Nearer the mountains we came to a small wooded area with a run down building out front near the road. We pulled in and immediately headed for the shade (it was 44 degrees under the trees). The building was occupied by a woman and her son (in his mid 20s). They ran a business selling water to passing trucks and tankers. Behind the building and the wooded area was a Karez running out the mountains that was supplying all the water that kept this scrap of earth clinging to existence against the odds.
Shortly after arriving at this place 2 other cyclists we had passed pulled in. They had been covered from head to foot so we could not recognise them on the road but as they joined us in the shade they turned out to be a couple of retired Chinese men (57 and 59 years of age). We had a good chat (with the help of a phrase book) and took photos of each other. They were fascinated by our trip and particularly of the trip 20 years ago but we were in awe of them and their trip.
They were heading through to Korla before turning south east, then curving back round to the north and and then west back to Urumqi. Their route would be pretty mountainous and pretty remote. They did have language on their side but apart from that they were in for a hard time ahead.
As we talked (they were there for about an hour) one of them drank a small amount of water and had 2 cigarettes while I didn't see the other drink anything. Neil and I were guzzling water just to compensate for what we were losing in sweat sitting there.
When the wind and the heat seemed to be at their absolute worst these 2 said their farewells and hit the road once more to climb into the hills. Neil and I shook our heads in amazement at their stamina and grit and resolved to stay put for the next few hours till things cooled down a bit.
Sitting there in the dirt contemplating our good fortune at having found such a place we had mangy featherless chickens running in and around our hands and legs and our minds started turning to thoughts of bird flu (there had been warnings at the airport on arrival). I got up and went for a wander round back.
About 25 metres behind the building was a locked gate through which could be seen a shady track just wide enough for a car and, of camp site quality. I headed back to tell Neil our lucky streak was getting even better. Just as I was starting to do so the 'lady of the shack' came and suggested we move round there to rest where it was cooler. She suggested waiting till 6.00 pm local time before attempting to move on. Moments later she had unlocked the gate and we wheeled our bikes into an orchard of all places. We were unable to work out what kind of fruit trees they were but the standards around here are apricots and nectarines so they were most likely these.
After several hours of sleeping and eating we packed up the gear, thanked our hostess and bade farewell to the chickens. The day didn't seem to have cooled at all and the road was still blistering. A steady 17 km climb later and we were well into the mountains. It was getting late so we picked out a spot at the side of the road in a dried riverbed and and set up camp for the night.
The following morning we rose at 5.00 am Beijing time (3.00 local time), cooked a breakfast of tea and instant noodles and then set about the 26 km slog to the pass.
Nothing about our legs felt like riding this morning but we ground on, nibbling away at the road in 2 to 3 km bits between rests. We did not want to be caught still climbing when the sun eventually made its way into the valley.
At 10 kms we pulled off the road at a truck siding and found a couple of guys selling watermelons. We / they were in the middle of nowhere. Neil bought a whole melon (10 yuan - $1.40) and we sat down to consume it. This was possibly our undoing. Being 90% water and most water sources being pretty dodgy it was inevitable we would get sick from this and 24 hours later we were. We should have known better.
We pushed on to the pass at 1800 metres (we had climbed 2000 metres since the day before) and were soon descending quickly into the sprawling desert below.
Our goal today was the town of Kumush and we were soon rolling down its only dusty street.
If there is another name for Hell then it is Kumush. Everything about this place is whipped and beaten by the desert around it. There is barely a living thing there other than the wizened residents and there is nothing that is not the colour of dust and sand. Dust devels twist wildly down the street through rubbish heaps and coal piles. Everything inside and out is dusty and irritating. And it is hot!
This was home for the night. There were apparently only 2 places to stay in Kumush. These were local guest houses (Jin Chao) and we happened upon the better of these. For an excessive 40 yuan ($A 6.80) we were shown to a filthy room with 2 equally filthy beds. Linen is not washed between guests and our beds looked like they had seen many dusty and sweaty bodies since the last time. It had a TV for distraction though and there was just enough room to squeeze our bikes in. Down the hall there was a shower and out back was a flat open scrap of land that was the communal toilet.
We washed up and headed out for dinner - a bowl each of local noodles with fried mutton, vegetables and chilli. This really is a very good dish and is pretty much our staple on this trip. It was then time to prepare for an early morning start and to get some sleep.
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