Xinjiang

Travelling as a lazy tourist

Once in China we celebrate our accomplishment of the last 4 months. In Kashgar everything is available what makes us enjoy the food, sweets and chocolates the first couple of days. Zapping the television channels we enjoy our luxurious hotel and freshly washed clothes.

The next couple of weeks we won't cycle much as we will leave our bikes in Urumqi from where we will fly to Beijing to see the Olympics. Very shortly we will return the Netherlands for Jorrit and Nienke's wedding and the retirement party of Maarten's parents. After these festivities we return to Urumqi and part two of our adventure will start.

The province of Xinjing is unlike many parts of China. This is Uighur land and it resembles Central-Asia. Many farmlands but also deserts and mountains and very few big, modern cities. These days we travel as lazy tourists, taking taxis to and from nice places. We visit Kashgar's livestock market where there is more action than in a zoo. In the morning carts arrive with small animals ready to be sold (and eaten). Open trucks with giant bulls arrive and Uighurs chase escaping goats. Men make trail runs with a donkey cart and all sheep are ordered colourwise. Just around the corner we enjoy the freshest kebab ever.

We also make a sidetrip to Karakol, a deep blue lake at the foot of the mighty Mustag Ata (7700mts). We drive for a few hours on the Karakorum Highway in the direction of Pakistan. The road is very scenic, but the sight is hindered by a sandy mist. A storm in the Taklimakan desert has swept too much sand into the air. We still enjoy the scene and make a long ride on a small horse around the lake. In the evening we stay in a yurt and eat watermelon with the Kyrgyz family, all of us sucking in the juice with great noises. Just before heading back to Kashgar the yurt owner brings a sheep for the driver which is unwillingly put into the trunk. At least the poor animal has made one ride in his life along the Karakorum highway.

We cross the Taklimakan desert by train and arrive in the hottest city of China, Turpan. The combination of heat and melting water made the region famous for its huge and delicious grapes. Many streets in the city are covered with grapes and make a good shelter against the soaring heat. In grape valley we chill out with fresh grapes, raisins and a bottle of red wine!

Upon our arrival in Urumqi we start longing for some cycling again and a plan is made by Maarten. From Urumqi we take a taxi for 120km to Heavenly Lake from where we will cycle back. But first we make our way up for 20km to the lake where we swim in the turquoise glacier lake. During the ride back the climate changes gradually but quickly and we end up in a desert with camels while we can still see the snow-capped mountains. The Chinese roads are very good with a good speed we end up in the modern city of Urumqi.

We fly to Bejing for one week of Olympics and we did not expect to experience the biggest culture shock in that city, more precisely in the Holland Heineken House. It takes some time to get used to the drinking and singing Dutch all dressed up in orange, but in the end we easily blend in. We are lucky to witness the golden and silver rowing medals and we join the party with our crown prince when the Dutch field hockey ladies make their way to the final. In the Birdsnest we enjoy two evenings of athletics. It was great to see so much sport-emotion during the games.

Part one of our adventure ends like it started, a Philips colleague of Maarten gives us a good treat. Ernst and Kim receive us in their house and we enjoy Dutch goodies like bread, peanut butter and hagelslag. Great!