The Barnetts Go to China

China 2010 JPGS

This is one of the longer blog posts I've had in awhile, so if you're here for the pictures, go ahead and click the above links. If not, read on...

Our China adventure was exactly that - an adventure. Thrills, chills, and spills (at least chills from the cold weather and spills from the soup). It all started out well enough. We decided to tackle the Dushanbe airport without an expeditor this time and it was a surprisingly smooth process. The one hiccup was when we went to board the plane and the scanning machine made a loud "UH-OH!" sound when they tried to scan our tickets. It kept doing it over and over again and it was so embarrassing that we both started laughing. We braced ourselves for some bad news, but in the end, they just let us on the plane.

Once on board, the only real excitement was when they brought on a sick Chinese man in a blanket and laid him on the row across from us. We were breifly concerned that he might have something contagious, but so far neither of us has come down with anything. Our concerns were quickly put aside when we saw the incredible views as we flew over the mountains that stand between China and Tajikistan.

When we arrived in Urumqi, the largest city in northwest China, we had a strange disembarkation where the flight attendants insisted that the people in the rear of the plane exit first. It was maddening to sit there while all those people went past. When we were finally allowed to leave the plane, we got through passport control easily enough, although the guy spent a long time looking at our passports. The only drama was this evil old Tajik woman who pushed to the front of the line in customs and then shoved us out of the way to let herself and two other travellers go through.

On leaving customs we found our guide right away and he was very friendly and informative. He got us settled into our hotel right away, which was in the center of the town and had a nice view of the surrounding buildings.

He gave us directions to find an atm and pointed out a couple of good restaurants and we set out to conquer Urumqi on our own. The air pollution was noticeable and it was quite cold, but we warmed up soon enough...

On our way to the restaurant, we saw a street vendor selling some interesting looking square things, but when we tried to ask how much they cost, we realized that we had no ability to communicate in Chinese. I guess after living in a foreign country where I can easily switch between languages, I've been desensitized to thinking about that particular hurdle. Nonetheless, I'm well versed in the international language of pantomime and we eventually worked things out and tried some of his fritters.

At the restaurant, my pantomiming skills were really put to the test. It was the type of restaurant where you have to order at the counter and then they bring the food to you. The problem was that the pictures of the food were on the other side of the restaurant. I was eventually able to communicate that

I needed someone to go with us to the pictures to take our order and then we were seated. Urumqi is famous for its noodles, and rightly so, but we had no way of knowing how spicy the food we ordered was. Despite the heat, we enjoyed our meal and at least we were no longer remotely cold.

Thus fortified, we headed out to take in the night lights and the street vendors.

They had just about anything you could want on a stick.

We tried some of the things on display and ogled the rest. For desert we got candied fruit on a stick. We weren't able to identify the main fruit they used but it was delicious. So ended our first night in China.

One of the strange things we encountered is that Urumqi, while only 1 hour ahead of Dushanbe, generally observes Beijing time, which is three hours ahead. It got very confusing at times and made for some really bizarre jet lag. The next morning, we woke up early and went for a walk to see things in daylight. We could see the signs that Urumqi has only recently risen as a major city, like this small shack serving as a depot for fresh produce.

On returning to the hotel we went down for breakfast, which consisted of many things we wouldn't think of as breakfast food (spicy noodles, beef, really pungent cheese), but enjoyed it nonetheless. We spared a few minutes back in our room to enjoy the view at sunrise and then went down to meet our guide at 10am, which was really 8am.

Our first stop was the archeological museum of Urumqi, where we learned about the history of the region from the time before the Han Dynasty first unified China, all the way through the present. It was particularly interesting to hear about the early interactions between China and Central

Asia through early exploration and trade along the silk road. There were also some incredible mummies going as far back as 4,000 years. One of them gave a great example of cultural exchange that was happening long ago. A wealthy merchant was buried dressed in a variety of silks. Our guide pointed out that different pieces showed styles from other civilizations. For example, one had angels with wings. Our guide mentioned that in Eastern cultures, people fly without wings, so this pattern must have come from the west, probably Greece given the date. The only disappointment at the museum was that pictures were not allowed.

From there, we drove off into the desert to the ancient city of Turfan, which also happens to be the second lowest place on Earth, after the dead sea. On the way, we saw impressive evidence of Chinese development, including huge wind farms and instant cities being built in the desert.

We had a noodle lunch in town and then went to visit an 18th century minaret, which was built by a local ruler to express his gratitude to the Qinq dynasty, which entrusted him with the rule of the province.

Interestingly, the minaret was constructed in 1777, during the American Revolution. It's interesting to see what was going on in other parts of the world at that time. Given the scarcity of wood, the tower is all the more impressive for being almost entirely of unbaked mud bricks. The dry climate helps to preserve it.

Then we transitioned from Islam to Buddhism, heading into the fire mountains to see the Thousand Buddha caves.

I'll let the pictures of the fire mountains explain the name. Unfortunately, the Thousand Buddha caves no longer live up to their title thanks to centuries of destruction by muslims and plundering by "archeologists" from Western countries. Still, the caves themselves were interesting.

Our next stop was the Karez underground irrigation system, considered to be one of the great works of ancient China, along with the great wall. Since it wasn't practical to direct water through the sands of the desert, (the tendency to sink in makes it unprofitable), people dug an enormous underground tunnel by periodically digging wells down to the clay under the desert and then connecting them with tunnels. The system runs from the feet of the mountains all the way under the desert.

It isn't very impressive to look at because it's impossible to get a sense of the scope by looking at the tunnel, but this 2,000 year old construction is still used today, which is amazing in itself.

We reached the ruins of the ancient city of Jiaohe around sunset.

It's a huge complex, which probably rivals Pompeii in size if not in the level of preservation. Still, we enjoyed walking among the ruins and seeing the remains of the main Buddhist temple.

Jiahe had already been around for 1,500 years when it was sacked by the Mongols in the 14th century.

We headed back into town for dinner and sampled yet another style of plov, this time Uigar-style - the Uigars are the largest minority group in Western China and are similar in appearance to Central Asians. So with full stomachs, we transferred to the train station to catch an overnight train to our next stop in Dunhuang.

There were no private cars, so we were sharing with two other guys. I slept ok, but Stephanie didn't make out so well because the guys took turns snoring on and off. We met our guide in Dunhuang at around 5am and then took a quick nap in the hotel before starting our next day of sightseeing.

We didn't think we'd have time for breakfast, so we stopped in a supermarket to get some snacks - I picked up something that looked like it might be camel jerky.

At least there was a picture of a camel on the front. It turned out we needn't have worried, because our guide took us for a quick breakfast of spicy noodles before we headed out into the frigid morning.

I didn't even know about the first attraction of the day because it wasn't on the itinerary. We were driving south out of town and all of a sudden there were these huge sand dunes on the horizon.

Our guide told us that they extend about 40 by 20 kilometers and get as high as 1800 feet. He then asked if we wanted to take a quick tour by camel - and of course we said yes. I mean, they had two humps! We didn't realize it until we saw the pictures, but my camel was significantly smaller than Stephanie's, no idea why, but I felt sort of slighted.

Our camels led us to the Crescent Moon Lake, an oasis in the desert. The pagoda in the pictures is a reconstruction, but still beautiful.

Our guide told us that there used to be numerous temples around the lake, but they were destroyed during the cultural revolution.

For lunch, we had the local specialty of donky noodles - donkey meat with noodles. I can't say the donkey had any particular taste, but it was something new anyway. We then headed out to the Murgao Grottos - another system of Buddhist caves, but much better preserved. We got there a little early so we had time to take in the museum. That was good because they had constructed replicas of the caves and I was able to take pictures of those - pictures weren't allowed in the actual caves.

We also got to see some interesting buddhist sculptures on display.

There are over 430 caves dug into the cliff face at the Murgao Grottos. Only 10 are open to the public at any given time, but that was plenty. They are incredible, and the guide pointed out to us how the style changed over the centuries - from a very Indian style in the early days, which the Chinese slowly adapted to their own styles. Some of the caves are almost 2,000 years old and they are amazingly well preserved. The highlight was the big buddha.

When we entered the cave, we were a bit perplexed, because all we saw was a rock wall. But then we looked up and realized that the wall was just the Buddha's clothing. At over 100 feet tall seated, the Buddha was almost overwhelming to look at. I would have given almost anything to take a picture, but no dice.

This structure was built over the exterior of the cave, just to give you and idea of the scale of this thing.

From the outside, we could also see the remnants of some of the paintings that adorned the cliff face before an earthquake destroyed much of them.

Since we were done with our sightseeing for the day, we asked our guide to show us to the market area for a little shopping. We visited a carpet store, that had some fantastic carpets with up to 1200 knots per square inch that have to be made with a magnifying glass, (which were also way out of our price range), and then just wandered around taking in the sights.

One thing I found interesting was the mosque, which is nestled among the very Chinese architecture of the city center.

Just a neat example of the mingling of culture at China's border areas with Central Asia. It was also in the market that we were both surprised to see that our guide had a second thumb on his right hand. I like to think that something like that wouldn't phase me, but honestly it was creepy. I restrained myself from taking a picture though.

We had dinner on our own and then decided to take in the night lights before turning in. Dunhuang is a nice town by day, but beautiful by night.

We really enjoyed taking it all in. On the way back to the hotel, however, we had a bad scare when we turned a corner and were confronted by a couple of muggers! It turned out they were only mannequins, but I have no idea why they're dressed so aggressively.

The next morning started with the battle for breakfast. We went downstairs and were seated at a large table and were soon joined by other guests. But when they brought the food, everyone started trying to spin the lazy susan in their direction to get the food. We had to really work to get enough to eat. Especially vexing was the older couple at our table. They were fierce and made no bones about spinning the lazy susan in their favor, even if we were in the middle of taking some food.

In the end, we were able to get enough to eat, which was good because we had a long drive into the Gobi Desert ahead of us. The flat, barren plains seemed to stretch out forever. It's hard to imagine that people crossed that huge expanse on foot or on camel for thousands of years in the frigid winters and blazing summers. After awhile, we came to our first stop, the Hecang fortress, which used to be an important supply depot for the military forces that guarded China's western frontier and the silk road running through it.

From there, we went to the Yunmen Guan Gate, which served as one of two main points of entry/exit into the ancient chinese empire along the Great Wall.

Behind it, we took in some beautiful views of the nearby salt marshes.

And at last, we got to see the Great Wall itself.

Considering it was built out of sand, stones, and reeds, it's incredible that anything is left of this 2,000 year-old construction. It was originally 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide at the base. It's hard to believe that this stretched from where we were all the way to Beijing.

The Yunmen Guan Gate was the western entrance in this part of the wall, and our next stope was the Yang Guan Pass, which was the northern entrance. On the way, we broke out the snacks we had picked up for lunch. I eagerly broke into what I thought was camel jerky, only to discover it was a fist-sized chunk of camel meat in a pungent sauce.

Once I got past the smell and appearance, it was actually quite good. And I added another meat to my list. The Yang Guan Pass itself is not particularly impressive, but the views from there are. You can imagine the commanding view the defenders would have had.

Our guide told us that this was a major disembarkation point for caravans on the silk road and that it still holds a very special place in the minds of the Chinese people. We also toured a nice museum at the site and learned more about the way of life at the time the gate was active. It all helped to put things in perspective.

We headed back into town in late afternoon to see the White Horse Pagoda. On the way, I was able to get a picture of one of the vineyards that are scattered all over the region.

Grapes made thier way here on the silk road, but the region is now famous for them and the raisins they make from them. I was also interested in the decorations on the front doors of many of the houses we passed. It's interesting to see how traditional decor is incorporated into modern dwellings.

The White Horse Pagoda was built in the 4th century by a Buddhist monk in memory of his horse. Legend says that the horse was actually a dragon who was tasked with protecting the monk on his journey back to china from faraway lands. The pagoda itself isn't very ornate, but the walkway that was constructed to get there was very beautiful.

With our sightseeing at an end, we asked to be taken somewhere where we could see some art. Our guide took us to a very shady looking place that turned out to be an art dealer who supplies local stores. It was a neat way to shop and we eventually got a painting on silk, but I didn't get a picture. I was also intrigued by this Tibetan style painting, but the price was a little more than I was willing to through down.

For dinner, we went to the market place itself for a hot pot and noodles and then enjoyed another night on the town. We got some dried goji berries but passed on the hacked-up pig.

On the way back to the hotel, we were trying to figure out how to spend the little bit of money we had left and encountered a local tea shop.

Bingo! We got some really nice smelling tea and can't wait to try it out as the weather gets colder in Dushanbe.

On our last morning, (or so we though), the hotel put us at our own table for breakfast. I think it was because they had a large group coming, but it felt like segregation. At least we didn't have to fight with any old people for our steamed buns. All too soon it was time to head to the airport. When we got there it was strangely deserted and Stephanie wondered whether it was closed.

It turned out that it was indeed open, but it's a very small airport and our flight was the only one scheduled. We got all checked in and were sitting in the waiting area when an announcement was made in Chinese. We then realized our folly in sending our guide home because we didn't know what they were saying. Luckily, one of the ladies at the airport seemed to notice our plight and came to explain in broken English that the flight was delayed due to weather problems in Urumqi - they called it fog, but I think smog was more likely. We had 4 hours between our scheduled arrival in Urumqi and our departure for Dushanbe so we weren't too worried - until the girl made another announcement and all the other passengers started to leave the airport. She told us to follow them and get on the bus, but couldn't explain why.

Needless to say we were bewildered and concerned. But once on the bus, one of the flight attendants came to us and explained that because of the delay, they were taking everyone to lunch. How nice! But with that, we started to worry about our connection - there are only three flights per week to Dushanbe, so if we missed this one, we'd be stuck until Thursday instead of Monday. The flight attendant was very understanding and promised to help us. Lunch turned out to be at an extremely nice restaurant, with very good food. The only downside was another homicidal grandmother who shoved us out of the way getting off the bus and also commandeered the lazy susan during the meal.

The nice thing was that the captain came by to speak with us and promised that his airline would assist us once we arrived in Urumqi. Oh, and lunch also gave me the chance to snap this excellent mistranslation across from the place where we ate!

We were bussed back to the airport and eventually got on the plane. We expected the flight to be about an hour and figured we'd have just enough time to connect. We were enjoying aerial views of the desert on our way when they announced that the flight would be an hour and a half and we got worried again.

We asked the flight attendant if they could check the status of our connecting flight to Dushanbe, hoping it would have been delayed too, but she came back with more disturbing news. The weather had not improved and we were turning around!

That pretty much killed our hope of getting home as planned. Back at the airport, we were fortunate to be able to be able to contact both the travel agency in China and our travel section at the embassy and they were great at keeping us updated. As we waited, more and more planes were diverted from Urumqi and had to land at the tiny Dunhuang airport, which was quickly filling up. Then they started sending people out on busses again and we assumed they were feeding people in shifts, but were puzzled as to why no one was coming back.

Eventually, our group was sent to the busses, but no one told us where we were going. To our delight, we pulled into a familiar parking lot - it was a beautiful building built to look like an ancient fortress. Our guide had pointed it out before as a 4 star resort. We were taken to a lovely dining hall for dinner and were a bit disappointed when we had to get back on the bus. We were pleasantly surprised again when the bus dropped us off at the hotel lobby and we learned that we'd be staying there for the night. This gave me a chance to snap a great shot of the crescent moon over the desert.

We were well taken care of during our stay. We got a call in the morning inviting us to breakfast, and then spent the morning relaxing and enjoying the views of the sand dunes from our windows.

At lunch, Stephanie was startled when she was dishing up soup and a chicken claw came up in the ladle. We were both startled when a man came in with a bullhorn and shouted at us in chinese. Fortunately, some of our fellow passengers were in the room and indicated that it was time to go back to the airport (thank goodness I speak pantomime). We collected our things and, with some regret, got back on the bus.

At the airport, the fantastic service continued. A flight attendant from a different airline came over to explain that we would be switched from our small plane to a larger plane to make sure we wouldn't be worried. I was impressed with how efficient the whole operation was.

From then on everything went smoothly. We enjoyed some nice views from the plane -

- and when we landed, we discovered that they had even though to move our luggage from the first plane to the second without us asking. Kudos to the chinese airlines!

We got from the domestic terminal to the international terminal without incident, but the departure hall in Urumqi was chaotic with everyone trying to get where they were going after a full day's closure. We managed to stay out of the way and were in touch with the embassy travel section who confirmed that the flight from Dushanbe had been cancelled on Monday, but was now en route.

When it came time to check in, we started getting that old familiar feeling of being in Dushanbe. There was no order, and the amount of stuff that people were trying to check in was tremendous. Apparently, a lot of Tajik merchants come to China to buy goods to sell in Tajikistan. We forged ahead and got in line for customs. Of course, it would have been too easy if that had been straighforward.

The guy at the customs desk asked us where we got the tickets because there are no flights to Dushanbe. After a momentary flutter of panic, we realized that he was misinformed, not us. But no matter how many ways we explained it, he wouldn't believe us. Luckily, his shift finished in mid-argument and the person who replaced him let us through.

At the gate, the Tajik shopping spree continued. They were stocking up on all sorts of things - including crates of fruit, that they apparently intended to take as carry-on. Stephanie and I made a point to get on the plane first when it boarded and it was a good thing. The cabin was like the bazaar on a busy day. People were shouting and pushing and looking for places to stash their goods. It was like being back already.

Finally things settled down and everyone took their seats. And then we sat. And sat. And sat. I was alarmed to see it had started snowing and visions of a night at the Urumqi airport started dancing through my head. I was under no illusions that Tajik air would take such good care of us as we experienced with the Chinese airlines. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded and we took off with no problems, arrived in Dushanbe around 10pm, and came to the end of our China Adventure. Pretty awesome, huh?

And of course, here are the rest of the pictures...

China 2010 JPGS