Beijing – Xi’an – Xining – Tongren – Xiahe – Lanzhou – Jiayuguan – Dunhuang – Turpan – Lake Tian Chi – Urumqi – Korla – Kuqa – Aksu – Kashgar – Beijing
‘Our Silk Road in China.
As I am in the habit of planning our trips with local agencies, which are always better informed and, above all, more flexible to our wishes than traditional agencies, I planned this trip ‘in parallel’ with other agencies, and my wife and I took the happy decision to go with Serge from China Road for his seriousness and responsiveness to our wishes and questions.
Serge, from China Roads, with whom we built our Silk Road.
After the Bay of Along, Matchu Pitchu, the temples of Angkor, the Taj Mahal, Samarkand and Bukhara, we still had Beijing, its Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the terracotta army of the emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, and the continuation of the Silk Road with its Buddhist treasures and its Uighur culture, to finish in Kashgar, the last legendary city, gateway to Central Asia.
Arrival in Beijing on 22 April, return on 15 May 2010.
After days of uncertainty, caused by an Icelandic volcano with an unpronounceable name, the winds were favourable and we were able to leave as planned for Beijing
(on the first day of the resumption of air travel in Europe).
Itinerary: Beijing-Xi’an-Xining-Tongren-Xiahe-Jiayuguan-Dunhuang-Turpan- Urumqi (Lake Tian Chi)-Korla-Kuqa-Aksu-Kashgar-Lake Karakul-Oytag Valley-Kashgar-Beijing.
I would like to thank Serge, as well as Jeanne, his colleague in Beijing, and the five Guides, all different but on the whole well versed in their missions and the places we visited: Sébastien in Beijing, Charles and Claire in Xi’an, Yvain in Xining, and in Jiayaguan, although Jeanne is a little shy and needs more experience, but above all a big thank you to Sophie who, with her kindness, brought us closer to the Uighur culture and was more than just a guide throughout the trip, not forgetting the drivers, all of whom took good care of us. We were pampered.
They were all there for us when we arrived at the train stations and airports, regardless of the location or time.
It was very reassuring, flawless, and we are once again grateful; this isn’t always the case…
It’s hard to say what we didn’t like and to rank them all; everything lived up to what we dreamed of experiencing on this fantastical Silk Road, which starts in Xi’an and passes through Kashgar, before continuing on to Central Asia!
At the start: the unmissable Great Wall at Jingshanling. Beijing, the city, and its temples, the Hutongs.
Xi’an the terracotta army, the mosque, the ramparts.
From Xining to Lanzhou, the famous Buddhist monasteries of Kumbum, Wutun, and Labrang are worth a visit. The Chinese-inspired mosque in Linxia and the thousand-Buddha caves of Binglisi are also worth a visit.
The Jiayuguan Fortress, which completes the Great Wall between the Gobi Desert and the Qilian Mountains. The superb Buddhist caves of Yulin and Mogao.
The Dunhuang Dunes.
Turpan, its beautiful mosque with its minaret from Central Asia, the ancient cities of Gaochang and Jiaohe, its astonishing Kariz, the Bezeklik caves and a visit to a typical Uighur village in the valley of grapes.
The magnificent Tian Chi Lake in its setting of snow-capped mountains near Urumqi.
In Kuqa, the other beautiful mosque with its dome covered with green mosaics, its district of Uighur houses and on the outskirts beautiful mosque doors.
Arrival in the mythical Kashgar, the Id Kah mosque, the tomb of Abakh Hoja, its large International Bazaar and its livestock market, but above all its old Uighur city with its artisans and its characteristic population.
We then took the Karakoram road, and stopped at the traditional Monday market in Upal, before reaching Lake Karakul, and especially on the way back, passing through the Oytag valley which has preserved its population, its original environment with its snow-capped peaks and its glacier, to finish at the Urumqi museum and admire the enigmatic Celtic mummies of Xinjiang.
Return to Beijing, visit the Olympic Park (with its bird’s nest).
A vast program, a legendary 24-day route!!!
We returned with sights and smells that lived up to our dreams.
The accommodations varied depending on the location. For example, the hotel in Xiahe had no water, but there wasn’t any in the entire city either… for several days, in Togren, the Labuleng Hotel provided us with hot water starting at 7:30 a.m., another in Kuqa, the Kuqa Hotel, cut it off at the same time (it evens out!!!), so when you choose this kind of trip, you have to expect and accept these situations.
Our favorites: the Lusongyuan, a charming hotel in the hutongs of Beijing.
The Silk Road Hotel, in Dunhuang, a caravanserai-style hotel at the foot of the sand dunes.
The Seman Hotel, with its Uighur ornamentation in Kashgar. In the other cities: the hotels are comfortable, good…
The weather: Over 24 days.
Rain on the first day in the Forbidden City.
Sandstorms in Xi’an.
Another rainy day in the Valley of Grapes near Turpan.
Cold and snow at Lake Karakul (Muztangh Ata uncovered itself for a moment to salt us, while Kongur superbly ignored us, enveloped in its clouds.
The Oytag Valley welcomed us with snow-capped peaks, cloudless, magnificent, fantastic!!!
Magnificent memories, which these few photos, among the 2000 that we took, attempt to punctuate (for more details, and if you are seduced, see Serge…).
Another big thank you to Serge.
Today we have an agency in China, China Roads, which we recommend for your future trips.
Jean-Pierre and Francine”