Journey along the Silk Road (or that week in May when I took all the trains)

I know when you think of Silk Road you imagine camel caravans of traders, spices upon spices, exotic tastes and smells, vast landscapes. Well, fast forward to the Silk Road remains of today in Northwest China’s Gansu province, and you get camel caravans of middle school students on a field trip, monks upon monks on their iphones, the tastes and smells of the slow train, but yes, definitely vast landscapes still abound. Paul and I planned an epic one week journey along the Silk Road on our quest to cover all top 30 Lonely Planet and Rough Guides destinations in china- we ticked off 7! And since long time no blog, I deemed it worthy of sharing.

So here we go. Stop 1: Dunhuang. After a plane to a taxi to an overnight train, we woke up to our first Silk Road city. Dunhuang used to be a major trading spot on the Silk Road but currently is just a nice tourist destination and jumping off point for seeing the Gobi Desert. When we arrived at our hotel, the sand dunes were just hanging out behind it. Pretty f***ing amazing. And after paying about 8 bucks, the dunes were yours to explore. Along with a whole bunch of Chinese people. A ladder had been laid across the sand to help people climb to the top of the closest dune. Which meant every ayi (auntie) and shu shu (uncle) young and old could have their try at climbing up. But oh- too much sand in your shoes? Annoying? Not to worry, for a dollar you could rent bright orange boot covers. Add in some umbrellas, arm sleeves, and you were ready to conquer the dune. 

Where new meets old-

Fortunately Paul and I booked it past the tourists and found ourselves truly in the middle of the desert, no one to keep track of us, no one to sell us water. No one. Nothing. Endless desert.

 

Next day, we found ourselves at the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important collections of Buddhist art in the world. (not to mention in both Lonely Planet and Rough Guides top sites in China). After being ushered through not one but two stadium seating amphitheater movie screening things, we went to the caves. Timed entry and intensive conservation made the caves not as spectacular as I’d like but still worth the trip in the heat.

From there, it was time for the next train! This time, to Jiayuguan/ the end of the Great Wall. For those who know me, the Great Wall is a nice obsession of mine. Ive been to the end on the east side that enters the water so now it was time for the west end. But to get there, required a 5 hour slow train. In 2^nd class. With alllll the locals. Paul and I couldn’t get seats next to each other, so there I was, sitting on a bench with four middle aged, well sunned local men drinking hot tea and spitting sunflower seed remains onto the shared table. It was quite the experience. One man decided to smoke his cigarette and got about halfway in until finally someone told him he wasn’t allowed to do it. Everyone was very kind, but we definitely got loads of stares and some secret photos.

Paul and his new train friends. 

Stop 2: Jiayuguan Fort. We woke up early to hop into a Didi taxi to get to the fort. Somehow, the taxi driver convinced us to hire her for the day to see all the places on the through ticket. Great! The fort itself, although beautiful, was not too spectacular as the snow capped mountains it promised in the guidebooks were hidden by the haze of the desert. I did get filmed and interviewed by an old man who wanted to see if I could speak Chinese. So that was fun hahah. And I now can say I’ve seen the both ends of the Great Wall! From sea to desert…. It’s been a long four years of adventures in China!

made it!

Stop 3: After the fort we made our way to the next train ride, and after a few hours on a lovely high speed civilized train, we were at the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye. They are a geological wonder of the world, with bright ‘rainbow like’ colors that seem to be painted on the tops of them across an expansive mountain range.  This was another highlight of the trip, even though to see anything you were forced to follow the tourist bus route, getting on and off the bus only at certain viewpoints. However, they did take my breath away. Again, I have discovered how incredibly diverse the landscape and geography of China really is. Once I got myself away from the hordes of tourists, I was able to be with the mountains and appreciate their unique beauty.

And once again, we were on the train. This time, headed back to Lanzhou for a brief overnight so we could catch a 4 hour bus the next morning and go a place that’s been on my to do list for a few years! Stop 4 was Labrang Monastery.

Labrang Monastery, in Xiahe, Gansu, is one of largest active Tibetan Buddhist monastery in China. With over 1,500 monks and 6 monastic colleges, the monastery takes up most of the town, stuck between a traditional Tibetan village and a touristy Chinese area, nestled in the valley below some stunning rolling hills speckled with prayer flags and herds of yaks. Having seen photographs of this place many times, I was so excited to finally see the real thing. We dropped our things at the hostel and then went exploring, as the weather was simply perfect.

The monastery is surrounded by an extensive row of prayer wheels. Although it didn’t feel very spiritual to walk the prayer wheel path because one side was a parking lot, I did notice the large amount of Tibetan nomads who had come to Labrang as pilgrims, intent on completing the whole circuit. The women, dressed in traditional vibrant and colorful garments, frequently stopped to prostrate themselves on wooden planks, while the men wore a Michael Jackson-esque glove, perhaps to help with the turning of the wheels.  

Once we got away from the wheels, however, I was in complete bliss. Monks wandered past us completing their daily tasks, stupas appeared gold tinted in the sun out of nowhere, the red, yellow, blue and green of the flags and buildings blended in with the scenery. This is truly a special place. No one was there to bother us, we were free to walk around as we pleased, taking in all the smells, sights, and even sounds (listen to that incredible throat singing!!).

In our attempt to hike high above the town for a view, we got lost in the Tibetan village. We tried to ask a nun, who silently took us to an entrance to a path, smiled and left us in peace. Yes, we may have then gotten completely lost but it was a special moment for sure. On a tour of the monastery by the sweetest monk, he continued to ask us philosophical questions: What are we, really? What are we made of? How do we find peace? What is spirit? Every time we tried to answer, or egged him on for an answer, he’d smile and become quiet, his eyes sparkling with laughter. I didn’t receive any answers to these questions, but I will definitely return to this magical place.

And finally, just like that, my Silk Road trip was over. Many years ago, that route spread goods, religion, ideas, technology, curiosity, culture, and people, just like it did for my trip this May. Can’t wait to go back and keep exploring!

See ya later!