Xinjiang - A Whole New World

Part II - Urumqi, Hami, Dunhuang, and Turpan

Words seem to fail me when describing the above towns. It's not that they were simply so beautiful I can't find the correct words to describe my awe, but it's rather that they were more Chinese than the Middle East feeling you get in Kasghar, that I simply don't want to go into too much detail about them. I am a bit disappointed, I guess you can say. 

I flew 7 hours from Shanghai to go to Xinjiang. Seven hours. Spend that much time on a plane from Germany and I'm almost in my mom's front yard in South Africa. You can experience an entirely different world in that distance, but I didn't really have that when I flew to Xinjiang. 

Kasghar overwhelmed me because it was such a complete contrast to Shanghai and other Chinese cities I've visited. Once I left that small city and traveled to Urumqi, I was right back in China. The buildings, the people, and the food - everything was just like any other Chinese city. Seven hours just to be in "another Chinese city" was quite underwhelming. It did have some underlying difference seeing as we were driving through Urumqi only a few months after there were two bomb attacks. Feeling unsafe in a Chinese city is quite a different experience than the norm, but the rest was still pretty much, well...Chinese. 

The town of Hami is supposed to be known for their melons, but there weren't melons growing on trees or decorating the town, so just another Chinese town it was. Just like Dunhuang and most definitely Turpan. Of course, you could spot the occasional Uyghur but the streets were mostly over-run by Han Chinese and I heard mostly Mandarin.

I still took a few photos and maybe it’s best, I let them speak for the region and that way you all can form your own opinions about these dusty towns.

First up is: Dunhuang (Hami can be skipped altogether)

The Devil is in the details

We opted for a day trip to Dunhuang’s "Devil City", also known as Yadan National Geological Park, where you can spend the day cruising in the desert while looking at unique natural formations, which are found nowhere else. So here we got 2 bonuses: driving around in the Gobi desert and looking at interestingly-shaped rocks you couldn’t find anywhere else. 2 points to Dunhuang.

The landscape here is bizarre, distorted and somewhat surreal. Yadan in Uyghur means “steep hill.”  But why call it “Devil City”? Well, when strong winds blow here, you can hear peculiar sounds rising from the warped hills, combine that with its hugely discarded landscape and you have one eerie spot to be stranded in.

Mogao Caves    

Buddha + Dust + Caves? UNESCO of course! 

When you’ve traveled as far as I have in this instance and the place offers a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you are kindly obligated to go. And why wouldn’t you? Most of these Heritage Sites are amazing, that’s why they are protected in the first place.

These caves were definitely a highlight during my stay in Dunhuang. Forget for the moment that they are a gazillion years old, they are also impressively build into a hill and every room has stunning worshipping spots (tours are mostly offered in the dark by torchlight) filled with exquisite art, manuscripts and a musty taste in the air that makes you realise you’re currently standing in history. What a feeling! (Unfortunately, taking photos in the caves were forbidden).

Desert Trek

You want me to sleep where?

This was by far the best experience I had in “Chinese Xinjiang”.  Imagine this: surfing dunes on the back of a quad bike, pitching a tent in loose sand, building a fire, popping open a beer and enjoying soup noodles under a night sky drowning in stars and you have a slight idea what our evening in the Gobi desert was like. The silence, the heat of the fire against your cheeks, the feeling of the sand between your toes, the crackle of the fire as the evening’s soundtrack - simply put: it was amazing. Sure, all you can do is drink and talk. So good company is essential, but the crisp air and never-ending sky looming over your head make you humble and appreciative that something so pure still exists in the 21^st century.  I would recommend everyone, everywhere to experience this at least once in their lives, it’s a natural high that will make you giddy like a child.

Singing dunes & Crescent Moon Lake

These dunes ain’t singing no more

Leave it to the Chinese to build a massive amusement park smack in the middle of the desert.

After our unforgettable camping experience, we obviously had to see what the fuss was about these so-called singing dunes of Dunhuang. What we got was hoards of Chinese riding camels like ponies at a fair, over-priced activities and lots of sand (no surprise there). Would I go again? No thanks. Camels you see everywhere in Xinjiang and the same goes for sand and hoards of Chinese. 

Yumen Pass

Yu me not pass!

Yumenguan is a pass west of Dunhuang and in ancient times, this was where the Silk Road would lead you through the only road connecting Central Asia and China. Fun fact: Here you (only) see the ruins of a gate, which used to mark the westernmost point in ancient China. Now you know that.

Next stop: Turpan

What a dustbin!

I’m not surprised at all that the area around the city is called the Turpan Depression. Honestly, I was at the edge of depression after 2 days there. Everything is covered in dust, it’s dry and the temperatures go up to 40 degrees Celcius, Turpan is one hot mess. The only interesting thing here is that the town is the lowest point in China and second lowest on Earth (after the Dead Sea) at 154 meters below sea level.

Because it’s so dry and hot, the locals were forced to develop a karez system: an irrigation system consisting out of wells, which are connected by underground channels, to counter the heat and drought.

Another fun fact: right outside the town is a big hill, the Flaming Mountain and this is the official hottest spot in China. The lowest and the hottest: what a gem!

Tuyoq village

How do you pronounce that?!

This mud-constructed village in the Taklamakan desert is not only 3000 years old but it is virtually invisible to tourists, yet it has an entrance fee - go figure. It’s quiet and you guessed it…dusty but it is the closest you’ll come to experience undisturbed “traditional” Uyghur life.

Last fun fact (I promise), this is also a pilgrimage site for Muslims and it is believed that 7 trips to this town equal one trip to Mecca. That might come in handy!

Come to think of it, this was quite the adventure. Sure, I had dust in every crease of my face, all I saw was brown all day, every day and my longing for bacon grew more and more intense with time, but what do you expect when you go exploring in the desert? It's not just the dirty shoes, the smell of camel following you everywhere, no bacon and over-curious locals, but also an intriguing landscape, heart-warming people with an intense devotion to their religion, an ever-present culture and an ancient atmosphere that gladly serves you a big piece of humble pie.