2009 04 13 - Silk Road surprises
Silk Road surprises
This ancient route in China offers a journey through the sands of time. -SPU Mon, Apr 13, 2009Special Projects Unit
[top photo: Shop at the Turpan market]
David Bowden
I WAS never good at maths but even I knew that 153 passengers wouldn't fit onto a plane built to carry 150
When this dawned upon our tour guide, volunteers were sought to catch the next flight later that day from Jiayuguan to Xi'an.
Having done a little homework, I volunteered myself and my travelling buddies as I knew there was much more of the Silk Road to discover. As we bid farewell to the group, my companions asked me, "So how?"
Jiayuguan's claim to fame is that in 1372, a fortress along the Great Wall was built here that marked the end of the wall and of the empire at that time.
While the end of the empire is now a long way from here, Jiayuguan remains a strategic town with a dramatic landscape - desert valley rimmed by snow-capped mountains.
Jiayuguan guarded what the Chinese considered the most impenetrable pass under the Heaven - somewhere deep within the Qilianshan Mountains. I had also read about the nearby Taklimakan Desert - 'the place one enters and never returns'.
After lots of animated charades, a van was obtained for a drive to the mountains. The instructions were specific - drive for four hours and then turn around and drive back as our flight was eight hours later.
We felt like pioneers heading off into the unknown with little idea of what to expect. I imaged that this is how traders who passed through here hundreds of years ago must have felt.
The Silk Road was first used 2,000 years ago, well before Marco Polo documented his epic journey of just 700 years ago.
At 12,000km, it is considered the world's longest road. However, the term Silk Road is misleading as it consists of several routes. In China, there are three main Silk Roads - the southern, central and northern routes.
The roads extend from Xi'an through into Central Asia and onto Europe, resulting in the exchange of goods, ideas, cultures and religions between the East and the West. They diminished in importance when maritime trade began to flourish in the 16th century.
Today, many Silk Road tours include Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and, even Kashgar.
Journeys along the full overland route through to Turkey and trips into Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are possible. It is also possible to travel unimpeded by train from Istanbul to China, which includes a rail link between Iran and Turkmenistan.
Signs of life
The Gobi Desert.
With the Gobi Desert to the north and the Taklimakan to the west, the Silk Road is a parched wilderness with a monotonous pebble-strewn surface.
There appears, at first, to be no life in the desert. The only signs of civilisation are isolated settlements, scattered roads, train tracks and telephone lines.
However, as we drove up into the Qilianshan Mountains, sheep and goats grazing on summer grasses came into view.
We didn't reach the summit of the 4,300m tall mountains, but we attained an altitude that was cold enough to sustain ancient glaciers that snaked down the valleys.
These glaciers were an invaluable source of water supplies to the desert settlements found at the oases dotting the sea of sand. Dunhuang and Turpan are two ancient desert towns that were important rest stops for travellers starting in Urumqi and heading to the East.
The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an.
We made it back in time from our impromptu trip for our flight to Xi'an, where the unearthing of the Terracotta Warriors in 1974 was one of the world's greatest archaeological discoveries.
Xi'an was the grand finale of our adventure along the Silk Road.
ROAD TIPS◊ Temperatures are extreme along the Silk Road. In winter, parts of the route experience snowfalls, while in summer, Turpan - one of the lowest points on Earth - can heat up to 47 deg C.◊ The best months to visit are April, May, September and October.◊ Tourists are taken to various shops and marketplaces where prices can be inflated - do bargain, or shop with caution.
For travel bookings and enquires, call ASA Holidays at 6303-5333.For international medical assistance, call OCBC Concierge at (65) 6322-2588
This ancient route in China offers a journey through the sands of time. -SPU Mon, Apr 13, 2009Special Projects Unit
[top photo: Shop at the Turpan market]
David Bowden
I WAS never good at maths but even I knew that 153 passengers wouldn't fit onto a plane built to carry 150
When this dawned upon our tour guide, volunteers were sought to catch the next flight later that day from Jiayuguan to Xi'an.
Having done a little homework, I volunteered myself and my travelling buddies as I knew there was much more of the Silk Road to discover. As we bid farewell to the group, my companions asked me, "So how?"
Jiayuguan's claim to fame is that in 1372, a fortress along the Great Wall was built here that marked the end of the wall and of the empire at that time.
While the end of the empire is now a long way from here, Jiayuguan remains a strategic town with a dramatic landscape - desert valley rimmed by snow-capped mountains.
Jiayuguan guarded what the Chinese considered the most impenetrable pass under the Heaven - somewhere deep within the Qilianshan Mountains. I had also read about the nearby Taklimakan Desert - 'the place one enters and never returns'.
After lots of animated charades, a van was obtained for a drive to the mountains. The instructions were specific - drive for four hours and then turn around and drive back as our flight was eight hours later.
We felt like pioneers heading off into the unknown with little idea of what to expect. I imaged that this is how traders who passed through here hundreds of years ago must have felt.
The Silk Road was first used 2,000 years ago, well before Marco Polo documented his epic journey of just 700 years ago.
At 12,000km, it is considered the world's longest road. However, the term Silk Road is misleading as it consists of several routes. In China, there are three main Silk Roads - the southern, central and northern routes.
The roads extend from Xi'an through into Central Asia and onto Europe, resulting in the exchange of goods, ideas, cultures and religions between the East and the West. They diminished in importance when maritime trade began to flourish in the 16th century.
Today, many Silk Road tours include Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and, even Kashgar.
Journeys along the full overland route through to Turkey and trips into Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are possible. It is also possible to travel unimpeded by train from Istanbul to China, which includes a rail link between Iran and Turkmenistan.
Signs of life
The Gobi Desert.
With the Gobi Desert to the north and the Taklimakan to the west, the Silk Road is a parched wilderness with a monotonous pebble-strewn surface.
There appears, at first, to be no life in the desert. The only signs of civilisation are isolated settlements, scattered roads, train tracks and telephone lines.
However, as we drove up into the Qilianshan Mountains, sheep and goats grazing on summer grasses came into view.
We didn't reach the summit of the 4,300m tall mountains, but we attained an altitude that was cold enough to sustain ancient glaciers that snaked down the valleys.
These glaciers were an invaluable source of water supplies to the desert settlements found at the oases dotting the sea of sand. Dunhuang and Turpan are two ancient desert towns that were important rest stops for travellers starting in Urumqi and heading to the East.
The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an.
We made it back in time from our impromptu trip for our flight to Xi'an, where the unearthing of the Terracotta Warriors in 1974 was one of the world's greatest archaeological discoveries.
Xi'an was the grand finale of our adventure along the Silk Road.
ROAD TIPS◊ Temperatures are extreme along the Silk Road. In winter, parts of the route experience snowfalls, while in summer, Turpan - one of the lowest points on Earth - can heat up to 47 deg C.◊ The best months to visit are April, May, September and October.◊ Tourists are taken to various shops and marketplaces where prices can be inflated - do bargain, or shop with caution.
For travel bookings and enquires, call ASA Holidays at 6303-5333.For international medical assistance, call OCBC Concierge at (65) 6322-2588
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