The Silk Road

I've just got back to Beijing after a week and a bit tour of the Silk Road. Quite an amazing and different and fun experience but also rushed and tiring (and I'm a little bit sick atm). Here is a summary of what I saw:

I went to the city that is the furthest away from any ocean. Ranged in Altitute from the second lowest place on Earth (after Death Valley) to 3200m. Hot and sunny days to temperatures approaching freezing. Sand dunes and desert to green glacial valleys with snow capped peaks in the background. And saw quite a range of cultures...

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We arrived in Urumqi (Wulumuqi) 'the furthest place on Earth from an Ocean (2250km) according to Lonley Planet.

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In Beijing you can see signs (such as road signs in Chinese and English). Here you see them in Chinese and Arabic (Arabic writing, not the language) - we are really in Central Asia now. Well, Central Asia with Chinese people since lots of Han Chinese have migrated out here.

This morning we are rushed through Karez Paradise, a museum about the karez wells. This is talked up as being the 3rd biggest ancient construction achievement in China, after the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. And fair enough too - we are in a desert and there was no water that could be dug up either. So, the locals dug wells in the mountains, tens of kilometers away, and built tunnels to move the water to where they lived. Virtical shafts were then dug down to the tunnels to access the water. Gravity supplies the water pressure - no need for a pump. (Try and find pictures on the net.)

The food out here is different as well, of course. Mostly mutton, and no pork. I'm loving the bread :)