At the Frontier of a New World

28/07/09

After covering thousands of kilometres in only a few days, I find myself in Kashgar, an ancient Silk route city at the crossroads of Asia, a world away from China (but somehow still in China). It’s like the wild west out here: Dusty streets and donkey carts. The proximity to the rest of central Asia gives the place a real frontier feel. The borders of eight different countries lay to the north, south and west, and the people of these places are all around me.

Upon my arrival I was shocked at how easy everything was. I left the airport avoided the Taxi cab mafia by getting a cheap bus into the city centre. The driver obligingly dropped me close to my hotel without even a hint at extra cash. I walked into the hotel and found it abandoned. There are three buildings in the complex. None had electricity. I eventually found some staff in one of the buildings who checked me into a room in another building with comfortable beds and a private bathroom. Sounds great, except there is no running water.

Shock gave way to excitement when I dumped my pack and hit the dusty streets. I stopped to buy a drink and asked the price. The shop owner showed me five fingers and I handed him five Yuan ($0.80 CDN). I was amazed when he gave me back 4.5 Yuan. I moved on to grab some lunch and saw a kebab barbeque. I stopped in and asked for two skewers. Same story: I was told ‘five’ again, handed over the cash and was given 4.5 Yuan change. This is not China. It was clear that I thought that the price was much higher, but the locals are insistent on not ripping me off. The downside was that the skewers turned out to be 100% mutton fat with breadcrumbs and spice sprinkled over them. Not as bad as it sounds, but I barely managed to finish a couple of pieces. Finally, I decided to have an ice cream. I will not repeat the same story again. Suffice to say I am blown away by the honesty and goodwill of the people I have dealt with thus far.

I moved on through the city, past old Uighur men sitting outside of shops, and people flying past on scooters. There are goon squads of Chinese troops all over the place marching around with riot shields, Kalashnikovs and batons. They patrol the streets in big trucks and march through the narrow alleys in groups of eighteen. This is in response to the Urumqi riots a few weeks ago. It is most certainly still China.

People seem to ignore the army presence and go about their daily business. I have said it before, but I am astounded by the number of attractive women walking around. I try to respect culture, thus avert my gaze wherever possible, but it is difficult when I am surrounded by people with such a strikingly gorgeous genetic mix. Young women typically wear traditional dress, though not all have escaped western influence. This is seen in bizarre outfits combining beautifully patterned headscarves complemented by high heels fit for a strip club runway. It is really a bizarre sight as the traditional meets the modern. In the new China, the modern trumps more often than not. Further exploration of the city confirms this: it seems that Kashgar is in the midst of razing its ancient core of mud brick buildings to clear space for more modern construction of glass and metal. I couldn’t believe it though the evidence is as clear as day.

There is lots of construction going on. I stood for a while in the morning watching a couple of guys weld a sign. One was wearing cheap sunglasses to protect his eyes from the fluorescent light. The other was wearing a mask he had fashioned from a piece of cardboard with eyeholes cut out and a blue strip of clear plastic taped over them. It looked like a pair of 3D glasses you get at the movies. 3D welding I guess.

There are no other tourists here. This is probably because of the riots (which tend to act as a deterrent to those less determined than I). It is great in that I have the place to myself, but terrible in that there is nobody going my way with whom to share costs across the mountain passes into Kyrgyzstan.

I can’t get enough of this place, with its ancient pulse, cheap and delicious food, and interesting inhabitants. Too bad I can’t shower or turn on a light, but I am used to life sans electricity and running water.

I put out some feelers and found an Aussie guy who wanted to take a look around. We rented a taxi and headed down the Karakoram Highway to Lake Karakul. After a few checkpoints provided a welcome dose of pointless bureaucracy, we began gaining altitude, leaving the dusty plains behind. The road twists and turns beneath sheer cliffs, following the course of a raging river fed from the melt-water of nearby glaciers. At 3600 metres, once again, I stared into the reflection of the mountains and could not picture a better way to end my sojourn in the Middle Kingdom. Unfortunately that was not the end. After winding our way back through the red rock canyons a savage dust storm blew in and doused us in a fine layer of sand. It was o.k. in the car, but less enjoyable when we lined up to make it past the final checkpoint.

It’s been an amazing adventure in China (is this really China?) over the last few months. Lots of great people, places, memories, experiences, bureaucracy. Finally I am ready to move west.