Into The Mystique

Marco Polo, Genghis and Kublai were here. So am I after more than a 30hr flight into the Western edge of China, jetlagged and groggy, checked in and ready to leave for the first camp in the desert. The only way to fight jetlag is now to run. Kashgar sits on the far end of the Xinjiang Province jammed against the borders of Kyrgystan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The European gateway to China, Kashgar a part of the Silk Road, a complex set of roads connecting China and the Mediteranean.

 

This is the land of the Uighur people and the curving roofs of Buddhist and Confucian temples give way to domes and minarets. Of all the Silk Road passages, the Taklamakan passage was considered the most dangerous and inhospitable. Desert travelers would pay their respect to local saints and offer gifts for their safe return. I too payed respects to Id Kah early morning, in the old town with donkeys, men in skullcaps and women in shawls. Their nomadic cultures and history traced in the facial lines and eyes, the spice, commodities and food in the market.

 

The place and the mystique, heightens the excitement and is part of the journey.

 

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