Tianchi's Yurt / Horses and wildflowers
19 May - 4 Jun 2005 17 days China's Silk Route Urumqi to Lanzhou
We spent a night in Macau, then bus to Guangzhou Airport to arrive in Urumqi. We go overland to Lanzhou before flying back to Guangzhou, bus to Macau and fly home. China Southern has no promotional flights out via Lanzhou, which meant having to book discounted domestic flights from a local agent. This trip differs from my previous Silk Road trip in that we also cover the Tibetan areas of Xining and Xiahe. In my previous trip, we started and ended the trip in Uruqmi.
Day 1 Thu KLIA: The group of 20 members met up at KLIA for the night flight to Macau.
Day 2 Macau to Urumqi: We started the day very early in the morning and visited the ruins of St Paul's Catheral, Menado Suqare and Limloc Garden, all within walking distance from the hotel. A bus then transported us to the Guangzhou Airport where we boarded the afternoon flight to Uruqmi. The flight was 4.5hrs and we arrive at 8pm. The locals live by Xinjiang time that is 2hrs earlier than the official Beijing time. This meant we had up to 11pm for sightseeing. I took a more energetic bunch to visit the vibrant night market.
Day 3 Urumqi: At 8am the group taxied to Remnin Peoples Park and viewed hundreds of residents indulging in a host of activities, from line dancing, taichi, swordplay, singing, exercising or simple walks. From here, some proceeded to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Musuem while others visited Hongshan Park. The rest of the day was free and many spend the time visiting Eerdauqiao Ethnic Market and its adjoining modern Mall complete with Carrefour.
Day 4 Tianchi Lake: After breakfast, it was off to Tianchi Lake or Heavenly Lake 120 km 2.5 hrs. We arrived at our pretty lakeside yurts in time for lunch. After a short rest, I took the group for a trek up to the viewpoint. We took our time getting back and simply took things easy at this wonderful place with snow-covered Bogeda Feng (Peak of God) in the distance.
Day 5 Horsing about: We hired horses at 100yuan for a full day riding in the pine forests and icy streams of Tianchi. The weather was fine and temperature warm enough to go without sweaters. There were some river crossings on horseback that looked good in photos. We lunched at the hilltop meadows, which were filled with freshly bloomed wildflowers. The fitter ones opted for a short trek to view the snowline. In the evening we organised a Kazak song and dance performance.
Day 6 Turpan: On our way to Turpan 400km 6hrs, we stopped at a karez well complex. These ancient waterways are what greens the deserts of Turpan, one of the driest place in China. We managed a quick visit to Jiaohe Ancient City, a Unesco listed site and spend the night time in the town square, which is surrounded by grape trellises.
Day 7 Turpan: We started this long day with a visit to the local ethnic market. The Muslim Uighurs are very friendly, especially towards our Muslim group members. On the spur of the moment, I organised a donkey cart ride and we stopped at a nearby Hui Village for an impromptu visit. At first the locals were hesitant but later warm up to us. From Turpan town, our bus took us to see Sugong Minaret and later to the Grape Valley for lunch. We finished off the day at the Flaming Mountains and Gaochang Ancient City, before heading to Turpan train station for our overnight journey to Dunhuang.
Day 8 Dunhuang: We arrived on schedule at 830am and on the recommendation of our new guide Jenny, we opted to visit the Mogao Thousand Buddha Caves. These caves are listed on Unesco World Heritage site. In the evening the group had a free and easy time shopping and wandering the streets.
Day 9 Dunhuang: The Minshashan or Singing Sand Dunes are best visited in the early morning before the mass crowds and also at the coolest time of the day. Most opted for the two-humped Bactrian camel, while I simply walked up the huge dunes, some of which are 500m high. I opted for a ride on the fast quad bikes that was surprisingly stable. In the afternoon, I organised a bicycle trip to the surrounding farms. By the time we got back, a few of us were caught in a blinding sandstorm. Fortunately the storm subsided nearer the evening and we could all go out for our dinner and so on.
Day 10 Jiayuguan: Jiayuguan 385km 4.5hrs is famous for it's Jiayu Pass Fort which is at the Western end of the Great Wall of China. It also joins up the Xiuanbi Changcheng or Overhanging Great Wall that is built on high slopes. Many sections of the road was under construction and we had to hasten our time at the sights.
Day 11 7th Glacier: We headed out to the 7th Glacier 4300m 3hrs early. It had been raining and snowing the last couple of days and there was fresh snow on the trail. We had great photos of the snow covered moutains and hills. When we started the track, there were no other groups. I speeded off to the Glacier but lost the trail near the end because of thick snow. Eventually some locals came by and led me on the right way. Out of the group, only 3 managed to reach the glacier. The rest struggled with the snow and later melting snow that made progress very slow. At night we went on the 1030pm overnight sleeper train to Lanzhou.
Day 12 Xining: At 7am, we arrived in Lanzhou and went straight onto Xining 4hrs. After a quick lunch, we toured the nearby Ta'er Si Tibetan Monastery, noted for its extraordinary sculptures carved out of yak butter. This is one of six main Tibetan temples in China but is a little touristy for my liking. Possibly the locals are somewhat spoiled by it's popularity.
Day 13 Xiahe: We started the day with a visit to Xining town mosque. This typical mosque is distinctly Chinese in architecture. The day-long journey to Xiahe was surprisingly beautiful with high mountain ranges and meadows. We passed numerous small villages, both Hui's and Tibetan's. We arrived at 5pm that gave me some time to wander around the nearby Muslim quarter. Together with some of the group members, I ended up having tea in a local Muslim house.
Day 14 Labrang Monastery: It was Children's day today and we were treated to a long procession of marching children, dressed in local costumes. The locals were also out in full force, which made for great picture-taking. Later, we went on to Sangke Grasslands, which was a dissapointment. We saw prettier meadows on our trip the day before. In the afternoon, we toured Labarang Monastery and the surrounding Tibetan areas.
Day 15 Lanzhou: We were schedule to stay another night here but on the recommendation of the guide Jenny, we opted to stay in modern Lanzhou. We stopped on the banks of the Yellow River for the standard visit to the water-wheel and a ride on rafts with animal-skin floats.
Day 16 Lanzhou: The other attraction in Lanzhou is the White Pagoda Hill, which we toured in the morning. The rest of the day was free and easy.
Day 17 Fly Home: We flew out to Guangzhou at 12am and thn bussed to Macau. The flight was resheduled for 3am and we arrived in home at 630am.
