Aleikum Salaam - or Ni Jao !
This new release of my newsletter tells you about my return journey along the famous Karakorum Highway from Kaxgar in the XinJiang Province, to Khunjerab at the Sino-Pakistanese border, via the Karakul lakes and the city of Tashkorgan... Among Uygur, Khyrghyz, Tajik and Chinese people ! ... Please note that the GPS points have been updated under Google Earth and my comments there complete the story that comes below.
...Je vous souhaite un bon voyage en ma compagnie !
***
The Karakorum Highway is the road that historically links China to Pakistan, via a 4900m-high pass, the Khunjerab Pass. It is a myth among the bikers' community. For me, it was just another way to travel 400-km' South and then - by ridding up and through the Tashkorgan Mountains via the Uprang Pass, to reach the Tibet Highway and continue towards Lhasa. I did not eventually succeed to go through. But before I tell you why, first, let's start from Kaxgar...
... Kaxgar is a lovely small city - a village according to Chinese city standards - where it is easy to walk around in a multi-ethnic environmement. It is an oasis in a desert, in the center of the Uygur country. It is all very - very - flat around but it is distantly surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world: Far in the West are the Pamir Mountains. Far in the South-East, the Tibetan Plateau. And in the South-South-West, the Tashkorgan Mountains. Altogether, they form the Northern part of the Himalaya.
After a hundred km's in the desert then, sandy dunes transformed into steep red hills, which soon turned into serious mountains.
The next hundred km's took me from 2000m' up to 3500m's through an impressive gorge. Massive mountains are so close and so steep that sunlight only reaches it a few hours a day. Wind funels there and - of course - it blows against you. That's the territory of wide eagles, vultures and mountain goats... Yacks only (re)-appear later, once you've reached the vast Tashkorgan laguna, which is actually so wide that you think you are ridding along the sea at low tide: there is an infinity of grey sand banks, swamps and lazy river arms. The surrounding grey mountains are half swollen by massive sand-dunes... Silent was absolute: You could hear the ice dislocating. And your breathe. And your heart beating...
When you start the Karakorum Highway in the first week of November, you know that you're taking a new and perfectly asphalted lift from "Mild Autumn" to "Rough Winter"... However on my way up, there was no snow but above 4500m and daily temperatures were (slightly) positive.
I reached the Karakul lakes at dusk 3 days - 200km's - from Kaxgar.
As for the Great Karakul (North of Murgab in the Tajik Pamir), the area is majoritary Khyrghyz. Clear-eyed Chinese-faced people with a funny trompet-shaped hat and a Turkish-apparented language.
The smallest of the 3 lakes is the most romantic. It's got dark still waters and some lovely-shapped mountains all around. There are also a few (concrete-made) yurts next to the water, which complete the picture... And luckily, there is no hassle from the local people to buy this or that souvenir or to accept an "invitation" (from 40 to 150 Yuans) to sleep in their home !
The largest lake is a blue-ish mirror in which the 7500m's-high Marataga reflects in.
The plateau around is fertile (="grass" grows between swamps, streams and sandy or stony areas) and many yacks, fury cows, sheeps, goats, camels and even horses walk around.
As far as I could see, most homes along the road receive electricity. For lamps, TV's and mobile phones' chargers. Heating and cooking are still made from old stoves fueled by wood, coal or anything that burns, including Chinese sticks!
The 4100m's Alugrabat Pass is where the Tashkorgan's Tajik Autonomous Region starts from. The pass was absolutely dry when I passed it for the first time. Trucks would need snow-equipments a couple of days later to undertake it.
I arrived in Tashkorgan at night on the 4th day after 310km's from Kaxgar (my 2 road-maps said 260 and 270 km's..). This a sleepy city made of Tajik and Chinese people, with nothing to visit but the ruins of a very old stone-and-mud made citadelle. Both communities do not seem to meet but rather live in parallel and Tourists usually reach it, stay overnight and either go back to Kaxgar or continue straight to Pakistan, 100km's further South. However,the Chinese emigration check-point is just out of Tashkorgan...
Wen in the next morning I showed up at the fence, I was refused the way further: "No, sorry, you cannot go through, because you have no Pakistanese visa"..."But I do not go to Pakistan, I'll stay in China!"... "Sorry, you cannot go"... I retreated after 2 hours of unilateral negociations apparently defeated by those unflexible -and bloody non-imaginative, I must say - Chinese border-guards.
No more than 10 minutes later, I pushed my bike down in the wide valley aside the city. Then started a 4-hour struggle barefooted through icy swamps, mud ponds, running river arms and stone banks to reach the opposite side, where I was guessing there would be another road to the South, but un-watched. Some understanding Tajiks helped me, so happy to un-cooperate a bit with the Chinese administration... That's how I passed the Tashkorgan border check-point. And there was indeed a track there!
I slept outdoors, avoiding people and any house showing a Chinese flag.
When I was certain I was far enough from Tashkorgan, I went back onto the asphalted way, which was now my side of the river. It was Sunday and there was little traffic at all; my guess was police cars would not patrol along... But if...
Weather had got bad since the day before; In the middle of the day it turned awful. An icy snow started to fall and soon the road was getting covered with it. Some strong gales were blowing in my back, sweeping away some flows of snow in front of my bike, looking like ghostly wavy snakes. I stopped a couple of times in some Tajik houses to get warm water and some relief from the outside... But cold has inertia and I could never really get completely warm again.
I continued till yacks started to appear a little covered with white snow. Snow was then partly covering the asphalt and some was also staying on my shoulders and on the top of my bike panniers.
I then realised than it was no use to go anyfurther: I was just under 4000m's and soon the road would be closed, which meant that the higher track, which I wanted to use next was definitely closed for a few days if not for the entire winter now. As a consequence, I stopped and jumped into the first truck going down to Tashkorgan. Only at 10-15km's from the village of Khunjerab, some 25 km's at the end of the Chinese part of the Karakorum Highway.
We eventually reached the city's first buildings at night... And then... What about the Police check-point ?! Kaxgar was beyond it; The emigration officers (all of them, since I had made such a noise to get the authorisation to go through 2 days before) had been clear and exact : I was NOT allowed to go beyond this point. And the very point was both a road police check-point AND an official border-point... How much is the fine or how many weeks of jail do you get when breaking the line ?...
But no way, I would not take the sideway into the icy waters again by night ! Then, what to do ?
First I left the truck some km's before the check-point. The driver had nothing to do in my story any longer. Then, I rode in the dark up to very close to the check-point. It was sleepy, the road was empty, there was no car at all. The guards must be inside...
Then, what to do ? Shall I get down the road into the swamps next to it and pass around the fence in the dark ? Shall go openly to the fence, get controled and questioned and invent a story ?...
A few second went away and I could not take a decision. Outside temperature was certainly close to neg. 5 centigrades, but I was feeling rather warm...
Suddenly two yellow spots appeared uphill. A truck was coming down and in a few minutes it would be there, the guards would get out and I would be discovered...
Then I dismounted and started to walk to the fence. It was in the shade, unlike the next 10 metres beyond it, which were straight into the glow of the guards'house. I could see to of them through the window. They were busy to read a newspaper, but should they have a look up...
I slowly and silently pushed my bike under the fence and went into the light... Slowly... Silently... If only one of them has a look up...
In my mind, the Allan Poe's Tale-Tell Heart... "What a hell of noise my heart is making!"... "How bright the light on me is !".. "They'll hear my heart, they'll see me !"...
But no. I passed through. The coming truck arrived just when I was again ridding in the dark. I looked behind, the guard went out and did not see me. I passed through!
I had to wait two days to get a truck to go down to Kaxgar. The road was not closed up from Kaxgar but traffic was considerably reduced on both was. Snow was now at 2500m-3000m. I reached Kaxgar only on Nov. 14th...
I initially thought It was now time to slowly start my journey home either via Khazakhstan or Beijing by train and bus and some residual biking... But I met with a British biker, who was going to Tibet too. We've decided to make a team and I shall therefore have ... a second attempt from the conventional and direct road.
This will be my next story !... in 20 days from now !
That's all folks !
All the best to you,
Barth
|
Photos Chine
Carnets de voyage Chine
Vidéos Chine
Carte Chine
Guide de voyage Chine
Santé Chine
Billets d'avion Chine
