The Silk Road - the end

From Panoramatravel.dk

My trip to the Silk Road started 12 years ago with Liselotte. We both wanted to see Bukhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan, but our husbands didn't want to go to a desert country, too hot for them. 

So Liselotte and I went on a "girls tour" where the focus was on handicraft, and, as women only, we had the chance to see how a wedding was done by a poor young woman who showed us the traditions surveyed by the soon-to-be mother-in-law and her sister. 

The Silk Road has been a theme for other trips, Northern Pakistan, where I saw how one of the original roads clung to the mountainside with landslides blocking in places - and that was the renovated part. I stood on a good, tar road a bit afar with heavy truck traffic from Western China heading to the nearest harbour, which is in Pakistan.

Now my Silk Road-themed trips are coming to and end. I'm about to go to Xi'an, China, and I'll end in Khiva, Uzbekistan, via Kyrgyzstan. I will probably see more places along the Silk Road but they will not be the main theme then, just a good friend to greet unexpectedly. This is my trip Silk Road (in Danish, but the pictures can be view by all 😉). I have travelled with Panorama before (Pakistan and Pamir Highway), so I know that there are great things in store for us. I already know one person, Gert, from my two other trips with Panorama. It will be nice to see and old friend and meet new ones.

The bag is almost packed, Chinese Yuan and American $$ are ordered. Vaccinations done.

So, I'm also trying something new: this blog! I haven't felt that the Facebook group for friends and family really worked well. 


The itinerary

September

11 Copenhagen-Xi'an

12 Xi'an - the old capital

13 Xi'an - the terracotta army, pagodas and museum

14 Train to Zhangye and Buddha temple

15 The Rainbow Mountains and bus to Jiayuguan Castle

16 Dunhuang - Dunes, Half Moon Llake

17 Dunhuang - Buddha caves and transport to Turfan/Turpan

18 Turpan - Uighur village, The Burning Mountains and the ruin city Jiaohe

19 Turpan - Irrigation system, night train to Kashgar/Kashi

20 Kashgar - city tour

21 Kashgar - Sunday Market

22 Kashgar - Torugart Pass - Tash Rabat (Kyrgyzstan)

23 Tash Rabat - Song Kol

24 Song Kol - Kochkor - Ashu village

25 Ashu Village - Bishkek - Tashkent

26 Tashkent - Bukhara

27 Bukhara - The Emir's summer palace, goodbye to the group

28 Train to Khiva

29 Khiva - on my own

30 Khiva - on my own


October

1 Khiva - guided tour

2 Khiva - desert fortresses

3 Khiva - Copenhagen



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