It has been 10 long years in the waiting, but this summer I arrived; Xinjiang Tian Shan (新疆天山), the Heavenly Mountains. My Journey to the West was to begin.
Bikepacking out from Kuqa (库车), the land is barren with little food, sparse accommodation and no coffee. Sleeping is limited to Mongolian yurts (蒙古包), temporarily set up for the short season lasting only 4 months from mid June to mid October.
Along the famous 561-kilometre long Duku Highway from Kuqa to Dushanzi, a museum on the way explains the building of this epic road in the 1970s, while a memorial honours the more than one hundred workers who died during its construction.
Sheep, cows, goats and herds of horses often blocked my way. As sometimes did the heavy SUVs with travellers brought from all over China. And yes, not a single foreign face was seen during the whole trip.
Especially popular with cyclists, this is a trip on the bucket list of touring enthusiasts, so I met about 100 fellow cyclists, most of them going north to south. There were many happy exchanges and suggestions on where to eat or rest a tired body at night. Some words of Mandarin came in handy.
On the second 3,200 metre-high mountain pass there was parked another SUV. What was to be found in its open rear? A lonely Xi’an coffee mobile shop. Our Italian friends should excuse me for saying an afternoon Cappuccino has never tasted better.
Bridging a boring section with a several-hour long bus ride, I headed west towards the Sayram lake. It’s a popular spot in summer for blue sky and blue water, as well as in winter for the same blue sky but accompanied by ice and snow.
That said, you will probably experience both summer and winter on the same trip. Temperatures ranged from about 30 degrees Celcius in Yining (伊宁) to two degrees one mountain morning. The four 3,000-metre mountain passes saw temperatures of around 10 degrees. That was for travelling from mid August to mid September. Adjust for going earlier or later.
Lightweight-conscious cyclists carry two sets of clothing to wash and wear alternately. Take a down jacket of the Uniqlo type. And a waterproof Goretex type windbreaker.
Yining in Xinjiang’s western lowlands close to Kazakhstan give back some summer feeling. Your nose will find joy when smelling the unmistakable fragrance of lavender.
To the south and east of Yining, the whole region of Yili provides some of the best mountain scenery for those on both two and four wheels.
Regions and destinations to explore are the Yizhao Highway (伊昭公路; again over 3,000 metres in elevation), Xiata (夏塔), Qiongku Shentai (琼库什台), Qiaxi and Talimu (恰西和塔里木), Kuerdening (库尔德宁), Narati (那拉提) and Tangbula (唐布拉). A rainy day brought snow-capped mountain tops all around; a stunning sight.
Cuisine in the Duku and Yili regions reflects local people; Uighurs, Mongols, Kazakhs and Han-Chinese. Barbequed mutton with Nan bread is a favourite and it was a joy to be welcomed by extended hands.
While today there are no checkpoints, and rules and regulations apply as everywhere in China, the odd place might still say, “No foreigners”. But that can happen in Nanjing. Registration of your stay shall usually done by the accommodation.
For the non clyclists, drivers have had questions about how to enter petrol stations; ID is required to open the gates. Yining PSB explained that foreigners can register with their legal ID. Hikers can cross the Tianshan mountain range on a 5-day hike via the Wusun Trail (乌孙古道).
Such trips are best done after 20 August to avoid the school holidays, busy roads and accommodation at inflated prices. Mid September already sees heavy snowfall in the mountain regions.
Cycling in China is an adventure. Going alone adds to the thrill. Topping it are the challenges in navigating it all in Mandarin, even the more so when many do not even understand that.
