Xinjiang Railroads Lead to...Nowhere

If anyone ever doubted the strategic importance China places on northern Xinjiang, this last week ended the debate. The provincial government recently announced (here in English) the completion of four new rail lines stretching a total of 1,400km, a project that cost 1.68 billion yuan ($243 million USD). Unlike the Urumqi-Kashgar line opened a decade ago, however, most tourists (including me) aren’t likely to care much about traveling these new routes that basically lead to nowhere.

In Xinjiang, the railroad generally isn’t geared toward the traveler. As a case in point, the new train station in my home of Karamay – a small city of 200,000 with plenty of space to grow – is almost 30 minutes outside of town by taxi. Even if it was more conveniently located, though, I still wouldn’t take it for time’s sake. A bus to Urumqi takes almost 4 hours. The train will take 8. The same can be said for the city of Turpan, whose train station is actually located an hour to the north of the city.

That’s not to say that the scenery along these new lines isn’t spectacular. The new lines skirt by some of Xinjiang’s many nature reserves and the bridge you see below crosses through the fertile Yili grasslands.

Most surprising is the fact that this announcement is just the tip of the iceberg. Currently 10 more lines are under construction in different parts of the province with the plan to extend the current 3,000km of track in the province to over 10,000km by 2020. According to Xinjiang Railway director Luo JinBao, that’ll make us the railroad king of China. 

Picture of the Week: Karakul Lake

A Beautiful Day at Karakul Lake

Along the Karakoram Highway which begins in Kashgar and leads to the town of Tashkurgan on the China-Pakistan border, there is a small lake surrounded by the gorgeous Pamir mountain peaks. It’s very difficult to capture the beauty of Karakul Lake within the frame of a single photo and I wish I could say I have done so here.

The water in this lake, which appears to change to a different shade of translucent blue every hour of the day, becomes a crystal-clear mirror when calm.

Pretty much the only thing more breath-taking than the majestic daytime scenery at Karakul Lake is witnessing how the sky bursts with innumerable stars during the night. The high altitude and clean air made star gazing so easy it felt like a door in the atmosphere had been opened.

Note: Previously I named Karakul Lake as one of the top four lakes in the province.  You ought to check out these three other amazing lakes in Xinjiang.

Favorite Pit Stops on the Silk Road

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned in my years of traveling through Xinjiang and around China, it’s that travel books don’t catch everything. It would be impossible, I realize, but I still think it’s a shame that travelers miss some really cool gems. I’ve become friends with a few foreign small business owners and have come to appreciate the incredible red tape they have to overcome to open their cool cafes.

So in my effort to give these guys some free publicity and to help any travelers touring the Silk Road I’d like to share my top three favorite kinds of foreign small businesses: the café, the coffee house, and the ice cream shop.

Best Café: Urumqi’s Texas Café

I admit that I’m a little biased considering I hail from the great state of Texas, but Urumqi’s Texas Café really does offer some of the best Tex-Mex food in China. On the menu you’ll find enchiladas, burritos, and nachos as well as typical western dishes like pizza or hamburgers. Good coffee and homemade deserts top of a very reasonably priced meal. I know this sounds like a long commercial, but you can ask my wife – I love this place.

Also available is a decent-sized collection of books available for rent, buy or trade and free wifi. Jerrod, who is running the place, is a great guy who apparently went to school not even 10 minutes from my home. Who knew we’d be meeting up in the middle of Central Asia?
  Name: 德克萨斯西餐厅 "The Texas Cafe"
  Address: 马市小区 (ma shi xiao qu) along the grape trellis
  Hours:  1pm to 11pm

Best Coffee House: Dunhuang’s Oasis Café

Opened in the last year, this coffee house blows away every other “café” in Dunhuang. That may be because it’s the only one that is run by foreigners, but I personally believe it’s because they focus on selling coffee, not camel tours. Currently their menu is only drinks but they tell me they plan to offer food sometime in the next year. Food can wait, though, cause their latte and milkshakes are incredible.

Travis and Kevin have created a nice atmosphere which includes free wifi, soothing music, and comfortable seating. They’re menu isn’t incredibly long, but their coffee is good quality.
  Name: 绿洲咖啡馆 "Dunhuang's Oasis Cafe"
  Address: 商业街99号 (shang ye jie 99 hao)
  Hours:  2pm to 12pm

Best Ice Cream: Ice Mountain Creamery

Live in China long enough and you’ll find that American brands like Blue Bell really can’t be beat. Chinese ice creams lack a certain…how do you describe it?  A creamy taste. So last year when the Ice Mountain Creamery opened up I was skeptical that their ice cream could be much better, but it is. It really is.

They have a small (very small!) window selling ice cream in the city center, but you can also get a bowl at the Texas Café. During the summer months a cup of the “Urumqi Snow” (cookies and cream) really hits the spot.
  Name: 美国冰淇淋 "Ice Mountain Creamery"
  Address: 乌市人民路车市 H9 (wu shi ren min lu che shi H9)

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So there you have it. I don’t do advertisements much, but I think these guys deserve it. If you ever out in the area stop by and give them some business. You can tell them you heard it from me, but quite honestly they’d probably just laugh and say “Yea, I remember that Josh guy. He’s kind of weird but his wife is real nice.”

Picture of the Week: Woodworking in Kashgar

Father and Son share duties at the woodworking shop

I came across this cool scene on a small street in the Old City of Kashgar. Among the endless stands and stores selling all sorts of Uyghur antique souvenirs a man and his son patiently chipped away at pieces of wood. The young boy, no older than thirteen years old, used a large axe to break apart the logs while his father worked the lathe using a tiny chisel. After chatting with the both of them for a few minutes I ended up buying two simple candle stands that had since been painted and stained. It wasn’t expensive and these aren’t the type of souvenirs that are typical of Xinjiang, but this is the kind of stuff I like to remember a place by.

Sadly, the road where this shop used to stand has been torn down following a government plan to rebuild the Old City section of Kashgar and relocate all of its 220,000 inhabitants to newer housing. I probably won’t ever find out what has become of this father-and-son wood shop, but now I have a couple of candlesticks to help me remember what used to be.