I’ve been in the homeland for a few months now, resettling. And what else can a traveler do during his/her miraculous homecoming but spend his/her free time meticulously drawing out the itinerary for the next travel plan? Here’s one I’ve been cooking up for a while now.
THE ROUTE.
There were two major Silk Roads in the bygone era, North and South. Ideally, a way-too-ambitious traveler might start in China for the northern route across to Pakistan; the southern route would begin in Iran, or somewhere close like Lebanon or Jordan.
The Northern Silk Road. (Xi’an to Islamabad)
Take the road from Beijing perhaps to the first stop: Xi’an, previously called Chang’an, and the long train ride to Lanzhou. Take the train to the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. Then it’s buses northwest into Urumqi and Uighur territory, visiting nearby Turpan and Hami. Then take the north pass of the Taklamakan Desert through the cities of the Tarim Basin: Yanqi, Aksu, Kashgar, now called Kashi. Navigate your way through Uighur culture and architecture that is slowly dwindling due to China’s economic developments.
Then take a detour up through the breathless Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Lake Issyl Kyl. Enjoy the yurts and camel dung that is said to collect around the lake. Visit the city of Bishkek, then head down the dry Alay valley from Osh, taking the Pamir Highway into Tajikistan. Turn east from Dushanbe and briefly return to Kashgar, taking the Karakorum Highway, the highest border crossing in the world, through Pakistan and Gilgit, Chitral, Taxila, and finally to Islamabad.
THE PREP.
Passport, visas, Russian/Mandarin/individual phrasebooks, cash, Mastercard (because last time my Visa card didn’t seem to work), Imodium…
Some room in the belly for all the tea, naan, lamb, shashlik, laghman, pilov, and watermelons you can handle!
Follow the thin red line! (Xi'an and Lanzhou off the map)
