get you there. Some members of the group will not sit in the front of a taxi. And the other day on a major road was a donkey cart ahead of us, trotting along, and the driver was asleep in the back…guess the donkey knew the way home and how to move over when the horns blow.

I then went back Sunday market to do a little damage…now have a minor case of buyer’s remorse...oh well. Next to Kara Kul Lake….very cold and yurts in the Pamir’s. Then back to Kashi Wed eve and off to the border on Thursday.

Will write the next one from Kara Kul and send hopefully Wed eve. Unfortunately the weather is horrible up there…rain, snow, and cold….I may spend a lot of time in the yurt.
Ray

Ray, Silk Road. W CHINA….KARA KUL LAKE ON TUE AND WED

Sitting in the married couple’s yurt looking at the lake listening to the rain outside. Our beds have a musty smell to them; hope I can find my travel sheet for the night. They say it will get very cold tonight; we have a coal stove in the yurt. Place is a primitive tourist destination… just picture a nice shallow lake in high brown and gray mountains mostly covered with clouds. No trees, some green grass at the far end with Yak herds, otherwise gravel and sand.

The ride up was an experience in Chinese high mountain travel. And mind you this is the main road to Pakistan border which is about 50km. It is a narrow hairpin road with minor rock-slides everywhere which makes it one lane here and there. Add huge trucks coming down full of iron ore with brakes smoking (they stop once and a while to cool them by spraying water on them and returning empty at high speed passing everything on the road. At one point we were backed up for about a ¼ mile with rock slides and mud. I see an occasional camel, yak herds and sheep herds grazing on what appears to be little or no grass.

Guide says this area is not in a dangerous rebellion the police check point was only a preliminary checkpoint for the border crossing and going through was simple…police did not have guns but there is an army base nearby.

He also says the Uygur region is the poorest in china and the central govt is not really investing in them as in the east. In rural areas the new houses are marginal..little sq adobe structures, but no paved streets and minimal water and sewage systems. It is an agricultural region from Kashi to the Pamirs with lots of water as the mountains drain East.. Interesting though that beyond Kashi is the Taklamakan one of the most brutal deserts in the world (actually the word means something like “he who enters does not return”). Our guide is taking a break from his NGO work as a public health trainer to the village “healers”….they did not know the location of the heart, liver, lungs etc. Extremely high incident of tooth decay so he taught them to brush teeth and arranged to have toothbrushes and paste sold at low prices…caught on so well that now selling such items is a big local business. Taught them how to avoid fecal diarrhea, cleanliness etc….also the locals had been told that breast milk caused diarrhea and tooth decay so would not nurse babies and needed to be re educated. Very successful program supported by Finland NGO. He says the Chinese central govt would not help but insisted everything be taught in Mandarin even though the locals can only understand Uygur. He successfully went to the mat with them and they finally agreed that mandarin would be in the subtitles and Uygur the spoken language. He is a very talented man and I told him today to apply to Harvard Public Health Program and try for a scholarship….he is a perfect candidate, experienced and 32 yr old. We talked for a while and then he said but America does not want anyone of the Muslim faith!! I said no way and really pushed him….he may just try as he was beaming at the end of our conversation that it may be possible.

They are building another major dam in the area for electric power and irrigation…a seven year project now in its 3rd year of development.

Three sick members today…food…white mulberries(delicious and dangerous to the intestinal track) and some curry restaurant the Dragon lady took people to…I did not go… thank god.
Dragon is so disruptive with her interruptions which seems to eventually controls any conversation anytime and anywhere…talking over others in a loud a very penetrating tone. One person said today “if I hear one more time ‘In America we...’ I think I will throw up”.
It is a cold damp night and it went from hot to cold very fast. We went from T shirt to thermals, vest, jackets, and anything else we could put on in a matter of ½ hour.

The toilets are death defying…think of a cement/adobe structure, no roof, a 4 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 6 feet deep trench with wood planks every 12 inches extending the width. If you have to use it…walk out, straddle and while doing your number hope nothing falls out of your pocket as it is lost forever. At night…well just squeeze and hold!! Actually everyone used any rock or obstruction they could find…travel insurance does not cover death by primitive toilet. The cleaner called the toilets a “death by excrement” challenge.

By the way the cleaner is turning out just fine…he has taken to his new nickname with great humor but his wife (the food scout) lost her job as others in the group who can’t eat everything just bring it to him.

The Uygur guide says there is no rebellion in this area…what occurred were riots over a justice issue. Apparently some Chinese severely beat/injured/killed some Ugyurs and the central govt just did not act or did so slowly that people took to rioting. Sounds like an equal rights/justice thing out of the civil rights era in USA. Some big concert celebration in Kashi tonight at the statue of Mao. Lots of riot soldiers in trucks and on the streets with the big shields and batons and guns. (first sign of force I have seen in China). Everyone is peaceful but perhaps they are expecting something. We are far away from it now….but drove by today.
Tomorrow Kyrgyzstan…about 160 km to border followed by 3 hours of border checks then Torugart Pass and5 hours to Yurts near the Tash- Rabat Caravan- Sarai. We will be at 3753 meters….more altitude pills ….they do work.

And one more chapter in the Babe Magnet story….the other night Allison and Tom’s phone rings and some women with an oriental voice says, “Ray can I come up now”. Of course Allison had to tell the whole group. This is beginning to be a pain in the you know what.

TOMORROW KYRGYSTAN…we are all ready to leave China. Have no idea what email access I will have there.

Ray

Ray, Silk Road. KRYGYZ REPUBLIC…TOURGART PASS…TASH-RABAT CARAVAN-SARAI…KORCHKORKA….KARAKOL….CHOLPON-ATA

Here I sit on the bus in a hail storm writing the diary. We just arrived at Son Kul (high mountain lake..3500 meters) from Tash Rabat….7 hours of nasty road. More later.

First some reflections on China. The further West we went the more poverty, substandard new housing and police presence. This is where the Ethnic minorities are located along with incredible natural resources which are being exploited…iron, oil, coal, minerals of all kinds. The refineries are set up in the area….which makes for lots of pollution. Seems the Han Chinese are the top of the economic chain and then it works down through many groups to the Uyghur and Tibetan on. China has approx 45 ethnic groups.

There is no political discussion in China, it is discouraged and you get no answer if you ask. With Minorities one receives a strained look like don’t ask; the Han say they are happy. Chinese govt seems to understand that a large prosperous middle class leads to social stability and they’ve done that in the East. You can in fact buy anything in Beijing, Xian or Shanghai that you can find in any upscale NYC store.

OK enough; now the trip from Kashi to the border. What a day!! First Brian forgets his camera and we need to return…then the travel agent calls to say there is a rumor the border patrol may have decided to take an extra day off …so we wait to hear. A return call and it is a go for 50 km and then all hell breaks loose. Unusually heavy rain and flooding have caused numerous washouts, in some areas the road is covered with sand and gravel 6-8 inches deep. We proceed slowly around washouts and boulders and over gravel covered roads. One lane most times, other times off the road to get around washouts (at least 30 times). At several points the guide called for a vote whether to turn around as the road was under water. Tom and I voted loudly to proceed and in areas completely under water, the driver devised the method of waiting for another vehicle to cross ahead of us to see if it was safe. If they made it we proceeded. We saw one pickup be carried sideways by the water but with 4 wheel drive he made it and we followed. Then the bus overheated…we had hit some mighty large rocks and the driver suspected radiator damage….but none existed. He stopped and filled it several times…I think it is their driving method; however these guys are so proud they will not take advice. We are proceeding uphill all the way to 3750 meters, but typical of the drivers in China they lug the engine….they never use 3rd gear, just first, 2nd then shift to 4th or 5th ASAP and lug the hell out of it. Nothing makes an engine overheat faster than that. Anyway he proceeded grinding uphill, occasionally getting out checking for damage. At times these broad expansive valleys of gravel/stone had washed over the road leaving debris 2-3 feet thick which we carefully drove up and over. Lots of front loaders along the way but the drivers were on holiday…they just sat there idly.

Then the customs and border patrol process….what bureaucracy…60 km from the border a passport check…we leave the bus, line up and through we go. Next, 20 km from border a major check…all luggage off and run through machines, passports checked(10 min each)( and I mean line up perfectly, if the line is not perfectly straight an officer rectifies the situation with a stern look and gesture), then load luggage but as we leave the door another passport check. Board the bus and up the road 5 km off the bus for another check. Then to the border…a total mud hole by now with 65 trucks waiting to get into China. They do not let the bus cross the border so he turns it around and backs up to the border and the luggage is handed across as we walk. This is no man’s land…mud everywhere, cold, raining and border patrol everywhere dressed in winter rain-gear. I wonder what we are getting into now and have some anxiety over not having brought enough clothing.

We are in Kyrgyzstan!! At 4:30PM we have a Russian driver whose family was sent west during the Stalin days, his front teeth are gold and a Russian Kyrgyz guide who is fluent in 4 languages. She appears to be a very nice competent guide who is stocky and who smokes like a chimney. 10 KM to Kyrgyz border patrol check and oh my god it is right out of 1950 cold war Berlin. Large barbed wire stockade with gate, the bus is stopped and we are approached by a guard who announces we need to wait, as the staff just went for lunch. Fortunately 10 minutes later the gate is opened and in we go to the most dilapidated, ugly, unheated building I have yet to see…passports are checked and on we go. This the building is empty, the barbed wire enclosure is filled with rusted junk military vehicles and machinery left by the Russians. We we drive for 1km by the barbed wire enclosure and are stopped by soldiers.

After some discussion we’re off on the worse road I have ever been on. All gravel and pot holes to make any mechanic happy, enough to make you come out of your seat, this goes on for at least 5-6 straight hours. Now mind you this is a lesson in self control. I and 3 others have the Uygur Revenge….pure water….from something we ate. May have been food or white mulberries…sweet, delicious, but deadly. Good news is the bouncing was so painful that each time I hit, my sphincters would tighten from pain. We arrive in a driving rain storm at the Yurts at 8:30PM (we have moved our clocks back 2 hours to accommodate the time change). Let’s see that is 12-14 hours on the road.

We have beds in the Yurts!!! And a stove…2 runs to the toilet tonight. Got lots of chemicals in me now…this is going to stop!! Good night’s sleep as the rain pounded and the one time I had to go out it was snowing. Breakfast is delicious as was dinner.

AM went to see the Tasha Rabat Monastery/Caravansie. It was a Nestorian Christian monastery in the 9th century…dank, wet. No wonder the sect did not survive…probably all died of pneumonia. They did not believe Christ was God, only a great prophet, so the cross does not display Jesus. After abandonment it was used by the caravans.
I can’t describe the mountains and wide grass covered valleys….Kyrgyz’s specialize in growing grass, horses, sheep, cattle, some camel, and up high the Yak. They need to be higher than we are most of the time. They prefer 4000m in summer.

Friday was a long day again over rough roads. Stopped in Minera for lunch….what lovely meal/family in a town that is in such poverty and disrepair. You can see the dilapidated Russian buildings falling apart everywhere, industry abandoned and rusting…in WWII the Russians moved a lot of their industry here to get away from the Germans. They up and left in the 90’s and the industrial base collapsed. Now it is a dead city…streets of potholes, weeds everywhere, sidewalks either gone in spots or filled with weeds. Many houses abandoned or if lived in the chimneys are falling over…rusting tin roofs. Fortunately Agha Khan is building his 2nd Central Asian University on the outskirts and in 3-5 years things will look up. Turns out Kyrgyzstan has a very educated population but no jobs or business base. The past two leaders and their extended families have absconded with all the money and put it in Belarus. Lots of anger about it.

Following lunch we headed for the mountains and Song Kul (a beautiful lake in the mountains). Oh my god the mountains are unbelievable and the road single lane, gravel, hairpin and up, up forever with views hard to describe. Over the top and down 400m to the valley/lake. We arrive at 4:30 and move into real yurts, beautiful wood, embroidered felt, décor hanging from the ceiling and sleep 8 in one and 5 in the other on the floor. It is cold with a driving rain, hail and lightning all night. Delicious meal of soup with wild mushrooms and fresh caught fish. Then off to sleep…we all are family now and nothing much is private anymore or for that matter even looked at!

Good night’s sleep though cold at times, I finally put on a Kyrgyz skull cap to keep warm. Awoke to sun, huge breakfast of crepes, oatmeal, and breads. Then off to our walks in small groups and me alone up and up. I stop every 10 minutes to catch my breath and stop the dizziness. Finally made it to my destination…not the top but way up. I built a 4.5 foot cairn to mark the spot (barely visible from the camp) and walked back. “Hills are filled with “fairy rings” which are dark green semi circles of grass and where the mushrooms are found. On the way found a pair of fossilized teeth…..I am sure they belong to a Mongol warrior! Started to hail again and then turned very cold and windy for rest of day. This PM we watched them put up another yurt…some experience…brilliant design and mechanics…no nails. Felt is naturally water repellent and remains so for generations. Whole family helps down to the 3 year old.

We all collected mushrooms for a great soup tonight, about 4 backpacks full. Then we had fresh mare’s milk…a sip each was intended as it consists of two small baby bottles which the baby drinks. The first cup is handed to Brian(the cleaner) who downs the whole thing to the horror of the host who talks to the guide to assure we will only just taste if she brings more!! Good old cleaner…never know when he will strike and never an apology, only “well it sure was good”….it is sweet and lite. The guide then announces that it usually causes one very fast run to the toilet for a complete evacuation! So to all my constipated friends…get a PG mare!! This was followed by Koumis(fermented mares milk)….I will stick with Scotch. It tastes sour and smells like I smoky sour milk, it is not pleasant. Great place to be after the desert of China. Tomorrow we leave on what is described as a ‘great road’ with views but alas it was washed out last eve…we had to all agree to do road work push if necessary to get through, otherwise go back the other way.

Awoke to a cold, cloudy damp day, bus driver has his ear muffs on: Group has now degenerated to fighting over the last remnants of toilet paper…”get your own” “tough if you did not titrate properly”…in good humor though.

We are among the “true Kyrgyz” so they say…round faces, short and energy to die for. Kids hop on a horse and ride bareback like the wind…only about 11yr. He herds the cattle in for the night.

Long lecture yesterday and very interesting on the ancient history of the Kyrgyz. Legend which says they come from the true Amazons (never were from S Amer). Amazons were a tribe of powerful women warriors who sometimes removed a breast if it got in the way of drawing the bow. Later they were called the Scythians who conquered much of C Asia and Hungary (perhaps Finland) and S to China. They interbred with the Vikings so alas some have fair features and red or blond hair. They are the origins of the Turkic ethnic group so often referred to in C Asia. They were never conquered legend goes they joined others; certainly they joined Genghis and his boys.

In the later centuries the Kyrgyz divided into clans which resulted in a lot of interbreeding until the Russians arrived and spread some new seed in the 1930’s.
Brutal cold damp night and wonderful breakfast. Off again to Kochkorka where we witnessed the making of felt rugs. The ride here was again an adventure with rain, washouts, driving out onto the Steppes, getting stuck in mud and pushing the bus out…all in a day’s ride. Quite a sight to see a bus bouncing across the steppes in the middle of nowhere. All we see are incredible herds of sheep and horses…some of the most beautiful horses one can imagine…don’t understand all the pampering of our domestic horses when ones see these beauties in the damp cold weather and running wild. Later saw a couple of herds of Yak up high. Doing home stays for the next couple of days. Had my first shower in 4 days…what a treat. No chance to wash clothes now for a week…getting pretty grungy.

After breakfast at the yurts the Dragon lady began a long loud discussion with a French couple about speaking French and her son’s visit to France. Allison in the group catches me on the way out and says “Ray she is an American National Treasure” and all yours!!. At noon she begins to speak halting German to some young girls serving us…very loud followed by a long review of her study and stay in Germany at some point…she talked so loud no one else could hear or talk. Oh boy what a pain.
Tonight we eat in the home where I stay, and the setting is out of a state dinner!! I have my own room, how nice. Krygyz are very friendly from what I can ascertain. But this country appears to be right out of the 1920’s rural America. Donkeys pulling carts with kids or adults..no paved streets, cows wandering in town, no lawn is mowed (they don’t have lawn mowers), beautiful veggy gardens and orchards in the back of most houses along with a cow, goat, sheep or chickens or a combo thereof. Very basic food…boiled beef or mutton in a soup of potato and veggie, nice salads of tomato, cucumber and onion…that’s it meal over!!. They tend toward light meals at night. All new rugs hang on the wall, old ones on the floor. Great reverence for the parents whose pictures are everywhere…youngest son takes care of parents in old age and other kids can leave to pursue their own life.

Today put my stuff on the bus and had to get off to get some other stuff when I returned to my seat I am greeting with “Hi Ray, I am going to sit with you today”…Dragon Lady strikes. She moved my stuff and another person’s so she could sit with good ol’ me. Others in the group would walk down the aisle and poke me in fun like..”She got you”. I survived quite well thank god.

Saw Issyk Kul today..the largest saline lake in Kyrgyz and a matter of national pride…140km long and 60 km wide and 720m deep. Many inlets and no outlets. Where the water drains is a mystery. They have discovered several old Scythian Cities at the bottom of the lake.

We then drove up Barskoon Gorge…may as well be in Austria or Southern Germany…gorgeous and hiked to a waterfall. Met a drunken Krygyz who wanted us to drink vodka…no..no…in this culture to accept such an offer is to agree to drink till bottle is empty…he had about 5 bottles. Whole family was with him in a 1946 dump truck that starts with a crank or as they often do…park on a hill. Tonight at a home stay with the most beautiful garden you can imagine…apples, plum, and roses to die for. Never have I seen such rose bushes and roses…bush is 6-10 feet tall and the flower is 6-8 inches in diameter in colors of pink, yellow, blood red. Wish I could get some rootstock. We all washed clothes tonight…the water was black after 3 rinsings….we are a filthy bunch and all smell of sour/smoky koumiss even though we have only tasted it, guess it is smoke and raw wool from the yurt stays.

Another observation is that the older generation revere Stalin…”he saved us, he could make things happen today” they say if Kyrgyzstan could have 2 years of Stalin now the economy and country would get moving again. Go figure as he was quite brutal to the clan culture and moved whole ethnic groups in or out depending on whatever fears he had at the time. There was a whole region with Germans who lived here since Catherine the Great brought them here to start farms. Stalin moved Germans from West Russia here in 1941…they were all labeled traitors. Having a hard life (labeled non citizens and banned from education system) they left the area in the latter years…just a small community left. I guess people everywhere tend to put economic security and “stability” at the top of the list. Our guide says there is a lot of anger at the present interim govt as they are not making any decisions…turns out it is a group of 6 governing and that never works. I believe there is a vote coming soon on the constitution but not sure.

An American couple who just left Osh said things are bad…2000 dead, untold wounded, Uzbek people have escaped across the border or are in hiding. Russians are humanitarian only and refuse to control the violence. Turns out the Uzbeks(whom they have run off) run the farms/agriculture and so now food is short causing further unrest. Talk about cut your nose to spite your face but that is the cost of ethnic or racial prejudice, eventually it comes back to bite you.

Today another gorge right out of Austria and Bavaria. Crossing raging streams…bridges are two logs and then a cris-cross pattern on top…they do have some give…only pictures can tell the story.

In a hotel tonight that looks very nice…just informed by Tom that the water runs black!!! Another night with no shower…most here are dribble showers and “my stream” would put them to shame(oops glad to report that the shower runs clear and hot after a few minutes and has a “good stream”). We are in an old dilapidated Russian town….beautiful old cottages with the scrolled woodwork…all in horrible shape. Streets again are dirt or part bitumen. Cows in the streets or front lawn…have yet to see a mowed lawn…I guess cows are it.

So far Kyrgyzstan is a mind warp. Some observations: Half the cars are Audi 100’s from the 80’s running alongside Old Russian cars from the 70’s and trucks from the 40’s. They share the road with donkey and horse carts filled with people and goods…grandma lying in the back and kids and wife up. An occasional tractor, people weed the fields by hand hoe or a horse pulled weeder. Potato fields everywhere, along with oats and barley. Markets in town are like everywhere but the selection of goods is very basic and limited. No pretty veggie or fruit…just onion, carrot, radish, potato, scallions, green radish and bag upon bag of cucumbers (a stable this time of year).

The entire infrastructure is shot to hell…I see very little construction or big equipment anywhere. Guide says the Russians pulled out too fast and there was no transition time. Like all colonial powers the Russians ran everything for their economic advantage so when they left the economy collapsed. Apparently the country has never recovered since the soviets pulled out. They call it the “post soviet decline”. The soviet apartments are crumbling and are slums. And as I said before it is so striking to see the 1920’s occurring before your eyes. After the Soviets pulled out there was one good govt followed by two greedy dictator/families that stole the country’s resources and invested nothing. The N and S are in an age old ethnic conflict that gets stirred up by the politicians whenever the need arises to gain some sort of support (that is universal is it not?). Needless to say, the people feel and look depressed.

We are now on the E end of Issyk Kul in KaraKol Village which has a Dungan Mosque (Chinese Muslims who settled here after an anti Muslim pogrom in China) and an E Orthodox Church. These are pretty relaxed Muslims in general…alcohol everywhere, beer is 75cents for a big bottle and vodka is $3 for a ½ liter bottle and very good (have had one shot). I think if you wanted to set off a riot just raise the price of alcohol….yet I seldom see drunkenness (the guy in the mtns is the only one). Have not had a sip of wine now for 4 weeks and only a little beer here and there…some is good other times horrid.

Tonight we had a Russian meal… light and tasty…cold cuke/spinach soup, chicken in casserole and goulash. Cost of $5 each including tea, cake and a beer. Our subgroup split the cost, the other group drove each other crazy figuring out each item and who ate what…over a $5 meal. Best I can tell the bras of the “large women” have become the favorite pockets for carrying cash, tissue, and you name it….as Paula says as you get older there is more room at the top to store things, so it is quite handy.

You should see my room, I mean 1960…orange globe lights, orange chairs and curtains and yellow sheets and cover and shag carpet!!!. Some apparition at night with the lights on.

Today more museums (one dedicated to Przhevalsky, a Russian explorer, botanist, zoologist and spy in the mid 1800’s) and a field of peitroglyphs…all from 500 BC. To 100 AD.

Tonight in a beach hotel on Issyk kul lake….how sad…they try to replicate American beach hotels which look great from the outside…inside marginal at best. Linoleum floors, broken tiles on the steps, entry and outside the sidewalk are filled with weeds and there sits the first lawn mower I have seen. Looks like they mowed one swath and it broke so there it sits. We went to the beach but temp is cold and the water likewise…nice looking beach though, behind us is trash/rubble everywhere and weeds as high as a person. Seems like nearly everything here is on the cheap. What a contrast to E China where things really are elegant. I would have to say that once we left Xian living conditions show increased poverty in China and then Kyrgyzstan is a giant leap into poverty.

Tomorrow we go to Bishkek which is supposed to be where the newly rich hang out and it is described as vibrant and colorful.

Tomorrow we stop at Cholpon-ata after viewing BC petro glyphs and 2 museums. We arrive in Bishkek on the 24th and leave on the 25th for Tashkent.

Group is having more fun together, more teasing, and individual personalities are coming out. Paula is a compulsive shopper with a flair, Beverley is a teacher/business women who is a replica painter of miniature Russian Icons and has excellent taste, Judy never eats, is quiet and a great conversationalist, Julia is a studious knowledgeable world traveler/professor and has traveled almost yearly since age 11 when she returned to Scotland to visit her grandparents. Brian had too much vodka the other night and was a happy loud man who kept repeating some Russian phrases. Ian and Tanya remain the same, with great tongue and cheek humor, they have had great adventures together and are enjoyable to be around. All in all the group is having a lot of fun with each other. Unfortunately Dragon Lady does not evolve…just more of the same and sadly is increasingly isolated by the group.
I can send this off after so many days….

Ray, Silk Road. JUNE 24-25 TRIP TO BISHKEK

TODAY WE HAD THE BEST BREAKFAST IN 14 DAYS, FRESH FRUIT, MILLET PORRAGE AND EGGS, THEN OFF TO BISHKEK. POVERTY AND SUBSISTENCE LIVING ALL THE WAY. WE STOPPED IN SOME LITTLE TOWN FOR LUNCH IN SOMEONE’S HOME. WHAT A FEAST! A TORTELLINI SOUP AND SALAD FOLLOWED BY A VEGGIE STEW THAT WAS WONDERFUL….POTATO, CARROT,ONION, PEPPERS, CABBAGE AND HERBS SLOW COOKED FOR A HALF HOUR ACCOMPANIED BY LOTS OF NUTS AND BREADS.

NATURALLY “THE CLEANER” MADE ANOTHER HIT. THE SALAD IS SERVED ON SMALL DISHES (SIZE OF SMALL SALAD PLATE) BUT IS MEANT TO BE SHARED BY 5-6 PEOPLE WHO EACH TAKE A LITTLE BIT. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY FOR 7 DAYS IN KYRGYZSTAN. BEHOLD “”THE CLEANER TAKES BOTH PLATES AS HIS OWN AND FINISHES THEM BEFORE ANYONE ELSE CAN HAVE ANY. RESPONSE: “I THOUGHT THESE WERE MINE”. AS AN ASIDE HE ALSO CONSUMED 8 SLICES OF BREAD AND ALL THE BLACKBERRY JAM. GUESS HE HAD SOME REAL HUNGER PAINS.

THE “DRAGON” CONTINUES TO COMPARE INDIANA FAVORABLY TO KYRGYZSTAN AND THE GROUP CONTINUES TO ISOLATE…SHE IS ONE “UGLY AMERICAN”. SHE HAS WONDERED OUT LOUD WITH TOM WHY I AM OUTGOING AND ANIMATED WITH HIM AND SO QUIET WITH HER…GO FIGURE. TOM WAS LAUGHING ABOUT THAT. HE WONDERS HOW I GET BY WITH WHAT I SAY TO OTHERS AS THEY TAKE IT IN STRIDE OR GOOD HUMOR…BUT AS HE SAYS “SHE IS CLUELESS”.

STOPPED AND VISITED THE BURANA TOWER WHICH WAS THE CENTER OF THE KARKHANID EMPIRE WHICH RULED OVER CENTRAL ASIA IN ABOUT 960 AD. THERE IS A SMALL MUSEUM AND A FIELD OF EFFIGIES TO FALLEN WARRIORS WHICH ARE AMAZING TO SEE.

THEN WE ARRIVED IN BISHKEK…WHAT A MIND WARP. CASINOS, FOO-FY BABES ON THE STREETS, CARS EVERYWHERE, AND SO MANY DIFFERENT ETHNIC, RACIAL AND GENERATIONS ALL IN ONE PLACE, MORE MODERN BUILDINGS THAN IN ALL OF KYRGYZSTAN AND EVERYONE ON THE MOVE. BUT ON CLOSER LOOK RATHER SEVERE POVERTY IS MIXED WITH THE NEW RICH. SIDEWALKS ONE BLOCK OFF THE MAIN DRAG ARE NONE EXISTENT OR TREACHEROUS, THE STORES ARE HALF EMPTY AND HAVE NO INVENTORY. PRICES ARE VERY HIGH. WEEDS EVERYWHERE IN THE YARDS AND SIDEWALKS. WOW.!! AND THE “GANGSTER ELEMENT”…MERCEDES USUALLY FILLED WITH 5 UGLY MEAN LOOKING GUYS WITH SCARS, SMASHED HEADS AND FACES….I THINK MANY ARE ENFORCERS OR BEEN ENFORCED. SUCH A SAD COMMENTARY ON “THE FAST LIFE” IN THE THIRD WORLD. WE WERE TOLD TO NOT GO OUT AT NIGHT ALONE, ONLY IN A GROUP AS IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. SO TOM AND I HAD A BEER AND SHISH KABOB AT 5 AND CAME BACK TO THE HOTEL. TOMORROW A TOUR OF BISHKEK AND SOME MUSEUMS AND THEN TO THE AIRPORT FOR A FLIGHT TO TASHKENT.

SIGNING OFF FOR NOW RAY