BEFORE YOU
GET TO THE
KARAKORAM,
YOU NEED TO GET
THROUGH CHINA
.
EVEN THE MOST DIRECT FLIGHTS WILL PROBABLY BRING YOU VIA CITIES YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF, ENDING UP IN THE FAR END OF XINJIANG, A PART OF CHINA MANY CONSIDER DAUNTING. UNLIKE NEPAL AND PAKISTAN, CHINA HAS LITTLE OF THE TOURIST PIPELINE THAT KEEPS FOREIGNERS WELL BUFFERED FROM THE DAILY NORMS, AND WE’VE HAD MORE THAN ONE SEEMINGLY SEASONED CLIMBER MELTDOWN. FOR OTHERS CHINA AND THE FAR WEST FASCINATING DESTINATIONS THAT MORE THAN LIVE UP TO THEIR REPUTATIONS FOR BEING CENTRAL TO WORLD HISTORY, THE DIFFERENCE IS IN BEING READY TO ENGAGE.
THESE DAYS CHINA IS A MAJOR TRAVEL DESTINATION AND THOUGH MOST VISITORS DO THE BASIC ROUTE OF BEIJING, XIAN, SHANGHAI & GUILIN, ACROSS THE COUNTRY THINGS ARE GEARED UP FOR VISITORS. AS EXOTIC AS THE STREETS ARE, DOWNTOWN IN EVERY LARGE CITY YOU WILL FIND FAMILIAR RESTAURANTS & BRAND NAMES, AND OF COURSE THE INSIDE OF ANY FAMOUS HOTEL WILL BE THE SAME AS ANY OTHER.
BEYOND THE MASS-TRAVELLED PARTS CHINA GETS UNTRAMMELED FAST, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE BORDERS. THOUGH THE DAYS OF FINDING REALLY UNSEEN STUFF ARE FAST DWINDLING, A LOT OF CHINA STILL HASN’T HAD ANY CONTACT WITH FOREIGNERS, AND THAT’S WHERE THINGS GET INTERESTING. OVERALL THE PEOPLE OF CHINA ARE FRIENDLY & AS CURIOUS ABOUT TRAVELLERS AS WE ARE ABOUT THEIR COUNTRY. LACK OF A COMMON LANGUAGE DOESN’T MEAN COMMUNICATION CAN’T TAKE PLACE AND THE CHINESE ARE VERY GOOD AT GETTING STUFF DONE.
FOR THE CASUAL TRAVELLER THE TRAITS OF CHINA’S HUGE POLITICAL SYSTEM WON’T AFFECT DAY TO DAY EXPERIENCE, THE MASSES OF BLUE CAPPED WORKERS STRUGGLING FOR THE COMMON GOOD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY EDUCATED URBANITES NOW WORRIED ABOUT MORTGAGES, PHONE BILLS & COFFEE. DESPITE THE TWISTED PORTRAYAL OF CHINA BEING A TOTALITARIAN POLICE STATE, THINGS ARE SURPRISINGLY NORMAL.
WHERE CHINA COMES INTO IT’S OWN IS IN IT’S MARKETS, LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL & HISTORY. THE AMOUNT OF CONSUMERISM IS STAGGERING AND INSTANTLY DISPLACES ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT DEPRIVED CITIZENS, AND A LONG HAUL TRAIN OR BUS TRIP IS A CLEAR WAY OF GETTING A HINT OF THE BREADTH OF THE COUNTRY. BUT IT’S CHINA’S HISTORY THAT SETS IT APART FROM MOST OTHER PLACES, INCLUDING THE SENSE THAT RIGHT NOW HISTORY IS STILL VERY MUCH BEING MADE. EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK YOU SEE A 5000 YEAR OLD CIVILIZATION BOTH CATCHING UP & CREATING THE WORLD.
ON THE GROUND THIS MAKES FOR AN AMAZING TRAVEL EXPERIENCE, AND BECAUSE CHINA’S POPULATION IS ALSO ON THE MOVE, ONE THAT’S COMMONLY SHARED. TRAINS, BUSES & FLIGHTS LEAVE CONSTANTLY. BOATS TRAVEL THE LARGE RIVERS. TICKET BOOKING & FORWARDING BUSINESSES ARE EVERYWHERE. HOTELS ARE ON EVERY CORNER & YOU CAN EAT 24HRS A DAY.
YES, THERE ARE PLACES YOU CAN’T BE GOING TO, AND DISPLAYS OF POLITICAL AGENDAS WILL CONJOUR THE AUTHORITIES VERY FAST. IT PAYS TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON THINGS POLITICAL UNTIL YOU LEAVE THE BORDERS. BUT IF YOU SHOW UP WITH AN OPEN MIND, YOUR BOOTS ON & A WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE IT’S NOT HARD TO SEE THINGS ARE PROBABLY NOT HOW THEY APPEAR IN WESTERN MEDIA.
A FEW THINGS WE’VE NOTICED THAT HELP FIRST-TIME TRAVELLERS TO CHINA ARE
RESPECT THE DISTANCES
CHINA IS HUGE, AND THE FURTHER WEST YOU GO THE GREATER THE DISTANCES BETWEEN THINGS. AUSTRALIANS & NORTH AMERICANS USUALLY HAVE A GRASP OF THIS BUT IF YOU’RE USED TO LOOKING AT MAPS OF BRITAIN OR NEW ZEALAND YOU WILL NEED TO READJUST. MEETING US IN KASHGAR BY GETTING THE TRAIN IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE, BUT IF YOU’RE COMING FROM ANYWHERE EAST OF LANZHOU YOU’LL NEED ABOUT A WEEK.
TRAVEL LOW KEY
AS AN EXPEDITION CLIMBER YOU ARE SET APART FROM THE KONTIKI AND LONELY PLANET CROWD
ENGAGE
MINIMIZE THE BUBBLE ON YOUR WAY TO KASHGAR. EAT WHERE THE LOCALS DO, GO WHERE THE LOCALS GO
DO SOME RESEARCH
START WITH A MAP. LOOK AT WHERE K2 IS AND THE PLACES ALONG THE WAY AND WHAT’S IN BETWEEN. ASIDE FROM THE WILDERNESS, THERE’S ALSO A LOT OF HUMANITY OUT THERE, AND IT’S BEEN THERE A LONG TIME. KASHGAR MAY SOUND LIKE THE EDGE OF THE WORLD TO YOU, BUT TO THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL ASIA IT’S BEEN WELL KNOWN FOR MILLENIA.
LEARN SOME WORDS
OUR TEAM WILL COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH, BUT BEYOND THAT DON’T EXPECT MUCH MORE. DO THOUGH EXPECT A POPULATION FAMILIAR WITH THE SOUNDS OF MANY OTHER LANGUAGES AND WHO WILL RESPECT YOUR ATTEMPTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. DON’T JUST LEARN HOW TO BUY STUFF, LEARN A FEW SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO ASK AND HAVE A CONVERSATION NOT JUST A TRANSACTION.
EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE ISSUES
IT’S NO SECRET THAT CHINA AND ESPECIALLY XINJIANG GET MIXED PRESS, BUT THAT RELIES ON WHO YOU ARE LISTENING TO. LIKE ALL COUNTRIES, THERE WILL BE PERSPECTIVES COLOURED BY PEOPLES POSITION AND THERE’S NO REASON TO CONNECT CLIMBING MOUNTAINS WITH POLITICS. IF THE CLIMBING WORLD CAN COME TO GRIPS WITH THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPES OF CHILE, PAKISTAN, NEPAL & THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, IT CAN COME TO TERMS WITH CHINA. JUST AS THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US ACTED AS CULTURAL EMISSIARIES TO, SO TOO CAN WE.
.