After having my flight diverted to Gansu provence due to high winds and a sand storm at Urumqi I finally arrived late on the night of the 1st. Neil had come out to the airport earlier to meet me but not knowing what time my flight would finally arrive, headed back into town.
I collected my gear and then negotiated an over-inflated rate for a mini van to take me to the hostel where Neil and I would be staying. A group of young Hong Kong university graduates on a graduation holiday were also heading to the same hostel so we shared the van. As we got into the van I stumbled and tripped my way over my bags in the dark and must have looked like some frail old man to these young kids. Somewhat embarrassingly, the only girl in the group gently took my arm and guided me to my seat.... Not exactly the seasoned Silk Road traveller image I was trying to portray!!
It was late at the hostel when I finally arrived and the elderly man behind the counter could speak no English. I checked through the guest book but couldn't find any entry for Neil. The old man didn't seem to know about him either. Finally I saw Neil's name on a scrap of paper that was used to keep a track of who was staying in the 'fancier' rooms (we had a 2 bed room with its own toilet and shower for 100 yuan a night - $A17, $NZ 20).
I took my bike and gear up to the room. Neil was still out somewhere but his bike was in the room so I knew I had the right place.
Neil returned shortly after and the trip was finally on. We would spend the next day buying food, water bottles and other essentials for the trip then be on our way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment