Kumush to Wushtala

I woke at 4.15 (2.15 local time) to a churning stomach and headed out back under the stars to correct the situation. Once back inside I could not sleep again and we rose at 5.00 to pack and ride on.

Another breakfast of instant noodles and tea and we were away. We were soon back on the main road heading west. The morning was cool, with little wind, and we quickly had 25 kms behind us.

It was in the town of Kumush in 1988 that Neil had forgotten his sunglasses and only discovered his mistake when we were about 20 kms up the road. I set up the tent (minus my sleeping bag as we'd both posted these on to Kashgar) and nearly froze in the pre-dawn cold while Neil went back to Kumush.

When he returned we discovered several underground houses very close to where I'd pitched the tent and in the early morning one of the inhabitants was up and about. He invited us into his home, a 2 room hole in the ground, for a some hot water and weevily bread - he and those around him were clearly extremely poor. He pointed proudly to the only picture he had on the wall, a picture of Mao. Looking around I couldn't help wondering what on earth this man's life must have been like before the Communist revolution that Mao had earned his adulation for. It would be impossible to know. Today there is no sign of these homes so perhaps things went from strength to strength for this man and his neighbours - I'd certainly like to think so.

We cycled on into a small range of hills and 15 kms later emerged on a high plateau that ran on flat for the next 20 kms or so.

Again, as the day started to heat up we found ourselves looking for shade and a place to rest till things cooled down a bit.

The new road to Kashgar that has been built since 1988 is elevated above the desert around it somewhat and at regular intervals there are culverts underneath it to allow for the snow melt run-off from the nearby mountains in spring. These are ideal places to shelter but they also provide excellent privacy for those on the long journey east or west to relieve themselves if they need to.

We dragged our gear and bikes down into one such culvert only to find it full of dessicated poo. We nicknamed the place Crap Culvert. It was better at one end than the other so we used rubbish and brush to clear away a spot big enough to lay the tent fly out and rest. We cooked up lunch, Maggi soup with instant noodles in it for extra body, and made a cup of tea. For a while we slept.

By mid-afternoon the wind was getting stronger, although the day was not much hotter, and with toilet paper starting to drift around us we decided to pack up and ride on to Wushtala 20 kms away.