Update #84 – The Silk Road – June 1/16 (Part 1)

Posted By Amy Lee

 

Silk Road Trip 2016

Click here for the slideshow with more pictures from this trip: 

The incredible history, culture, and mystique that surrounds the Silk Road has fascinated me for the longest time. I had already made it part of my bucket list twenty-two years ago. When I was first thinking about taking the trip, I had wanted to bring along my older kids Kel and Jo with me.  Not only would it be life-changing and filled with rich cultural treasure troves, the inherent difficulty of travelling the silk road would make them appreciate the life they have in Canada. Sadly, making this a family trip was not meant to be. Nevertheless, I was glad that I was able make this long awaited journey. One more item off the bucket list!

Despite it’s name, the Silk Road is not really one road but a series of routes winding through China and taking merchants to faraway lands. The routes provided the arterial connection for the exchange of technology, philosophy, and religion among the ancient civilizations of China, Persia, Rome and India. The difficult trek was a means for exchange of critical innovations such as gunpowder, paper and printing from China to western civilizations while Buddhism, Islam and Nestorian cultures made their way into China. By the Tang dynasty, goods, culture and science from China were able to make their way to Rome, Alexandria and Constantinople and Baghdad.

Gobi Desert

In ancient times, the routes had to be traveled by foot. Beasts of burden including camels, horses and mules carried the heavy loads to and from destinations. They would pass mountains, barren lands and  deserts, long stretches of inhospitable land that were hostile not only to people but animals and vegetation as well. Camels were the choice carriers of goods as they required little food and water. These trips took anywhere between fifteen months to three years through the rough terrain. Extreme weather, topography and bandit raids made the route extremely hazardous.

Qinghai (Silk Road)

Salt would be used to minimize thirst experienced by camels. A small amount would be applied to the inside of their mouths. When traders ran out of food they would resort to drinking camel urine and extracting moisture from feces. Camels, mules and horses too weak to carry the load would be slaughtered for food.

I made the trip with my new travel buddy Joe.  We travelled a total of 8268 km (5138 miles) between 11 cities and 5 provinces in China.  We experienced some very polarizing conditions during the trip. The temperatures ranged from -2 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius (28-95 degrees Fahrenheit). While travelling we went as high as 4,500 meters (14,500 feet). I actually felt altitude sickness until we were able to find someone with the right pill to manage my headache & heartache. We traveled utilizing a variety of methods: planes, high-speed trains, buses, taxis, trains, cars as well as a great deal of good old-fashioned walking.

Silk Road Trip

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Tenting in the desert in Dunhuang, a portion of the Gobi Desert, was incredible! This was the highlight of the entire trip for us. Unlimited beer, karaoke, fire pit, counting stars and watching the beautiful sunset and sunrise over the horizon was unforgettable!

 

FASCINATEDQinghai (Silk Road)

Fun fact. There are fifty-six ethnic groups in China with eighty dialects. Sixty-one are consider languages. This is really surprising especially since the media’s depiction of the Chinese is centered largely on the urban-dwelling mainlanders. One particular ethnic group, the 藏族 – Zang Nationality captured my attention.

There were three main sub-groups belonging to the Zang ethnicity. The first practices polyandry, meaning one woman is allowed to have multiple husbands. This belief is rooted in a cultural tendency for parents to not want their family wealth to be divided. They did not wish for land and property such as cattle to be divided, hence all male siblings shared one wife. With regards to who sleeps with the wife, they tend to have a schedule and signals as to who is going to be sleeping with the woman that night. Simple example, Brother#1 might choose to hang a belt outside the door to inform the others that it was his turn with the wife.  Brother 2 might hang a hat and so forth. Others are obliged to stay away when they see that it’s not their turn.

The second group was also quite interesting. This particular branch of the Zang ethnicity believes in polygyny, where one man is able to marry multiple women.

A third group maintains the belief that a woman must be pregnant before marriage. In preparation for this, girls would leave their shoes outside their houses as a sign that males are welcome to come in and sleep with her. This is done so she can carry a child, a prerequisite for marriage. This practice was rooted in the belief that only women who are able to bear children are worth marrying. The woman’s husband must then accept the child as his own.

The biggest question for me was, how did they deal with incest? For these people, incest was not taboo. Any defects in children that we would associate with incest would be justified as punishment for the sins of the parents. Donating portions of wealth was seen as a way to abate this.  With more widespread education, times have changed.  The Chinese government has already been implementing strict marriage laws restricting marriage to one partner since about 3 decades ago. However many people in the region do not have access to formal education hence many of these old beliefs still persist in small villages.

 

HAPPYXian

I am so happy that I was able to catch up with an old friend, Catherine, with whom I was acquainted since 2011. I met her and was introduced to her fiance. They ended up becoming our back-office travel support couple, booking our train tickets and accommodations remotely. They were always ready to help us with any needed research since our Internet was very weak. Plus some places we were in had no internet access at all. We were very lucky to have them.

 

LUCKY

Lanzhou

I was fortunate to have met a guy named James on the train and became friends with him. I also feel very lucky because when  my friend Wo bro who transferred funds to my WeChat account the minute after I messaged him. Our trip would not have gone as smoothly as it did without the assistance from the back-up support we received from these friends of ours.

 

SHOCKING

The trip was definitely one incredible adventure for me. The most shocking experience I had was at a desert in the Qinghai province.  We were set to do some motorcycle and mini-dirt SUV riding and we transacted with local Zang tribesman. We were not properly instructed on how to start the motorcycle engine, so after we stopped for photos we had no idea how to turn on the bike, forcing us  to walk back for help. Then, when driving the SUV, the wheels got stuck in deep sand, which took us another 10 minutes to get out of.

Qinghai

After a while, one of the Zang tribe members, apparently furious with us, pulled the keys out of our bikes. We had absolutely no idea why he seemed so agitated. I then called my driver asking for assistance because we couldn’t go back because our keys had been taken. After seeing me on the phone, the tribesman handed Joe the keys to the SUV. However, when we asked for keys to the motorcycle I had taken, he threw them towards the sand where I had to pick it up.

When we finally made it back, our driver explained that the Zang tribesman was pissed off because we had been out for thirty-five minutes and still did not finish a lap that was only supposed to last 15 minutes. Wow! What a short temper with unknowing tourists! Our driver explained that the ethnic groups usually weren’t educated and were really prone to expressing their anger in such a fashion. Very sad indeed!

 

FOODED OUT

No lamb, no beef, no barbecue, no noodles or spicy food for me after I got out of there!  That’s what we ate for most of our trip because there were limited choices. While big cities in China have plenty of options, the northwestern region lives on the same fare most the time. The oily food and strong spices make it a challenge to eat every day.

 

MAGNIFICENT 

National Geological Park, Zhangye Geological Park, Zhangye

I totally didn’t expect to see how beautiful the China’s version of the Grand Canyon in Zhang Ye in the Gansu province.  Both of the Geological parks featured breath-taking rock formations in different shapes and colors were amazing!  The beauty of Mother Nature’s creation was indeed magnificent.

 

FUNNY

Xining (Silk Road)

We had decided to give ourselves a break from the hard travel and booked ourselves a stay at a 4.5-star hotel in Xining City in the Gansu Province. It was here that I was reacquainted with the simple joys of having a nice shower with steady water pressure in a 3×3 stand-up shower. However, once I got going, the water didn’t drain very well and quickly rose to 4 inches. After waiting several minutes for the water to go down completely to no avail, I gave up and got out. I tried to get in touch with hotel staff to make a report. Their phone looked like the standard phone with number buttons supposedly connecting to various areas such as front desk, housekeeping etc. However, none of the buttons worked. Even the standard dial 0 had no effect.

I then moved to using the mobile phone to call the front desk to report the concern about the drainage and the hotel phone. Within three minutes a lady knocked on our door to help out. She pressed a few buttons and told me that the phone was working. The lady then told us that you have to press 8300 to be able to use the phone. I asked how was I supposed to know that? There were no instructions anywhere that said anything about dialing 8300!

Xining (Silk Road)

She then proceeded to the drain where she bent down and twisted the draincap (which btw had tracks around it to keep hair out like any normal drain cap) and said that it works just fine. The way she looked at me made me feel like a complete idiot! LoL

Xining (Silk Road)

I wound up wondering why the stand-up shower had a drain that was design like a tub’s?  I was there scratching my head, asking myself maybe the design is shower and bathtub combined? Otherwise, why would there be a need to cap the drain off inside a stand-up shower?  LOL.  But like John, our British backpacker buddy says, don’t try to make sense of everything especially in this part of China because you will never find a satisfactory answer!  LOL

 

EARLY FRUSTRATIONS

Prior to the trip. My initial agreement with Joe, my new travel buddy was that he would be the tour leader and I would be the photographer. That meant he would handle all travel preparations and most of the planning. This is totally out of the norm for me since, as all my friends and family know, I can be a bit of a control freak with my detailed level of organization. However, this time I decided to live and let live. When I arrived in Hongkong, my friends Zack and Shirley asked me where and when was my first stop. At that point, I honestly had no idea. It seemed like they didn’t know whether to laugh or worry at my predicament. It wasn’t until 30 hours before takeoff that I found out from Joe that we would be landing and starting our trip in Xian.

To my surprise, Joe had only booked our Xian hotel after we check in at the airport.  When we finally arrived in Xian, we provided the address to a cab driver and sadly, he had no idea where it was. We ended up spending over an hour going to a hotel up in the boonies and paid 350 RMB instead of just 100 RMB to get to Xian City. It was clear that Joe hadn’t done any research prior to the trip. He could’ve just asked me prior to booking as I had spent a full month with Deon in the city when I was doing some volunteer teaching back in 2011.

 

Hua ShanOn Day 2, the tragi-comedy we lost each other in the Hua Shan Mountain due to miscommunication. Needless to say, this was all very frustrating. I only then found out that Joe speaks zero Mandarin. Since people here didn’t speak Cantonese or English, I had to take over asking for directions and assistance. I also ended up taking over in terms of planning for the future routes to be taken.

 

Despite the frustrating circumstances during the first two days, Day 3 began to shape up as a great day. Now, despite my complaints, I really like being spontaneous, but I wasn’t ready to deal with everything last minute because we weren’t sure of the quality of internet we were going to get in the Northwestern part of China. But it turns out that Joe was a very easy-going person so making plans wasn’t a difficult task at all. My strengths paid off, and his wisdom, understanding and great attitude made the trip into a highly pleasant one.

 

SAD

Dunhuang

I wound up feeling pretty sad when I was in Dunhuang. It was there that I learned that kids could just drop out of school at a whim. Children (as young as 11) dropping out and not completing their education was actually quite normal. Poverty had forced many of these people to give up on their studies to pursue income generation at the expense of a proper education. It’s really sad because a degree of some kind is what could give them a way to live better lives.

 

AWKWARD

We really didn’t like the smell of the hotel room we stayed in Jiuzhagou, so I went to a nearby motel to check their rooms in order to move the next day. I requested they show me a room with 2 beds (something we requested during the whole trip). The room smelled decent, but the washroom had sand-blasted glass all around it which meant no privacy for either of us. It seemed obvious to me that if we were a couple, then we wouldn’t have requested a room with separate beds, but when I told the receptionist this, she replied that if we weren’t a couple, why would we be we staying in the same room? LOL  I then explained that we were doing it to be able to talk and to save cost.  Then I asked if we were siblings, would it be okay for my brother to see me shower? I received no reply, but everyone in the lobby burst out laughing when they heard my question.  Lol

 

 

GRATEFUL

The trip reminded me of how grateful I am for having been raised in Canada. I realized how spoiled we were complaining of what we had despite living in abundance. From our living conditions to education to environment, food choices and multiculturalism, there was a stark contrast with how people lived in Canada and in rural China. I couldn’t help but be thankful for my parents who took the risk of moving and raising us in Canada 38 years ago!

 

DISAPPOINTINGTurpan, Xinjiang

Since Xinjiang represents 1/4 of China’s map and lives 47 different ethnic groups, we decided to spend 8 days to really experience this province.  But unfortunately the vibe and energy felt very negative.  People were very rude, and they avoided eye contact while talking to you. The place also felt like the Middle East since the population generally did not look Chinese at all. I’m not sure if that made us seem like strangers to them, but it was not at all a nice feeling to not have people welcome us into their environment. The lack of hospitality and the overall unpleasantness led us to cut the time we had scheduled for the area in half. We decided to visit Sichuan to see the paradise-like lakes in Jiuzhaigou instead.

 

NICE SURPRISE

Chengdu, Sichuan

We ended up adding a city called Chengdu as a last minute destination on our trip in Sichuan. Actually, it was more due to the absence of a direct flights to Jiuzhaigou why we wound up in Chengdu City. To our surprise, the entire place was super clean! There wasn’t a single cigarette butt in sight. Airport traffic was very well-managed. People were very friendly. The food was amazing! Apparently, this city is known to be one of the most laidback cities in China. Other than Hai Nam Island which is China’s own Hawaii, Chengdu has now become one of my favorite cities in China to visit.

 

AWE

 

Chengdu Bar District

I was in awe of the bar district in Chengdu. Never in my life had I seen a bar district this large. All sorts of music, bars and clubs. There was an incredible, contagious energy here.

 

MADDENING

Crazy drivers everywhere in Lanzhou. I regret not being able to take a video of how they walk and drive in this city. Traffic here is insane! Here I once thought Guangzhou’s traffic was bad, until I saw this anyway. Be careful crossing the street!

 

REGRET

I could never forget the natural beauty of the salt flats in Bolivia, so I was very much looking forward to see the Chaka Salt Lake in Qinghai City. Unfortunately it was shutdown for maintenance until June. Ugh.

 

MOTHER NATURE

Huanglong

I had never appreciated mother nature as much as I do now. China’s version of the Grand Canyon in Zhangye, the pristine, colorful water up the Huanglong Mountains, the beautiful desert in Dunhuang and the majestic Fairyland Lakes in the Jiazhai Valley were simply wonders to behold. I found myself speechless so many times during this trip.

 

AMAZING

There was this Romance Show in Jiuzhaigou. It was the most incredible 5D show I have ever witnessed. The scene during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was particularly compelling. You could feel (4th D) water spray and smell (5th D) fire burning during the 60 minute show.  The experience was so captivating, it captured all the senses. The story behind it was incredible. The earthquake was a huge tragedy. My eyes were teary towards the end. Makes you respect the strength of the human spirit to survive against all odds.

Jiuzhaigou

On a another interesting note, the show’s owner made over 200 million RMB within 3 months since the start of showing. Over 5000 seats x 3 shows every single night! The show is always sold out!

 

BEAUTIFUL

Jiuzhai Village, Sichuan

Jiuzhai Valley is known as “Fairy Land” on Earth. Crystal clear and calm waters clearly reflect the beauty of the mountains and sky. With 114 lakes and 17 waterfalls, it attracts 5 million visitors a year! That essentially means 310 million CND in ticket sales alone! They placed a cap on ticket sales lately, limiting tickets sold daily to 41,000.  They probably realized that 70,000 people a day last year was overkill.

Jiuzhai Village, Sichuan

SUMMARY

Some parts of the trip were very challenging indeed. I have to admit that I’m getting too old to go back-packing these days. The 28lb backpack was very heavy. The long steep climb up to Hua Shan Mountain left my thighs and legs sore. The next day I still had to suffer carrying the backpack for many blocks because we had mistakenly read the hotel address wrong. I knew then that this was going to be my last backpacking trip.

I know that I didn’t sign up for a luxury trip, so I’m not at all surprised with the conditions we had faced on some parts of the journey.  Backpacking along the Silk Road is a trip that should be done once and once only! On some parts of the route, it was still snowing. Even during May! Temperature reached as low as -2 degrees Celsius. Sometimes toilets had no doors, and you would simply shit down a hole. This is done squatting, of course.

This trip broke all my expectations about people, culture, and the place as a whole. Nevertheless, it was a great learning experience. This part of China is very different from the urban China that I am very familiar with. Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai did not compare very well with the places we visited during the trip. The whole process was very interesting. We definitely had our share of challenges, happy times, stressful times as well as ups and downs. Our accommodations ranged from low end hostels to posh 4.5 star hotels.  We experienced the hospitality of super friendly people in Chengdu and the indifference of people in Urumqi as well as everything in-between.

Shenzhen (post Silk Road)

In this part of China, it’s hard to get by without knowing any Mandarin. I feel so grateful for the lessons I had taken in Taiwan. By the time the trip was over I had improved a great deal in terms of my speaking and listening skills. I now have a greater appreciation of the language. So much so, that I want to go back to Taiwan to take up advanced Mandarin lessons.

I did miss Neil, my old travel buddy on this trip. But I am happy to have met Joe as my new travel buddy. It took us a few days to get used to each other’s style  and character but from day 3 onwards, we were really able to bond and became good friends. Joe is very easy-going and flexible which made life on the road much easier. I look forward to my next trip with either of my travel buddies.  And I welcome new travel buddies into my life too!

Hong Kong

 

Click here for the slideshow with more pictures from this trip: 

3 thoughts on “Update #84 – The Silk Road – June 1/16 (Part 1)

  1. Well it looks and sounds like this was an amazing trip….journey. I really enjoyed reading your blog update and the picture/video slideshow was like icing on the cake. It was very well done, to say the least. Every time I read one of your updates, I’m truly amazed and inspired. I will have to start something like this for my 6-month trip/journey here in NYC.

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