Tom |
An irregular blog.
The previous post is Enroute to Kashgar (June 21).
The next post is Karakul Lake (June 23).
I also have a photo gallery that I'm not sure what to do with.
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Morning on a hard sleeper across the northern edge of the Taklamakan desert — the train reaches Kashgar at 11:53. Katie the archaeologist, Sam the teach, and Tom the engineer share a free shuttle to the Seman Hotel. We’re all American — inner mountain west, midwest, and east coast, respectively. We’ve got a fifth floor converted corner balcony to ourselves. There are three dirty beds without air-conditioning, and a table with assorted crackers and “Qingdao Whisky” from some previous resident. Katie and I wander the old quarter after a monotonous trek to the Caravan Cafe for wildly overpriced coffee. Terribly priced, but terribly worth it — I nearly feel guilty.
The old quarter is lines with shops of all kinds and mostly Uighur. This is the first time I’ve felt out of China. The people are strikingly beautiful and the language sounds like Russian one moment and French the next. We take random street photos — kids, shops, bakeries. The flat bread bakers are always a fun bunch. It’s hot today, but I’ve got long-sleeves and my bamboo hat.
Katie says that word on the internet is that ATMs in Kashgar won’t take foreign cards; I may have to cash a traveller’s check and buy RMB. The ICBC bank ATM I try first has the English-language software in place, but at the last moment is complains, “remote network unavailable”. So some upstream link must not be in place yet. I try another small “self serve banking” office of the China Construction Bank. It’s a long room with three ATMs and a guard. The menu is occasionally English, too, but I succeed in pulling 2000 RMB. According to a local ex-pat travel office, and according to the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forums, I’m the first human on earth to withdraw RMB from a US account in Kashgar. The first budget traveler, more likely.
We wandered back up through the old quarter to the Caravan Cafe to talk about getting Katie to Pakistan and back. Back at a computer in the Seman Hotel we learn that the Tibet Travel Permit system may go away when the new Golmud-Lhasa train starts taking passengers on July first. With this news we decide to plan an overland trip along the souther silk road into Tibet from Golmud. And as of earlier this week, Katie is an aunt.
We get back to the room to relax, chat, and shower. If we’re going to travel together for a week or two, we should be able to get along. Sam shows up after a bit, and we continue to chill. After a while — in the warm dusk — we go out for expensive pulled noodles (10 yuan) and then sit in the park eating watermelon. Sam uses his new high-carbon, Uighur knife. Sam, Katie, and Tom — sounds to me like a line of children’s storybooks.
It’s pretty late when we get back for bed.
* * *
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