Month: September 2018

A drive of 240 miles to Jiayuguan, the western end of the Great Wall, passed through arid desert with frequent oases, some of which like Guishanan, were very large and … Read more

The Mogao Grottoes were simply stunning. The first cave was cut in 366 AD by a monk to meditate in and subsequent travellers cut more caves painted with the most … Read more

There isn’t really much to say about deserts. I’m fascinated by them because they are basically nothing. I spy with my little eye something beginning with S. Sand? Sky? As … Read more

Day 100, September 4th Hami The morning was spent at the excellent Turpan museum. It had artifacts dating from 6000 BC including textiles, shoes, clothing and paper with administrative records, … Read more

Day 99 September 3rd Turpan The road from Korla to Turpan runs through semi-desert similar to the Ust Yurt Plateau in Uzbekistan but without the nomads and their huge herds … Read more

Practically nothing to say. A long drive of 540 kms to make up for the day lost at Kashgar. A boring motorway and frequent police check posts and tolls. The … Read more

Rather sorry to leave the lovely Seman Hotel which was £21 a night and was the old Russian embassy from when Kashgar was an independent fiefdom in the 19th century … Read more

Day 93 Kashgar A bus came for us to take us back to Ulugqat customs compound. Kashgar is a huge city choked with traffic despite the four-lane major roads running … Read more