17th – 30th September – Jiayuguan – Lanzhou - Foping Nature Reserve - Chengdu, China

Car problems are making the going tough but there have been some serious highlights in the past few weeks. The Terracotta Warriors in particular and being in the Foping Nature Reserve, inhabited by 100 Panda Bears.

12th September – Turpan – China

Turpan is an old city with a long history. Traces have been found of humans living there, dating as far back as 6,000 years ago. Turpan means 'the lowest place' in the Uygur language and 'the fertile land' in Turki. Lying in the Turpan Basin, the elevation of most of the places in the area is below 500 meters (1,640 feet). Turpan is the city with the lowest elevation in China.

The city, which is also known as Huo Zhou (a place as hot as fire), is the hottest place in China. The annual average temperature is 14 C (57.2 F). It is reckoned that there are 152 summer days on average, and 28 really broiling days with the temperature above 40 C (104 F). Although the high temperature can be oppressive people can also get some benefits from it. The abundant sunshine gives the melons and grapes ideal conditions to grow. The fruit here is widely known for its high sugar content, especially the grapes. The locals are quite fond of sand therapy which has a history of hundreds of years in Turpan. People lie or sit under sheds, burying their bodies in hot sand about 50 C (122 F) to 60 C (140 F). It is said to be a good way to treat rheumatism and skin ailments.

Turpan is a marvelous city blending Western and Eastern religions and culture together perfectly. The geographical position of Turpan is rather important. Lying at the junction of the east and the west of China, it has been a key point on the Silk Road since ancient times, with a great number of historical relics as well as unique landscapes.
As a city inhabited by minority groups, you can find Uygur snacks in the streets and lanes. Kebabs, Zhua Fan (Rice Eaten with Hands), Nang, Roast Lamb will make your mouth water. There are also many traditional drinks in Turpan, including milk tea, black tea, grape wine and mare's milk. The traditional handcrafts are exquisite and are worth collecting. Carpets, clothes, caps and knives are favorites, with distinctive folk characteristics.

6th – 9th September 2010 – From Sary Tash in Krygyzstan to Kashgar - CHINA

Arrived in Sary-Tash, a minor village and major crossroads in the Alay Valley of Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan, after a nerve wracking drive on a muddy dirt tract over a mountain pass that was 12k feet high. Made it to Kashgar – China – had a long albeit entertaining crossing at 12,000 ft!

2nd September - Osh, Krygzstan

Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". Osh is a lively place, with the largest and most crowded outdoor market in Central Asia.
The city is among the oldest settlements inCental Asia. Osh was known as early as the 8th century as a centre for silk production along the Silk Road. The famous trading route crossed the Alay Mountains to reach Kashgar to the east. In modern times, Osh has also become the starting point of the Pamir Highway crossing the Pamir Mountains.

Miranda has had a problem with one of her windows and had to be fixed at the Mechanics. The roads have been better than expected.

28th August - 1st September - Otmok Pass and Lake Toktogul

Colin and Chrissy spent the night of 27th August in a Yurt similar to the one in the picture, near Talas.

The Kyrgyz Republic or Kyrgyzstan is situated in the northeastern part of Central Asia. It borders Kazakhstan in the north-west, China in the south-east, Tajikistan in the south, and Uzbekistan in the west. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country, with a range of altitudes from 400 m to 7 400 m. About half of the country’s territory is situated at an altitude of more than 3,000m above sea level. The mountain masifs of Pamir-Alai and Tien Shan are the dominant features. Colin and Chrissy have 5 major mountain passes to negotiate in this country, as well as driving beside:
Toktogul reservoir
The largest man-made water reservoir in Kyrgyzstan was constructed on the Naryn River as storage for hydroelectricity production. The reservoir is at 900 m altitude and situated in the Ketmen-Tubin valley of Osh Oblast. Apart from the Naryn the reservoir also receives the rivers Chychkan, Uzun-Ahmat, Nichke and Kandul. It covers 284 km2 and the full storage capacity is 19.5 km3. The mean depth is 65 m, maximum depth 210 m. The reservoir is 70 km long and the maximum width is 13 km. The gorge in the western part of the reservoir is 6 km long and 90-95 m deep. The lake-like sector is much larger but also much shallower, with a maximum depth of only 15 m.

24th - 27th August - Talas - Kyrgyzstan

Talas is a small town in northwestern Kyrgyzstan, located in the Talas River valley between two imposing mountain ranges. Its population is 32,538 (as of 1999). It is the administrative headquarters of Talas Province. The town was founded by East Slavic settlers in 1877. To the south is the Besh-Tash (five rocks) valley with the Besh-Tash National Park.
Its economy traditionally oriented towards the ancient city of Taraz in present day Kazakhstan. The only motorable road to Bishkek and the rest of the country rises to a height of more than 3500 m above sea level over the Otmok Pass (closed in winter) before descending in many turns to the Chuy Valley and Bishkek.
The mythical Kyrgyz national hero, Manas, is said to have been born in the Ala Too mountains in Talas oblast. A few kilometers outside Talas lies a mausoleum, supposedly that of Manas, called the Kümböz Manas. However, the incription on its richly-decorated facade dedicates it to "...the most glorious of women Kenizek-Khatun, the daughter of the Emir Abuka". Legend explains that Manas' wife Kanikey ordered a deliberately false inscription in order to mislead her husband's enemies and prevent the desecration of his body. The building, known as "Manastin Khumbuzu" or "The Ghumbez of Manas", is thought to have been built in 1334. It now contains a museum dedicated to the epic. A ceremonial mound also lies nearby.

16th – 19th August - Tashkent - Uzbekistan to Shymkent - Kazakhstan

Tashkent is the most cosmopolitan city in Uzbekistan, with large ethnic Russian minority. The city is noted for its tree lined streets, numerous fountains, and pleasant parks. Since 1991, the city has changed economically, culturally, and architecturally. The largest statue ever erected for Lenin was replaced with a globe, complete with a geographic map of Uzbekistan over it. Buildings from the Soviet era have been replaced with new, modern buildings. One example is the "Downtown Tashkent" region, which includes the 22-story NBU Bank building, an Intercontinental Hotel, International Business Center, and the Plaza Building. In 2007, Tashkent was named the cultural capital of the Islamic world as the city is home to numerous historic mosques and religious establishments. Picture: Memorial to earthquake victims in 1966.

And onwards to Shymkent in Kazakhstan. This city, founded in the 12th century as a caravanserai to protect the Silk Road town of Sayram, 10 km to the east. Shymkent grew as a market center for trade between nomads and the settled people. It was destroyed several times: by Genghis Khan, soldiers from the southern Khanates, and by nomad attacks. The name Shymkent comes from two words: shym meaning turf, and kent meaning city. Shymkent (Kazakh) and Chimkent (Uzbek) have identical translations. After Kazakhstan gained independence, the city was renamed Shymkent in 1993 as part of the government’s campaign to apply Kazakh names to cities. The border crossing from Uzbekistan was good and Chrissy comments that Kazakhstan is really pretty so far. Picture: Mountains just outside the city of Shymkent.

Typical main course dish from Uzbekistan

Bulgori Dulma - Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 kg 12 sweet bell peppers, 500g (18 oz) mutton or beef, 100g rice or 1/2 cup rice, 1 egg, 4 onions, 3 tomatoes, salt, black pepper and bay leaf.

Put meat through a meat-grinder and combine with pre-soaked rice, beaten egg, finely chopped onions, salt and black pepper. To make stuffed peppers, remove stems and seeds from bell peppers and fill with meat mixture. In a large pot, boil meat bones to make broth, place stuffed bell peppers on top and cook over low heat about 30 minutes. Serve 4-6 peppers on each plate and top with strained broth.

12th - 16th August - Samarkand, Uzbekistan

One of the oldest cities of Uzbekistan and in the world is Samarkand, established during the middle of the first century BC under the name Marakanda and later known as Afrosiab. It was the capital of the powerful state Sogd, the center of Emir Timur's great empire. The numerous monuments of Samarkand and its suburbs impress their beauty and splendor. The refined architectural shapes, intricate ornamentation, mosaics, blue-tile domes and facades are interesting for all who visit theses beautiful buildings.

Samarkand is situated in the valley of the river Zarafshan. It is the second largest city of Uzbekistan and is of the same age as the city of Babylon or Rome. The history of Samarkand is about 2,500 years old; it has witnessed many upheavals particularly during the times of Alexander the Great, the Arabic Conquest, the Genghis-Khan Conquest and lastly Tamerlane's. Hence, the culture of Samarkand was developed and mixed together with the Iranian, Indian, Mongolian and a bit of the Western and Eastern cultures. Majestic and beautiful city Samarkand has a marvelous and attractive power. Poets and historians of the past called it "Rome of the East, The beauty of sublunary countries, The pearl of the Eastern Moslem World".

The Silk Road

What do we know about it? Our imagination pictures the boundless sandy sea of scorched desert. Cutting through waves of dunes move the never-ending caravans loaded with the valuable goods … The Silk Road stretched for thousands kilometers leading caravans across scorching deserts, picturesque oases, and mountain passes. The cities of the Silk Road witnessed numerous devastating wars, destructions, fires, famine and death. For centuries multilingual Oriental markets buzzed, for hundreds of years the dusty caravan roads were traveled by merchants who took precious silks and stones, spices and dyes, gold and silver, exotic birds and animals to the Europeans in the West.

So, the Silk Road can be called the grandiose trade route which connected the East and the West and became the reason of the appearance of many unique cities, historical monuments, customs and even entire states.

Countries on the Silk Road
China- Kyrgyzstan - Kazakhstan - Tajikistan - Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Iran - Azerbaijan - Georgia

Routes of the Silk Road
The Silk Road was never a single-path route. Its system included some branches of caravan roads which passed across different mountain passes bypassing deserts. It originated in Chang’an, the ancient capital of China, and went along the northern Tien-Shan to Dunhua, the city near the Great Wall of China. There the single road split bordering the Taklamakan desert from the north and the south. The northern way went through Turfan to the Ili river valley. The Middle road (the so-called Southern way) led from Zhang Qian to the southern coast of Lake Issyk Kul- via Khotan and Yarkand, and reached Bactria (northern Afghanistan). There the Southern route split in two other roads: one followed to India, the other to the West and Merv where it merged with the Northern route. Further it passed via Nisa, the capital Parthia, Iran, Mesopotamia, Bagdad, went to Damascus and reached the Mediterranean.

6th August – Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Colin and Chrissy made it to Bukhara - it was a long day sightseeing Merv and crossing the Karakum Desert with temperatures well over 40 degrees C. Bukhara is Uzbekistan’s fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400. The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia and the city itself has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The historic center of Bukhara, which contains numerous mosques has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites. Fitzroy Maclean, then a young diplomat in the British Embassy in Moscow, made a surreptitious visit to Bokhara in 1938, sight-seeing and sleeping in parks. In his memoir Eastern Appoaches, he judged it an "enchanted city", with buildings that rivalled "the finest architecture of the Italian Renaissance".

Ismail Samani mausoleum
The Ismail Samani mausoleium(9th-10th century), one of the most esteemed sights of Central Asian architecture, was built in the 9th century (between 892 and 943) as the resting-place of Ismail Samani - the founder of the Samanid dynasty, the last Persian dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and 10th centuries. Although in the first instance the Samanids were Governors of Khorasan and Ma wara'u'n-nahr under the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphate, the dynasty soon established virtual independence from Baghdad.

Turkmen carpets

A Turkmen carpet is a type of hand-made floor-covering textile traditionally originating in Central Asia (especially in Turkmenistan). Such rugs are now mainly produced in, and sold from Pakistan and Iran. The intricate designs of these rugs derive mainly from various Turkmen tribes, such as the Yomut, Ersarik, Saryk, Salor and Tekke. Various vegetable and other natural dyes are used to produce the rich colors. Many patterns and colors are used, but the traditional and most typical is that of the octagaonal elephant's foot (Bukhara) print, often with a red or tan background (picture).