So how’s the world doing? I thought of continuing my long lost China posts after 3 months š
Basically from last #5 post we were in a train from Liuyuan to Turpan, the first city in Xinjiang in the second half of the trip. Turpan/Tulufan means ‘the lowest place’ in Uyghur and ‘fertile place’ in Turkish. Yep, we were nearer to the capital of Xinjiang Autonomous Region’s capital, Urumqi. Just the language used in signages, the people and culture were already noticeably different.
This route (Dunhuang – Turpan) has a few different stations that catered to it, and if you took the wrong one it’ll definitely spoil your plan by arriving at the edge of the city in the dark and cold with no means of transport to wherever your hotel were. After some researching the lonely Liuyuan station were the one with the most connections to other Chinese cities. There are 2 train stations in Turpan, the difference between them is the distance from downtown and the type of trains it served. We took the Z train, a type of fast train (that we could afford) and it will arrive in Turpan North Railway Station. This was closer to city centre and was so huge and well lit.
There was a sandstorm at the time. It was so cold and we were anxious to step out into the night but we pushed on to catch a cab. You can see the locals were rather unfazed. As usual..just some humans from the tropics stuff š
When we arrived to the city it was lit with the morning sun. We had nothing since last night yet plus the cold were eating away our energy. We tried to show the map to the hotel and the driver helped looking for a while but I think he was tired too and he dropped us in a location he said should be close to the hotel. We stepped out and walked around the area with no real clue of where we are. Some police forces/guards tried to help these obvious lost tourists lol he led us to a place and said this must be the place. We looked around the dilapidated building..seriously man Im hungry and cold I can’t think clearly. There’s no way that was it! We said thanks and went on to the side of a main road and tried to catch another cab.
This whole process took about 40mins~. Around the main road there was many attraction signs and estimated time by car and walking. We used that to find the hotel but failed. We decided to approach polices stationed near us. They were so helpful they even offered WiFi inside the building. It’s a nice shelter against the storm that was finally dying down. Still, we couldnt find it! It was around 8am now and the streets were buzzing with activities-kids walking to school, small shops opened. After a long walk by the street a cab finally stopped and allowed us in. Prior, a lot of cabs refused us because of language barrier. This driver was able to converse in English and were the one to bring us to the right spot. We realized we have been here before but missed the sign! This whole situation would be different if a) we speak Mandarin b) get online to access text to speech app
Inside the traditional, ambiguous building, a rather lively ambiance awaits. We felt our morning given a chance to restart. A lovely lady welcomed us to our room. It was a little bit uncomfortable as it was a room inside another room. Everytime I’m entering the first room I had to announce myself because it was a bunk room, coincidentally there was a couple at the time. It was awkward but that’s was how it went. Dap Youth Hostel converted an actual residential to a lodging. I get to sleep on cement based bed š
The next thing to do of course is to look for breakfast. We walked around, hungry and cold for another 20mins and was stopped by a local lady on a bike. She immediately guessed where we were from and offered to lead us to a nice breakfast place. I can’t say it was just a pleasant surprise, she was literally a savior. The place was crowded with the morning traffic and smelled delicious.
It tastes soo good! The lady gave us her number in case we’d need her help again and we bid our goodbyes. We’re so grateful for the chance encounter. At around 11am we booked a one for all pass for 152CNY. We didn’t include Bezeklik Caves as we have seen Mogao Grottoes (from what I read it’s good enough to catch either one if you don’t have much time).
- Gaochang Ancient City
You’d have to enter through the museum and chart the shuttle van to the actual site. There will be security checks at each entrances where you will need to remove your outerwear and the insides of your bag. Again, a thunderstorm swept us so hard that we had second thought whether we’d continue. But it was an experience I’ll never forget. Once it dies down I get to take some pictures without stinging my eyes.
2. Jiaohe Ancient City
We only met a few other travelers at the time. It was my first experience in a huge open archeological site like this. Prepare to spend 2 hours~ to soak in the environment and imagine how it’d look like in its heyday š these 2 sites are a testament of how old this region was inhabited and flourished.
3. Karez Wells
So I just knew from this trip that Karez Well is considered a wonder of China together with The Great Wall but seems like it’s not well known as its counterparts. It was an irrigation system that literally ushered the region to another level; fertile crops that led to a whole civilization and became the land of grapes and raisins. Turpan contains the second lowest depression in the world at 154m below sea level. They built a museum on top of the actual wells that you can go down and look at it yourself. At the end of the tour you’ll pass a gift shop. If it feels touristy to you take comfort in the beautiful surroundings outside the museum.
We asked our driver where and what to eat in here. We ended up ordering a heavy main dish thinking we could share it with our driver. Obviously when the dish was served we were surprised! The cook served it himself and told us it took a long time to make because he had a whole chicken in there š š it was so delicious. Our driver ate a small portion. I had leftovers for dinner and next morning’s breakfast! We learned that you can’t simply order stuff without knowing its portion, like we did in Dunhuang, the waitress had an English speaking staff clarified the size. 1 chicken? Half/quarter? Apparently you can actually specify for this particular dish. Don’t make this mistake if there’s just the two of you to eat everything >.<
4. Flaming Mountains
On to the next! The Flaming Mountain got its name from being the hottest place in China. Here you’ve a choice to see it from the road (free) or pay for the museum and park. Inside, there are camel rides, photo spots and go karts.
We returned to Turpan city near dusk and reached the closed gates of the Emin Minaret. Regrettably we had to end our trip for the day. I managed to take a photo from a far though.
We stayed in for dinner with leftover from our big chicken dish and some flatbreads from a local stall nearby. There was a guy, a fellow Malaysian who stayed in the hostel as well and we had a good chat that night. He was heading east from Urumqi, where he said it was lightly snowing. I freaked a bit since we didn’t dress for snowing temperature…and I’m pretty much intimidated by cold weather by now š I can’t wait to see Urumqi, and will miss Turpan. I made a pact with my friend that we MUST come again to see the city in blooms of grapevines in July – September next time.
I N S O M N I AC 
Great post š
Hi thanks for being so early š