my trip part1
the trip start on the 4th of july 2005, it begin with a ’say goodbye’ things with couple of my friend who i might not see them again once i get back to nanjing. it was sad but i just hope i could see them again though.
so after that we board the train from nanjing to lanzhou, which is in ganshu province. the train takes arround 24 hrs, and we get to see the most of china in one go. from lush and green of jianshu province to ancient province like xian where they have the terracora things up to the arrant mountainius place like ganshu.
the group started with six people which is me, josh, ben, boyana, minwoo, and hongjin. it is originaly plan by me and josh but i am glad many of our friend join us so it become more fun.
on the 5th afternoon we arrive at lanzhou. lanzhou is famaous for it past which used to be the staging place for trader who are going to the west on the silk road. the place is divide into by the yellow river and flank by 2 mountain. if is beutiful place but just feel hard, cause the people starting to be mix races..from manjority chinese han people in the east like nanjing to people from the central asia. muslim culture start to paint the city quite hard. many people came from urygur which famous for their lamb kebab and middle east food.
from this place we are originaly plan to get to urumqi as soon as posibble but we get side track by the idea of visiting xiahe since now we are already in ganshu why not just take 2 or 3 days travel to that place. unfortunalty we cannot go staright away from lanzhou to xiahe because of the insurance scheme thing that other chinese ‘birocrazy’ things. so we stay one night at lanzhou to admire sunset at yellow river while drink tea (sun set at 8 o’clock at night!!)
on the 6th we take the bus journey early in the morning to xiahe, the journey is just like double edge sword..in one side it is beutiful, cause we see magnificent secenry of the ganshu province, the other side is it is wo bumpy and it take 6rhs to get to xiahe. and once we arrive at xiahe we have to force our self to explore the city because the next day we have to catch the same bus back to lanzhou.
xiahe is famous for its tibetan monestary outside tibet, it is really beutiful place to visit. it is located in a valley at the altitude of 2900 meters. it get higher actually when we climb to the monestary. many of my friend get the altitude sickness at night time and for me…i get deariea hehe because of drinking yak milk and eating yak youghart.
on the 7th, we drive back to lanzhou in the morning so by the afternoon we could get the train to urumqi. in lanzhou we get duped by our tixi driver who actully take us arround the city farther from what its suppost to be. josh is clearly piss but for me, well little side track by cheating chinese isnt that so bad cause we get to see back side of lanzhou for extra 2 yuan.
on the 8nd of july 2005, we are on the train seeing the arrid mountain change to desert is also a spectaculy view. it is also the change of view from seeing many house to not seeing them at all. the train journey in china could be consider best value for money, unless you dont have time for your holiday. but taking train you could see more view than taking airplane.
at 6 o’clock we arrive in urumqi, which is claim to be the farthes city from the ocean in the world. it is actually just like a very big oasis bacause it is serrounded by desert. i have no idea why people life here…but they do and they are many of them.
urumqi is a big city not like i imagine, it has many double decker road, many tall building, and the city is supprisingly clean from spitting unlike other chinese city in the east. the city also remind me of middle east because they used dual languge in every street sign, which in chinese and arabic (in some they have 3)
the population is split equaly by chinese and central asia people…and the girls are beutiful !!!! the only problem is we coulnd get accomodation!!
to be countinue… (i have to take a bus to somewhere which i will tell you leter)
