Kashgar

With a third of the desert behind us and not much more to look forward to over the next 1000 kms other than more extreme heat, wind and large modern towns we decided we had seen as much as we needed to for the moment and bought train tickets for Kashgar.

Kashgar is at the base of the Pamir mountains and on the very western edge of Xinjiang. Our aim was to get there as quickly as possible then head up to Tashkorgan high in the mountains to escape the heat for a while.

At the Yiangji railway station we caused a bit of commotion when we arrived with our bikes and gear but after paying an additional 89 yuan ($A15) we had our gear sewn into 2 large sacks and moved into the baggage area along with our bikes ready for loading when the train arrived.

The train was running 3 hours late due to high winds out of Urumqi so as as we sat in the waiting room we amused ourselves by reading and trying to make conversation with the locals. Most people in the room were Uighur with just 1 or 2 Chinese.

At one point a very elderly Uighur woman approached us talking in a loud voice and we were unsure of what she wanted. Neil turned to one of the few Chinese in the room for a hint and the man indicated she was after money. Neil obliged by offerering her a few kwai (yuan) which the woman refused before unloading a stream of abuse on the poor Chinese man (much to the amusement of the other Uighur around her).

The Uighur are a very proud people and most of them struggle to hide there disdain for the Han Chinese. This elderly woman would have been insulted to have it suggested by a Chinese man that she was begging (even though it is not that uncommon these days). The poor Chinese man squirmed uncomfortably in his seat with all eyes upon him but with nowhere else to go he had no choice but to grin and ride out the abuse.

As the train finally approached we were all ushered out onto the platform by a large, squat and frightening Chinese woman with a loud hailer. She was screaming out instructions non stop, and at a distance too close for comfort, to all the passengers about where to go and stand for their respective carriages. She was irritating in the extreme but seemed to thrive on the authority the loud hailer gave her. Finally her annoying ways became too much for one older Uighur man who bellowed something back at the top of this lungs which I am sure translated to, 'Shut the f__k up you stupid cow!' It was received with loud approving laughter by those within earshot but made no difference at all to 'comrade platform attendant.'

We had booked hard sleepers on this train and when it rolled in it was a delight to see. The carriages were new and quite modern - nothing at all like the smokey, crowded and noisy hard sleepers of old. The carriages were 2 storied and contained 4 berth compartments that boasted sheets, blankets, pillows and carpet. Unbelievably they were also non-smoking (smoking only being allowed at the ends of the carriages near the toilets. At first we thought we had stumbled by mistake into the more expensive and luxurious soft sleeper carriage but we soon found out spot and confirmed we were in the right place.

It was nearing 1.00 am so after settling in and showing our passports and tickets we were soon off to sleep.