The Road to China

The alarm went off at 6am, with our traditional Kyrgyz breakfast already prepared for us, the highlight of which is the fresh bread accompanied by newly churned cream and superb jam. Who would have thought Ollie would be eating a Cornish Cream tea at 6am, at 2500m, in a yurt, on the way to China. It really has been a crazy trip.

We were all excited like schoolboys, well except Jenny, and had even been awoken by Russ screaming in the night that he was being walked over by a pig. The morning was clear and by 7:30am we we ready to start the big push for China. Ahead of us was 200 kms of dirt track, never before conquered by a Vespa, and an altitude of 3700m, again a new record for a two stroke vehicle ridden from France. We agreed to stay behind Jean-Yves in case of mishap and within 2 kms we had already picked up his fuel can and nozzle that had fallen off. By the time we had reached the Chinese border we also had his bag, tent, luggage rack and mirror on board. And yet he was still going ...

We had elected to cross into China via the Torugart Pass, which is infamous for the difficulties that non-locals have in crossing. But we had been assured by our Chinese guide agency that we would be met at the vital point by our guide who would complete all the paperwork for us. The whole process is complicated by the fact that the two border posts are 100km apart, and that each country also divides its border up into separated posts, customs and passport control. You never quite know where you are, and at all times you think you may be stopped and turned back.

Once we were over the pass we realised that we were now in Chinese territory, and then, out of nowhere a 4wd stops in front of us and our guide, Jack Ma, jumps out and greets us. He explains to us that he will take us through passport control but then its another 100km to customs, where all our vehicles will be thoroughly examined (including laptops, cameras and maps), satellite devices will confiscated and our brains scanned for subversive thoughts. We were amazed that the only things that were confiscated from us were some potatoes and little bit of firewood. But there was nearly an incident, when Jenny's temperature is found to be 0.5C above the peoples republic recommended temperature, and it takes a second reading before we are given the all clear. We are now in China!

Kashgar

Our first destination is Kashgar, another 100km of dirt road, where we will rest up for two days before continuing our tourist trip of China. When we signed up with our agency, we were sent a seven day itinerary, which would take us around western China, Xinjang. Upon arriving in Kashgar we soon realised this was not necessary really, and in an ideal world we would book a two or 3 day trip straight to Pakistan, without the additional tourist attractions. The problem being not only would we have to travel everywhere with a guide, but also our itinerary involved not touring beautiful natural sights, but rather these sights turned into a theme park or resort.

Day two of our itinerary was a driving tour of Kashgar, but we soon gave our guide a day off, who happily accepted as he had a hangover, even though it was Ramadan and he was Hoi Chinese Muslim.

Xingjang is the western most provence of China, and is 90% Muslim, mostly Uiger people, who are more central Asian than Chinese. 20 days before we arrived, there had been mass demonstrations against the "Chinesification" of the area, and now there was a huge army presence in the area. It was incredible for us wander around and see the huge resources thrown at the problem, all of whom seemed to be Han Chinese, creating a climate of fear in an effort to stop protests. Considering that there have been calls for a creation of a Uigerstan for 200 years we do not think that this is going to solve the problem, but then the Chinese are a patient bunch.

So, instead of a driving tour, we split up and all spent a great day taking in the sights and sounds of old and new Kashgar. Kashgar has a great reputation as a market town, and we were not disappointed, and we were soon in possession of 2 vital nuts and bolts that would keep our bikes attached to Dino.

 

 

Chinese Tourism

After Kashgar we were scheduled in to visit a desert, a glacier and a lake, but we soon found out that these were all places that had been converted into resorts, with hotels constructed and prices created for the western pocket. Having all independently traveled form Europe, this was not what we were used to, and it certainly created some irate opinions in the group. Perhaps some of these came from a lack of research, or understanding of quite what having a guide in the group would entail. The final straw at each resort was usually that not only were we being charged European prices for our food and accommodation, but we were also charged an entrance fee for the resorts, and parking as well, and this includes the desert!! When we asked what these fees were going towards, we were told to help build more hotels!

We finally broke free of the yoke, and abandoned our stay at the beautiful, yet heavily littered Karakol lake, and hot footed it down to Tashgurgen, were we told Jack we were leaving a day early. Surprisingly enough he agreed (after several phone calls to the agency and the police), and after signing a disclaimer that the decision was our own, were allowed to plot our escape.

     

Chinese KKH

We traveled nearly 500km along the Chinese KKH, and never once did we leave immaculate tarmac, and this was evident from Jean-Yves almost permanent driving smile. The views along the highway, although beautiful, were never as dramatic or breathtaking as we had seen already. It is an incredible piece of engineering, no doubt, but as we have now found out, the real beauty of the road is on the Pakistan side. If you want to see the best of this road then don't worry about driving up and down the Pakistan side, without hitting China.

 

China Summary

China is undoubtedly an amazing place to visit, but for overland tourists bringing in their own vehicles, it is not easy. The guide is the first problem, and although Jack was nice enough he is still restricted by what the government insist upon. Also the tourist industry in China seems more interested in making a quick buck, than creating a sustainable diverse industry. The country is incredibly cheap, and this is very obvious when we were left unattended, but more often than not you are corralled to tourist places that charge western prices, which again is hard to believe that the money goes back into the community or even the tourist industry.

Although Xingjang is Uiger and hence more Central Asian, we were happy to find a place which served food other than plov or shashlick, and the food is a big plus for those exiting the Stans. To help the food go down, there is also the great Xingjang beer, which is everywhere and sold ice cold. And at less than a dollar bottle a real plus!

The final point to note is that although the Chinese people are friendly, it is obvious that you are exiting the hospitable world of yurts and heart touching handshakes, and this is a bit of a shock after what seems a lifetime in Central Asia.

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