Kashgar to Kargilik – Day 76

Lulu, still upset about my 'unreasonable request' at the internet cafe the night before, subjected me to the silent treatment again in the morning which got me well and truly annoyed. I’d had about enough of her negative attitude. It doesn’t make the trip any easier when you’re trying to watch out for someone and they’re ignoring you. I seriously felt like driving off without her. A couple of pages of Emerson after I loaded my bike helped cool the fury. Lulu, purposefully taking her time, was ready to go half an hour later.



It had been hot for a couple of days and because we started after lunch, soon we were driving through the hottest part of the afternoon. We stopped for a late lunch of zuafan in a village a couple of hours out of Kashgar, a place where the local bus is a horse and cart.



Yenisgar known for making the best quality knives in the region, and supposedly where the knife I bought in Kashgar hails from. I didn’t even need to see the road signs to know that this was the place. Every second shop had billboards of knives and rows of viewing cases for the more opulent pieces.

The Tarim Basin, surrounded on three sides by dense mountain ranges that form a natural barrier against moisture laden winds, is heavily dependent on melt water from the snow and ice on the mountains. The kingdoms who made this part of the world their home were only possible because of the rivers flowing down from the mountains. This lake is of Kunlun Shan mountain water.



We were soon getting along like old friends again, both of us knowing there’s no point in fighting.



We arrived in Kargilik early evening and drove around town trying to find a place to stay. The places were either too expensive or wouldn’t take us. We drove down the road 10 kilometres, passing the start of the G209, the western road into Tibet. I felt myself being pulled down the road to the mysterious, foridden land. Being so close to an entry into Tibet could be a reason why the hotels are so strict on foreigner licenses in Kargilik.

We went back to town well after night had fallen, and found a hotel for 100 rmb, well above what we usually pay. But it was a supply and demand thing; we were tired, and we didn’t really have an option.