From Turpan we continue on around the Taklimakan desert to Dunhuang, the start of the Great Wall of China. The drive is uninspiring but includes the worst ‘off’ we have had so far in China. It is so bad that driving in the sand I can see nothing and have no real idea whether the lorries in front of us are coming towards us or going the same way. Very scary and after 10 or so kilometres we notice a stretch of tarmac to our right which seems to be intact. Ignoring the signs and piles of earth we find a way onto this tarmac and are soon driving alongside the off on a clear road with good visibility. We are not sure whether we will be forced to turn back at some point but for now we are going strong and can see the odd place where we cools rejoin the ‘off’ if forced to do so.
I should explain that the de rigour in China is to divert cars off the road for road works rather than closing a lane. This is coupled by huge piles of earth to block any driver from trying to do what we have just done by closing access to all alternative tarmac stretches. However, every so often the piles of earth have suffered a flattening or bypassing and the brave ignore the minimal signs and just drive on the tarmac.
Signage here is so bad that on a dual carriageway we met a lorry in the outside lane that should have been over the barriers on the other carriageway. He had missed the rotten sign that told him to rejoin his carriageway after an ‘off’ and hence brought him down the road the wrong way, imagine the consequences of that in England !.
Further on we met a queue of lorries disappearing into the distance as far as the eye could see. Four wheel drive vehicles were leaving the carriageway and driving in the sand to bypass the blockage. As we were foreigners in a Bentley we just drove down the centre of the road waving the on coming traffic out of the way until 5 kilometres or so later we reaches the accident that had caused the blockage. I love Chinese lorry drivers they would not let a local car through but it was like the parting of the Red or was it Dead sea for us !. Awful accident, a shunt I am told, one lorry into the back of another, enough said, I was too busy bypassing it to look.
We were really quite pleased when we turned off the Beijing road to take the southern route to Dunhuang and Tibet, no lorries to contend with. It should be said that the lorries, thousands of them, were all going East to Xinjiang province, the boom area of Eastern China since they struck Oil and Gas there some 10 years ago. The growth is extraordinary and we cannot believe the change since our passing through here in 2005.
The new road to Dunhuang goes right between two sections of the Great Wall and this confuse the hell out of me as we had always seen it on the right before appearing out of the desert. Now it is less on a sudden appearance but no less just as impressive. But what of Dunhuang, the small desert town in the Taklimakan, well it is no longer small but has become a must visit tourist sight in China. What a great place, all recently built but complete with idyllic pagoda lake, huge night market, big food street and a very cosmopolitan population.
Loved it, food was excellent, thoroughly recommend Yangzhou Chou Fan, the Beijing Duck, Rack of Lamb (Chinese Style – more rack than lamb) and chicken with some meat on the bone (common complaint on this trip all bone no meat !). Got the car on a lift here and managed to do the oiling and sort out more loose bits. The charging circuit is still not functioning properly but problem is no longer in the Dynamo but somewhere in the Regulator I think. More or less given up and just travelling with two charged batteries. We have 10 driving days left so we will just charge up a battery every night until we get to India.
However, the adventure is about to begin, we face several 5,400 metres passes in the next few days as well as Everest Base Camp which I think is nearer 6,000 metres. David along with the Grieves is going to take the train to Lhasa whilst I with one of the support crew will drive the Bentley. There will just be us along with two Landrovers going up so at least we should have great backup !.
Western China has just changed so much in the last decade, not just economically but more importantly, socially. It is clear that the government have realised that Tieneman Square was a watershed and since then have tried to find a way forward that takes the people with them. I believe they have succeeded, no longer do you EVER see a Mao Test Tung uniform, p[people are more articulate, many have a smattering of English, the children are more animated, the young more sophisticated. It is quite remarkable and, coupled with there obvious drive towards reduced carbon technology, seems to me that they are far ahead of the conventional wisdom that the West thinks they understand about the country.
To me the social change is even more important than the economic change as the former was always the greatest threat to the one party system. Clearly the leaders have recognised this and although they may be slow to react in Western terms they are undoubtedly taken a course that will bring the country forward without rocking the boat.
As we leave the plains for the mountains I can only wonder what things will be like in 5 years time if we are lucky enough to return.
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