Turpan – Urumqi & Meeting M

We’re 2 weeks into October. Oh my god 2020 is going too fast! I barely looked back these days. Every day comes in as a separate experience from the past. I’m still trying to continue my blog posts somehow in this mess…gonna have to pick up from where I left it 2 months ago 😂 this was the start of some very unexpected things began to happen 👀

On the last morning in Turpan we planned to go to the Museum for the time left in between the journey to the train station. The Turpan Museum had lockers for our bagpacks and stuff. As usual there were security checks and you can only bring your passport and valuables inside. It was a fun and educational hour spent. We made it just in time for Urumqi Train Station and approached the counters for boarding passes.

Everything went smoothly until the security area. We were queueing for the metal detectors when the female officer signaled to take off my headscarf which never happened throughout the first leg of the trip so I was shocked. I tried to ask her to allow a personal check with a female officer. After some frantic hand gesture she understood and led me to their desks and conduct the security check there instead. It wasn’t fully obscured view but it was reasonable enough for us. After that, another security check awaits. We had like 8 minutes to get through downstairs and embark! At this checkpoint they recheck every content of our hand carry bags (luckily bagpacks were excluded since it passed imaging process) but it still took some time to lay everything out and then put it back again. Both of us were getting anxious and irritated. We can’t miss the train!!

When we finally embarked it was like we were the last ones and it shot up to speed a minute later. Phew.

Here the train conductors looked Russian?Kazakh? Idk I meant they looked unlike how Chinese people would look like. I was so ignorant 😅 I gotta remind myself China stretches from the east to west. From being in Turpan the signages are available in both Uyghur and Mandarin. We started seeing more locals who looked like the above, if they were in traditional clothing and you can tell they’re the Uyghur minority of China after some asking around. In Xi’an Hui people is common(?) and they have more typical Chinese features compared to Uyghurs. So I have a picture of what to expect in Urumqi as the capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. I didn’t know anything much, yet.

Urumqi lunch hour traffic was rather bad. Other than that everything around looks like any other major city. Lots of people with a mix of ethnicities but still NO foreigners. We were getting used to it but hey it’d be nice to meet other travelers. My friend and I had a random video of us walking and faced the camera to the crowd around us. Just to record how unrelenting stares we get wherever we went 😅 we were the ONLY headscarf wearing people out here. For a region with a known sizeable Muslim people we did wondered why was that? It could be completely cultural. Apart from old ladies with a tied scarf no other headscarf can be found. We found a few shops selling headscarves though. It was nice stuff I bought some of the best headscarf that I still wear now.

Meeting M and her mother

Around 4pm we looked for a place to eat. We found a restaurant with a proper ‘Muslim Food’ sign outside and stepped inside, ordered our food and sat down in the middle of the room. Again, many eyes on us , if not most. A full table of Kim Kardashian looking (they’re gorgeous) and dressed young women sat 3 tables apart looked directly at us and at this point we were close to approach them lol do you have anything to say or….? loool at no point it clicked into my mind why the obvious observation by practically everyone. I was about to go to offensive mode when I notice a young woman (not Kim K table) actually sat up and came to our table. Hmmm.

Woman: Hello^^ I saw you here I thought to come and say hi. Is it okay if I sit at your table?

Me: ??? Oh it’s okay <smiles> (I wonder about her really good English and accent. No offence but it was only the second time we talked with someone who can)

Woman: Thank you^^ I’m an English teacher <gave out her hand to me>

Me: (still ????) <accept the handshake> Oh okay I can guess from your command of English! <awkward pause>

Woman: <smiling all the way through> Sorry if you feel awkward!! I heard you guys talking and your headscarf. I wanna ask if you’re Malaysian? Ive been to Malaysia last year. Beautiful country!

Me: (((Ooooh okayy)))

So that was how it went at the beginning. I’m prepared for a nice light conversation with this stranger about our travels, I thought to myself as she led the other woman who sat with her to our table. She introduced the older woman, her mother to us. The mother was a lot more reserved and just nodded with a little smile. They stayed through the entire meal and exchanged stories of their trip to my country and us in China so far.

Let’s called her as initials M. M revealed she’s Muslim as well, from Hui ethnicity. I was happy to know. Until M started telling me how they can’t wear headscarf or any head cover here, and stressed that she’d totally wear it if she could. But she can’t. I remembered feeling huh I didn’t know that you can’t.

Me: As if in, banned?

M leaned forward and shushed-signaled me.

M: You can’t talk about this in public. You need to speak slowly. (to which I don’t know what to say) Did you noticed people are looking at you? Like the girls from the other table. (we turned abruptly to them to find those eyes hurriedly looking away from us lol)

I know it was weird but I didn’t know it was like, banned. Illegal.

I’m starting to freak out if we were being completely obvious with an illegal act! I asked her about the security checks, she said it’s how it is only in the recent year. I was like I didn’t know! That’s crazy.

M: Now you know. I’m telling you this because it’s my experience as a local as well. (a sigh) If you looked at me from the outside would you even know I’m Muslim, like you? I wear all this and looked like everyone else here. We all looked the same. They didn’t let us wear it to make us all looked the same.

Me: Do people who wore it get into trouble?

M: Yes, you can even go to jail for it. That’s why no one dared to. They only allow older ladies to wear it, like my mom (who had a tied headscarf).

Her mother avoided eye contact but looked approving of what M said. Her mother lightened up a bit when we realized we were of the same age and I commented on how younger M looked compared to us. I think we were being calm enough after the meal ended and processing the whole conversation. I didn’t try to fight the stares anymore though. We were walking around with something illegal above our heads for the last few hours.

…continue writing later it’s 12.24am where Im at 😅..

Dunhuang – Turpan #6

So how’s the world doing? I thought of continuing my long lost China posts after 3 months 😂

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 😆

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.

Steampunk looking building with an adjacent bread shop

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

Dap Youth Hostel signage. So small!

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 😁

The lovely courtyard

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.

Pulled noodles, steamed buns/bao, fried bread? (not sure of the name)

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).

1. 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 😁 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 😅😂 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 >.<

Named ‘Big Chicken Dish’ rather straightforward 😁

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.

Local uncles noticed me taking photo of them haha

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 😂 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.

Had to say goodbye to this cutie

Jiayuguan – Dunhuang #5

(Im on a roll)

Dunhuang. Oh Dunhuang…a voice in my head said that I would’ve live here if I could. Lol that was how good the impression I get from this place. Everything was nice from the weather, people, the parks. Overall experience here was superb. We enjoyed it soo much. Easily because of the sand dunes! Ive never saw one in my life so that won me over fast. Lmao

We were at Dunhuang in the early morning. We creeped closer to Xinjiang by reaching Dunhuang. It was also one of the important Silk Road routes. We got a ride with a nice uncle who tried hard to understand us and translate app but he just couldnt get that we were asking about the attraction sites. He parked the cab at the front of the hotel and video called his English taught daughter to speak to us. We spent half an hour trying to get a ride with him to the sites in an agreement that he could understand…he apologized for language barrier and we were like nahhh we’re sorry too we are severely lacking by not learning at least conversational Mandarin before actually going to China without a travel guide 😂 we could understand simple sentences but couldnt reply back. With no local sim card to connect to Wifis…this would be the most important tip for a China trip when you’re not a Mandarin speaker. Get local sim card!! And install VPN (I have it) but without internet it’s kinda useless.

The empty boulevard in early morning

We checked in just for an hour of freshening up and wend out to get breakfast. The hotel was at walking distance to noodle places as well as nice looking restaurants. We decided to splurge a little by going inside this beautiful door to a fancily decorated dining area with uniformed waitress treating us to a welcome juice in tall glasses. Nice eh? The price werent too pricey and the food tastes good. A local guy who spoke fluent English greeted us while we were going out the building. He introduced himself as the owner’s son and wanted to know our thoughts about the place. He had with him a huge ass bike too. That was random, to notice he had a big bike but that amused me 😆 we walked out to the townspeople waking up and starting the day in full swing. There was a little traffic and there was a group of mixed age Tai Chi practitioners at one side of a busy street.

The cab uncle came by at the specified time to bring us to the Mogao Grottoes. We didnt know it was actually a 2 part trip through the museum where you will have a visual presentation of the history and parts of the Grottoes since it wasnt all preserved and opened to public. A large part was still in conservation, others were just too fragile to be exposed to the public. The modern looking museum also is where you take the shuttle bus to the actual site. As I said, these parks are just sooo huge.

The 1/4 chicken we ordered

The bus ride to the Grottoes

Mogao Grottoes are a network of underground Buddhist shrines built through 10 dynasties. The fact that it was quite recently discovered is mindblowing. It was there for a looong time buried under the desert. The arid weather preserves much of it that we can see today. The shrines are built individually with own styles. The decorations and the vanity of a shrine signify the owner’s wealth and prosperity at the time it was built. You can’t take photos inside so I have nothing to share but the outline of the caves.

One shrine that is set for public use unlike all the other shrines were the one by the only Chinese Empress Wu Zetian. She made her shrine for everyone to use regardless of their status in society. It was an impressive chamber to pray and offer offerings. The Grottoes are a strong example of the cultural and economic exchange of the East and West set by the Silk Road and even before it was recognized. The materials and technique used to build each shrine spanning 1000 years is a must see 😭😭

It was noon and we still have half a day to go for the sand dunes. I mean you can’t say you’ve been to western China and not see the sand dunes right?? We get a different driver for this trip because it’s farther away out from the city. We parted ways from the kind uncle. He was genuinely worried about how we, 2 women getting around by ourselves 😅

The moment we arrived at the sand dunes it was late, it was just so far and we were hoping to be lucky enough to arrive on time. The parking lot and the entrance werent close. We ran like crazy to see the ticket booth still opens. We get some of the last tickets because the place needed hours to ride the shuttles and trek the dunes. That’s why they will close around 5pm to avoid people getting lost inside when it’s dark.

I can’t tell you how mindblowing it was to me but I never thought about the scale of it. IT WAS LIKE A MOUNTAIN. Of cold prickly sand. There were camel rides as well but we decided to trek by foot.

The Crescent Lake!!

Sorry for the quality. Wish I brought myself an actual camera but I dont know if I could pack a heavy old Sony camera. I make a point to bring a camera next time…the amount of stuff I’d have taken from this place alone!! Spending 2 hours arent enough.

At 8pm we must get the ride to the train station which wasnt the one we were from when we arrived that morning (damn it was one of the best 12 hours of my life) it was at Liuyuan, another 2 hours ride out of the city. I researched the stations that were connected to Turpan / Tulufan in the type of coach that we booked. I couldn’t get through from other station. So we took a pricey and long ride into the night. Just pitch black one lane road…I still remember the numbing cold. After 2 hours, the sleepy Liuyuan, demolishing our need for a nice hot noodle bowls and little shopping before getting on the train. We felt unsafe staying outside the station. It was dark and empty. If you look around that area of the town was at the edge. There was nothing else.

Luckily the station had a number of people in the waiting room. We didnt feel so creeped out. A smiling female staff came to us to specifically explained the train numbers etc in English because obviously we looked like we didnt speak Mandarin. That lifted our spirit a bit. I dont know, the ride towards Liuyuan and the town itself were draining and it was nearing midnight. We boarded the train but found no available seats side by side. This was about a week doing this and it wasnt any surprise anymore. We took any barely empty seats we could find and said to each other, see you in the morning.

I forgot to tell you how it surprised me the first time I boarded the K train back in Jiayuguan. There were no assigned seats, people lie and sleep anywhere they could and their feet dangling in the aisle barricading you from walking through. And the smell? As expected, like feet 😂😂

Lanzhou – Jiayuguan #4

Aye 2 weeks has passed from my last post. April been thru sooo fast goddammit!! We’re all trying to take a breather here with everything that’s going on. Im also busy with work..I wish to continue this series as I only has the pictures to keep the memories. I do blogs just so I can go back and read it someday, again.

So, from our last stop at Lanzhou we took the train to Jiayuguan. I learned to live on instant noodles like the locals. Breakfast, snacktime, second breakfast, supper, you named it. As soon as the morning comes the next day in Jiayuguan we took the suggestions from the hotel’s front desk and book a private car all in with tickets to the 3 attraction sites; Jiayuguan Hanging Wall, First Fire Tower and Jiayuguan Pass. I like starting the trip early because we only have one day.

Arriving to the first site (First Fire Tower) around 8.30am with the reception being empty is so cool to me. Then I realized the whole area arent really where I thought it was..we stood at the entrance 2km of barren land until you can actually see the Towers (what was left of it from the 15th century anyway) it’s a Fire Tower. As in, the communication beacons of forts in those times. Seeing it now doesnt tell you its significance, it looks like a random manmade ruins in the desert. The Great Wall of China which generally described to be in Beijing, extends to Gansu as the westernmost part of it. Ive never been to Beijing though. The site includes a small underground showroom and glass floored deck looking out the cliffs. Pretty cool. There’s also an area of constructed barracks similar to what it’d looked like in the past.

Glass deck

Barracks

The second site was The Hanging Wall. It was built in a way that it will not show at all from the western side. The shape seen from a distance looks like it’s hanging.

All the parks so far were vastly walkable. As an unfit person this was quite a challenge 😅 but I enjoyed the work needed to get up for the views and the feeling of accomplishment. It was nearing 1pm and we still had one last place to go, it was the grandest and the most memorable of all; the Jiayuguan Great Wall. Remember that all these Great Walls were named according to the province it were situated. All of them connected to the Great Wall of China. This realization came to me again and Im still in awe.

The size of this fort is something you should feel by being there. It was amazeballs to see the inner and outer cities and the distance through it all. To get the views above the walls you need to climb a steep path used by the horses at the time. Lol you get the picture, a path without steps so you had to clamp your feet down when you wore bad shoes like me. There were a number of tourists groups by the time we arrive at the inner city. Luckily it wasnt the tourist season..and the place is huge you won’t feel the crowd that bad. I get to try the archery booth and walk the path they say trodden by banished people. To the west, there was nothing but endless desert. It was understood at the time it was a death sentence. Now? Through the westernmost Pass, they had go kart and camel rides 😆 however you can go up the walls and use the stationary binoculars to scale how lonely the desert has always looked like.

Bonus city – Linxia

The driver pulled up at a bus station and the kid and the old guy exit the car. We already accepted the fact that we’re here unplanned but there’s nothing we can do. Now the utmost priority is looking for something to eat. We were brought to a local noodle shop (of course) he ordered each of us a bowl. I was like oh no don’t tell me it’s that herbal soup again >.< I sat there trying to not be rude and finish it. This time it was served with  a cucumber relish and some chewy veggies. It really compliments the cold numbing feeling from that certain herb. I’d definitely ask for this together with the noodles if I get to go here again.

We were given a walking tour of the city’s many mosques. I learned later that Linxia is known as The Little Mecca of China, almost literally. The mosques spaced by rows of shophouses and medium rise residential areas, and came with individual designs. Almost none of it are identical with each other.

This is one picture that I found. I think the others were my friend’s. We saw around 3 mosques, all walkable distance 😂 you can google about Linxia and its historical significance to the ancient Silk Road (although not as the same city it was known in modern times) and is one of the two autonomous regions of Hui ethnicity. Our driver told us a lot about the attractions and we were able to pleasantly interact with each other. I think he did a great job and he was delighted about everything. When we reached Linxia in the first place we didn’t feel too bad about it. In the spirit of adventure 😂

We get back to Lanzhou train station well before 5.30pm! We paid 75cny/person for the whole 4 hours return trip Lanzhou – Linxia including the breakfast noodles and the little tour he gave us. Compare that to the airport lift we took upon arrival to Xi’an airport. We were glad we chose to rode with him and reached this remote city and saw all those beautiful mosques. But, by this time we don’t have the space to see Lanzhou like we planned. We filled the time with looking for more noodles bowls instead. Found a nice little pulled noodle shop just walking distance from the station (remember you can’t enter the building if your departure is hours ahead)

Dry noodles. Pulled fresh right in front of you. The chilli oil is sooo good

 

You can see from the picture the local women wears scarfs over their heads. Many Hui ethnicity resides here and the remote Linxia up above the mountain. There are no train nor airport connecting Lanzhou and Linxia. Thinking about how they build up these remote and huge cities just make you intrigued…I think anyone else coming from the US and Canada would get what it meant to live in such a huuuge country. It was mind boggling to me.

Anyway, the dry noodles were so tasty! After spending time walking around the vicinity we took toilet trips before entering the station. And I swear….I cried my eyes out having to use that horrible makeshift toilet!! I understand they limit the use of water around here (all public sinks are sensor automated) But it was pure trauma of sensory and sight. Lol. My friend could control herself but I couldnt, literally bawled my eyes out 😂

Lanzhou – Jiayuguan #3

From this post on I will put the places as titles (because Im bad at titles) I’ll put up pics when Im able to get on pc

 

In early morning Lanzhou, the train station was already flooded by people as we tried to find ourselves taxis to tour around the key attractions as we dont have much time until 5.30pm train to Jiayuguan. I picked Lanzhou because of its history and significance other than as the connecting city as we go westward. We found a pleasant guy from the many locals who promoted their services and decided to talk to him.

We entered his car together with a kid and an old guy crammed inside thinking we’re heading to the attractions we thought we made him understand from the phrases and translations. Alas, we realized he’s going farther out from town and climbed onto hilly zig zagging roads. Me and my friend knew we arent going to where we thought we agreed upon but it was already too far and long gone…partly from our impatience to not wait around at the train station in the cold. The penance for this is getting a ride to an unknown location in a foreign country with the inability to speak the language. Fuck I guess! I kept talking to my friend to be calm and we’ll figure this out once we arrive to where he was also bringing the other 2 passengers. Because there was NO WAY you could ask to be let out on that mountainous road man…and it was so.cold. Our enemy is the damn weather!!

Suddenly he asked us if we needed a toilet break. We’re like yeah sure but WHERE? In the middle of these endless barren mountains? Then he climbed a steep road and put a break on the car. He directs us to a (can you guess it) local’s house that is situated halfway below the ground level where the car was parked. We walked to the yard with the driver and he presumedly tell them abt us needing toilet. The house itself was unlike any Ive ever seen before online nor real life! I tried to act normal but inside I was so intrigued. The paintings on the tiles, the design of the yard, the outhouse as the toilet etc not to forget the intimidating guard dog.

We thanked them profusedly and hike back to the car. As we get in the other 2 passengers smiled and seemed didnt mind abt the time we spent there. It was about half an hour I think. I wonder how did they control their bladder in this cold 😂

It took is ~2hrs to arrive at a town here. It was dusty, a little hot from a 10am sun but prickly cold. Once we get telco lines back we looked up the gps. We’re in Linxia.

 

One time I was in China #2 Xi’an – Lanzhou

So Im updating the previous post. The next morning we checked out. The management allowed us to store our bags at the reception and came back in the evening to pick it up and find a taxi for the ride to the train station. Actually the city is well connected with a metro system but sincr we were noobs and dont want to walk too much we decided to flag a taxi. To get us out from the alleys we took a small trishaw like vehicle and found a taxi afterwards.

I was quite shocked to see the huge train hub. Even at night the place is packed and lines are long. In its proximity there were security gates and your stuff will get checked by uniformed forces. An officer asked me something in Mandarin but after 3 times he gave up and let me go lmao. It was dizzying to navigate for first timers but luckily diytravel.com website that we prebooked the tickets from had all the instructions to ease the whole process. To communicate I used translate app together with typed phrases on a piece of paper and plastered it wide on the surface of the glass interface lol the staff quickly get to business and we were done in about 15minutes from getting our tickets printed to queuing for entry to the waiting hall. Can you imagine only patrons with tickets get to enter the building. All the buzz we saw outside were people who had arrived early to wait for their entry when the time comes. The whole freaking building is ONLY for waiting! Then I remembered how huge this city is in itself. Couldnt be compared to where Im from lol!

As usual locals looked at you all the time when you’re around them. Walking through a super long horizontal seating area in like a huge ass hall to see the current trains docking and departing gets a lil overwhelming as we werent experienced travelers and never been to China. It was all very interesting and mind boggling at the same time just observing the way things are run and how the people acted around themselves. The walk to the underground railway was cold and unexpectedly long and rushed. I thought Im gonna miss it (I felt like this at every train stations on this trip 😂) we get to our 4people sleeper room. There was this old couple that stayed with us. Without understanding a word between us we all managed to somehow connect..idk how to explain it. But it was nice…I get to sleep the shit out of that 7hrs ride. On trips I tend to fully enjoy the act of sleep. In normal times this is unnatural to me. So anyway we arrived at 6.30am in Lanzhou. And omg it was so cold, to us, who are hot blooded creatures from the equator and it was 9c of the final tip of winter in central Asia.

Lanzhou Train Station

One time I was in China

Hello cursed 2020! My country is also in a nationwide quarantine. Like almost the entire world. I feel a kind of connection with people unlike any other time. It’s always tragedy that brings us together right? Well since people are on social media often it’s like an endless block of neighbors in one place. So anyway, flicking through pictures of my 2018 China trip made me feel sooo omg I havent been travelling like that for a long time. In 2019 I focused on other things financially. I was like 2020 will be the Year. Who wouldve foreseen such a disastrous year??! Especially travelling security and finances. It would be a full 2 years from the beginning of the trip today.

I was only attracted to China for the western part of it. Im lame like that, I think that famous places are overrated so I tend to research on places that arent mainstream in my effort to feel special loool I get to see the things in my own eyes and decide how I feel about it. Famous destinations already has so many being talked about them so I lose interest in it. Lmao. Im drawn to central Asia since I follow a few insta influencers that was from those countries. Then I made the research about the Silk Road and read more about colorful histories of the middle kingdoms that oversaw so many cultural exchanges throughout centuries.

I realized China should be my first stop if I ever want to venture to the -stan countries tho. It took fairly a year to research and book everything that could be done pre flight date. Talked to my best friend/travelbuddy about it and convinced her to take a 2 week long holiday. We went flying north to Xi’an where it’ll be our base city before going westward.

Checked in a Xi’an modest hotel in an alleyway. We arrived around 11pm local time and had to pay 150cny just for a ride to the hotel. Post trip I realized it was a LOT but then again we had no choice. It was late and we were concerned abt safety.

I was still in my head, I didnt think we really made it to China. I just never dreamed of wanting to go here like in my childhood or anything lol it was a recent yearning that I have, and nurtured. Now that Im here I have to make sense of it. My friend and I toured the area around it the next day looking for a local breakfast. But holy shit my taste palette just.cant.take. the herbs in their noodles! It was tongue numbing and hunger cancelling. We tried to not be wasteful and munch our way through and looking squarely at each other. Continuing the walk about 20mins we reached a major area of the morning market. It’s near to Xi’an Muslim Street where all the tourists and locals come for halal food. The vendors are from Hui Chinese although there were some other different races spotted. At the time, I was so foolish and arent aware about Uyghurs or anything. Ive read about it but news are just news until you saw it yourself…

We were 100% touristy at that day, just sampling and eating everything we could get our hands on, and checked out Xi’an Mosque. It was beautiful but it wasn’t open to females. This is kinda weird but we talked to its staff and they allowed us to use and look around the prayer hall. There was no one inside except some religious school kids and their imams. We were greeted warmly to just see a Quran class went by.

To punctuate such a pleasant day, we end up ordering a dish of meat and rice that we couldnt finish (again) because of the damned tongue numbing herbs (again!) since we couldnt speak Mandarin we left it at that. I swear local waiters could see our faces swelled when we realized what we’re eating.

Maldives cont.

Part IV – Dreams and Realizations

19/2 – 20/2 (Sunday – Monday)

This was supposed to be our last day according to the original tour package. It was the 4th day already! But it’s madness to leave this beautiful island so early. I paid for another 2 nights at the same hotel to match the available flight schedule…and now we have 3 days in total including today. Yay! We decided to went for a full day excursion at the 5 star luxury hotel – Adaaran Prestige in Vadoo Island. There are many resort excursions to choose from. It means that you are paying to use the private beach, facilities such as changing room, toilet, and sometimes the pool. Not all 5 star hotels provide this package though. It’s so cool because I know I won’t be able to afford that in the near future lol the boat waited for us at the jetty and it took us 20mins or so to reach Vadoo Island. The reception is so awesome with the staff ready to greet you at the entrance. There’s a small garden at the front before you can see the main building where the restaurant is at. The actual guests of the hotel watching us like these people ain’t gonna get in here for free lool it’s funny but I don’t think anyone cared since the place is amazing and everyone can’t wait to look around the compound like we can afford it 😅

You will get a sturdy wristband so that the staff can differentiate you from the actual guests and easy to group up when it’s time to leave. Drinking that fresh orange juice in a tall glass beside the private beach, you’re sure revved up for a luxury escapade in Maldives 😍
They briefed us the do’s and don’ts and we are free to explore and stay until sunset! I forgot to mention all this is for 100USD. So far the most I’ve paid in one single day so I’m gonna make sure it’s worth it. But the wait until lunchtime is sooo long….the original plan was to get in the waters after lunch (we kinda avoided sun unlike everyone else hahaha) because we haven’t really ate and felt hungry to actually play at the beach. It was really inviting though, the wildlife that you can spot just by looking at the beach. You don’t even have to look for them. There are an abundace of ‘friendly’ marine life such as baby sharks, stingrays, and eels.

It was amazing needless to say. And the over-water villas are situated next to the snorkelling area. You basically can jump right into it from your backdoor. I don’t have photos here as I left my camera’s battery back in our hotel -__-
The lunch area is separate from the guests but is very good with nice choices and tastes great. The ice cream served at the end, heck, I wish I wasn’t as full as I was. We met a staff who can speak our language and told us he has worked in our country for years that’s how he picked it up. He spoke really good northern accent by the way 😂 It made me realise that there were a lot of them back home and not just the usual Bangladeshi (since they look a bit similar). I feel a lil shocked for the fact that we Malaysians just barely reaching Maldives in like these past 3 years but they have been coming to us since more than 10 years ago. Lol. Air Asia’s tagline ‘Now Everybody can Fly’ is indeed true. I won’t even dreamed of stepping foot at the Maldives. Not in a million years! I feel privileged and thankful that I’m actually here.

We got back from Adaaran Prestige with a bunch of fun photos and videos in the clear waters. Even if it rains that evening, we continued playing around and wished our backyard remotely looked like this. The day ended with a shark feeding demo although it’s more like Tuna feeding because there weren’t that many sharks at the time. While the Tunas and Jackfish took the center stage while we hoomans were watching in awe from the small bridge above. We were even visited by a large pelican (I think it’s called??) that appeared ever so gracefully, near the people who wanted a picture of it. It was another amazing moment seeing all these wildlife around the resort. In the sunset light it served as the perfect backdrop. Dream honeymoon resort for sure 😉

The next day was really, really lazy. Waking up for breakfast seemed too much of a hassle. You know, one of those days when you’ve started to get accustomed to the vacation life. You don’t really wanna go anywhere exploring new things (Maafushi is just 1km+ long anyway) and take things super slowly. But tomorrow is our last day and we still haven’t finished exploring the whole island. So we decided to find Maafushi Prison and treating it as some kind of an investigation lol it was actually less than 4 mins walk towards the end of the island. It was freaky to drive past it last night when we rode a motorcycle with our guide.

I have never lived this near to any kind of prison in my life, like a lot of people. This particular prison is very interesting indeed – it houses the former president of Maldives M Nasheed. He was kinda ousted by his own cabinet that he finally had to declare hiw own resignation. His past lawyers included Amal Clooney. And the whole thing about his term and how he lose it is tells you a lot about this little country of atolls. Hint: it isn’t the first time things like this happen. Again I’m gonna repeat their political climate is an interesting thing to know especially once you were here and you get to talk to the locals. Their issues are pressing and very much stirred up. I think I downplayed everything because I have that assumption of paradise and escapism about Maldives (like everyone else on this planet! It’s well known as the ultimate honeymoon destination for all we know) I changed my mind. Climate change, economy, corruption in government, separation to form an independent nations, I don’t even know. Before I googled I wasn’t ready for all these information lol But I like researching and reading a general outlook of countries that I am going to. The thing that you can easily observe about this island country is how booming and crowded Male is. I wouldn’t say I was repulsed by it (like some of travel bloggers I’ve read simply hated it) I was maybe taken aback. It’s not like Singapore, an island nation that’s situated close to the mainland. This is Maldives, in the middle of the Indian Ocean! It’s quite a sight to take in.

The Maldives just recently refurbished their tourism to allow locals to operate their own guesthouses (that’s why there are so many sprang up) and it literally opened the door to a whole lot of travel opportunities to the average and below budget travellers. For the past decades or so it was just luxury hotels. Can you imagine the world cathing up on budget friendly Maldives in the future?? The island will be overloaded I think! There were even more artifical islands being made…it’s overwhelming when you think of it. Wait until you walk by foot in Male city the capital of Maldives, which I did on my last day.

Maldives – cont.

Part III – I Fell in Love

18/2 – Saturday

The next morning we were happy to have our breakfast on the sand and salty wind blowing away. It was sunny and already buzzing with people. Couples and families with small kids strolling the jetty towards the east of the island where it’s busier with shops and the most famous beach here – Bikini Beach. It’s one of the public beach in Maldives where you can wear your bikinis and not get chased by the law enforcers. I heard you could also fined as it is an offence in Maldives. Anywhere else in private beaches you can, of course, wear and do anything you want. I think it’s sensible enough. So we were planning to take a dip at Bikini Beach later in the evening after our trip today to a local island named Guraidhoo, located 15 minutes fast boat ride from Maafushi. We were greeted by local boys playing football by the jetty. Like Maafushi, Guraidhoo also don’t have any paved tar roads, just sand.

Our guide told us little by little about the island as we went walking from sleepy streets to another. When we were near the jetty a local man who was carrying a load of construction debris, suddenly called up to us and pointed to the waters. We were crazed and delighted by two stingrays passing below the boats!

I have never even seen stingrays so close to civilization lol I had touched a stingray during feeding time at a fish farm in Langkawi Island. But never in the wild like that. Hell man I’m so in love with Maldives by now. There were only 3-4 hotels in the whole island, which is larger than Maafushi itself (but Maafushi has the most number of guest houses in Maldives). The local women sat chatting quietly but greeted us when we passed by. People just chilling in their basket chairs…tending little pots of edible veggies…just keeping to their daily lives. The houses were colorful and clean.

We walked to one end of the island and from there we could see another island close by. But you couldn’t pass through through the shallow waters because it’s a luxury private island with water villas and a private lagoon of turqoise beaches. That would cost around 650USD per night. We were like nah man…we won’t be able to afford that in the next 10 years lol!
Guraidhoo is a step behind in development despite its size and you could see it the moment you stepped on the island. It was a shame but also a blessing. The air was so tranquil and quiet. It was so lovely to a city girl like me. I think it’d attract a certain kind of travellers…with a population of 700 people, less humans and frankly nothing to do 😀
We spent about 2 hours walking around and taking all kinds of pictures. When we get on the boat, the driver gave us a free thrill ride that almost made my heart leaped out on its own. I swear it was so fast and frequently cutting through the air like literally flying. I’ve had the worse back in Perhentian where the guys would drive the boat in between two pointy big rocks protruding from the water and I thought I was gonna die lol point is I had so many bad boat travels 😅😅
After lunch back in our hotel, we got ready for a full evening at the beach as planned. There were so many people by the time we were there. As usual what we did first was people watching 😂 while sipping coconut drinks and chatting. I love people watching. And we got in we were like spoiling the scene with our fully clothed bodies unlike the bikinis and shorts around us 😂 sorry guys but this beach is the prettiest here so we also came here to swim xD

The first time I saw the beach it was a jaw dropped moment. So glowing in light blue, like how I saw it on the internet. The pictures literally aren’t a lie! Sooo amazingly clear and perfectly tucked in the artificial rocky barriers they made around it (shaped like the letter Y) so you have an area to play around before it gets deeper. Plenty of metres I would say. Anyone have this as their backyard is so lucky. But, like anywhere else in Maldives, as you swim at the beach wild sea creatures also swim with you 😂😂 I saw baby stingrays and small fishes and more of it the farther you go from the beach. My friend who was freaked out didn’t continue to swim hahaha I love this fact so much about Maldives. I don’t think I’ve ever went to a beach so flat and wide like this with plenty of space to swim and has that many creatures. Sometimes I hated wearing goggles because I’d jumped when I saw things swimming in the shallow waters…if it’s in a deeper ocean it’d be okay for me lol
At night we went for dinner in one local eatery. My friend had a really weird tasting milk tea (where it says Ceylon Milk Tea) as the most experienced and adventurous food seeker that is myself I had to gave this verdict. The milk has a strong milky taste if that even make sense! And fish and chips, is actually Tuna and chips. Again. Maldives with its favorite fish!! Haha it wasn’t bad though, just different. I also had my friend’s pancakes, which were really dense.

Everyone else couldn’t finish their food except meeee be adventurous next time guys! It was good times with mostly jokes, and, calculating the shared bills. We paid with both Maldivian Ruffiya and USD and hoped the shop doesn’t mind. They didn’t and we got changes in Ruffiya. Good thing because that’d surely ended up with random junk food to accompany chats on our bed before going to sleep lol we’re in the middle of our stay in Maldives and I started to feel heavy and sure that it’d be so long for the next Maldives visit. I was overwhelmed but I told myself to focus on days spent so lazily and not gave in to thoughts that brought me down. But dear time, please slow down.