Other snacks include serik ash (yellow, meatless noodles), nokot (chickpeas), pintang (meat and vegetable soup) and gang pan (rice with vegetables and meat). Opke is a broth of bobbing goats' heads and coiled, stuffed intestines, while laohu cai (tiger salad) is the region's most popular salad, a mix of raw onions, red pepper, green chillies and tomato.
Samsas (baked mutton dumplings) are available everywhere, but the meat-to-fat ratio varies wildly. Hotan and Kashgar offer huge meat pies called daman or gosh girde.
For dessert, try morozhenoe (vanilla ice cream churned in iced wooden barrels), kharsen meghriz (fried dough balls filled with sugar, raisins and walnuts, also known as chiker koimak) or dogh (sometimes known as doghap), a delicious mix of shaved ice, syrup, yoghurt and iced water. As with all ice-based food, try this at your own risk. Tangzaza are triangles of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves covered in syrup.
Anyone with a sweet tooth should look for carts selling matang (walnut fruit loaf) and sokmak, a delicious paste of walnuts, raisins, almonds and sugar, sold by the 500g jar (¥20 to ¥30) at honey and nut stalls. It’s fine to ask for a free sample.
Xīnjiāng is justly famous for its fruit, whether it be uruk (apricots), uzum (grapes), tawuz (watermelon), khoghun (sweet melon) or yimish (raisins). The best grapes come from Turpan; the sweetest melons from Hāmì. Markets groan with the stuff from July to September.
Meals are washed down with kok chai (green tea), often laced with nutmeg or rose petals. The one local beer worth going out of your way for is bottled Xīnjiāng Black Beer, a dark lager-style brew, though note that most Uighur restaurants will not serve alcohol of any sort – you'll often need to go to a Chinese-run establishment if you want a drink.
6Drinking & Nightlife
oOstangboyi Ancient Tea HouseTEAHOUSE
(吾斯塘博依老茶馆; Wúsītángbóyī Lǎo Cháguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ostangboyi Lu; h10am-10pm)
The last traditional Uighur teahouse in Kashgar, this is a wonderfully atmospheric place to come for a drink. While it's certainly the preserve of Uighur Old Town elders, the crowd here are quite used to tourists dropping by, and even have an English tea menu.
7Shopping
For serious shopping go to the Old Town, ready to bargain. Kum Darwaza Lu is a good starting point. The Grand Bazaar has a decent selection but prices tend to be higher. Hats, teapot sets, copper- and brassware, kebab skewers and Uighur knives are among the best souvenirs.
Grand Sunday BazaarMARKET
(大巴扎; Dàbāzhā MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Aizirete Lu; hdaily)
Most carpet dealers display their wares at the Market pavilion. The rugs here are made of everything from silk to synthetics and finding traditional designs can be difficult – go with a local if possible. The brightly coloured felt Kyrgyz-style shyrdaks are a good buy.
Ahmed Carpet ShopHOMEWARES
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0998 283 1557; 49 Kum Darwaza Lu; h10am-8pm)
Ahmed and his son run this Old Town carpet shop, offering a good selection of antique and new carpets from across Central Asia.
Uighur Musical Instrument FactoryMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
( GOOGLE MAP ; 272 Kum Darwaza Lu; h10am-8pm)
You’ll find long-necked stringed instruments here running the gamut from souvenirs to collectors’ items. If any traditional performances are on, owner Mohammed will know where to find them. There are several places with the same name on the same street.
Ilhas SupermarketFOOD & DRINKS
(伊合拉斯超市; Yīhélāsī Chāoshì GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Beilu; h10am-midnight)
An excellent choice of Turkish and Central Asian goods underneath the Id Kah plaza.
8Dangers & Annoyances
Kashgar is the most conservative corner of Xīnjiāng and though the wearing of the veil has been banned by the Chinese government since 2014, it is wise for women travellers to dress as would be appropriate in any Muslim country, covering arms and legs.
Some visitors have lost money or passports to pickpockets at the Sunday Market, so keep yours tucked away.
8Information
Kashgar has a wide availability of ATMs, though many still do not accept international cards. Try ATMs around the junction of Renmin Xilu and Jiefang Beilu, as well as around Renmin Guangchang.
Bank of China (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Renmin Guangchang; h9.30am-1.30pm & 4-7pm) Changes travellers cheques and cash and has a 24-hour ATM. You can also sell yuan back into US dollars at the foreign-exchange desk if you have exchange receipts; this is a good idea if you are headed to Pakistan, as the bank hours in Tashkurgan are erratic.
People’s HospitalHOSPITAL
(人民医院; Rénmín Yīyuàn GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Beilu)
North of the river. Kashgar's biggest hospital.
Public Security BureauPOLICE
(PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; 111 Youmulakexia Lu; h9.30am-1.30pm & 4-8pm)
At the time of writing, the Kashgar PSB was issuing one-month visa extensions in one day. Simply come here at least a day before your visa expires with a hotel receipt and ¥180 and leave your passport overnight for processing. This information is vulnerable to change, however, so check out the most recent situation with a Kashgar travel agency.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Also known as Kashi Airport, Kashgar's busy airport has more than a dozen daily flights to and from Ürümqi (from ¥550, two hours).
Bus
All of Kashgar's bus stations have changed location in recent years. The long-distance and local bus stations are next to each other near the train station, around 7km northwest of the Old Town, while the international bus station is 14km south of the Old Town.
The long-distance bus station (地区客运站; Dìqū Kèyùnzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Beilu) handles buses to the north of the region, including the following services:
AKuqa ¥147 to ¥160, 12 hours, 7pm
ATurpan ¥235 to ¥255, 22 hours, hourly between 10am and 7.30pm
AÜrümqi ¥265 to ¥285, 24 hours, hourly between 10am and 7.30pm
Note that all Ürümqi and Turpan buses go through Kuqa, but a ticket to Kuqa on these services is far pricier (¥255) as you have to buy a ticket to Turpan, so you're far better off using the cheaper 7pm service that terminates in Kuqa.
Buses heading south use the local bus station (公共汽车站; Gōnggòng Qìchē Zhàn GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Beilu, Guangzhou New City), which is located next door to the long-distance bus station. Destinations from here:
AHotan ¥153 to ¥200, seven to 10 hours, every 1½ hours
AKarghilik ¥93 to ¥118, four hours, frequent
ATashkurgan ¥89 to ¥119, six hours, two per day (10am and noon)
AYarkand ¥68 to ¥88, three hours, frequent
AYengisar ¥28, 1½ hours, frequent
Buses to Kyrgyzstan depart from the international bus station (国际汽车站; Guójì Qìchēzhàn %138 9916 8559, 138 9914 0624):
ABishkek ¥285, nine hours, Monday at 10.30am
AOsh ¥275, eight hours, Monday and Thursday at 8am
Bus 20 connects the Old Town to all three bus stations.
An alternative to taking a bus to Tashkurgan is to take a faster shared taxi, which leaves when full from the Tashkurgan Administration Office (塔什库尔干办事处; Tǎshíkù’ěrgān Bànshìchù GOOGLE MAP ; 166 Xiyu Dadao Lu; 西域大道166号 ).
Train
Kashgar's train station (喀什火车站; Kāshí Huǒchē Zhàn GOOGLE MAP ; Tianshan Donglu) is 7km northeast of the Old Town, and there are regular connections to the rest of the region, including the following destinations:
AHotan hard/soft sleeper ¥53/118, six to eight hours, one to two daily
AÜrümqi hard/soft sleeper ¥303/494 16¾ to 24½ hours, four daily
Hotan trains also serve Yengisar (two hours), Yarkand (four hours), and Karghilik (5½ hours).
BORDER CROSSINGS
TO KYRGYZSTAN
There ar
e two passes into Kyrgyzstan: the Torugart Pass, which leads to Naryn and then Bishkek in the north; and the Irkeshtam Pass, which goes to Osh in the south.
Going through the Irkeshtam Pass and on to Osh is straightforward, with a sleeper bus leaving Kashgar’s international bus station at 9am on Monday and Thursday. You can also hire a car through a Kashgar agency, though no special permits or guides are needed for this route.
Crossing the Torugart Pass requires more red tape, for which you will need a travel agency’s help. You will also need to have arranged transport on the Kyrgyz side, which travel agents can arrange with their contacts in Naryn or Bishkek. The pass is open year-round to foreigners, though taxis cannot go here; only cars with permits allowing them to make the journey may pass.
Most travellers no longer need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan, so the red tape is at least simplified in this respect.
TO PAKISTAN
Trips from Kashgar to Sost are done in two stages – there is no direct bus. Take one of the two daily buses to Tashkurgan from Kashgar's local bus station, and then stay overnight at Tashkurgan, before continuing at 9.30am the following morning for the bus to Sost (which runs only Monday to Friday, as the pass is closed at weekends).
Officially, the border opens daily between 1 April and 1 December. However, the border can open late or close early depending on conditions at the Khunjerab Pass, and is always closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The Chinese customs and immigration formalities are done at just beyond Tashkurgan (3km down the road towards Pakistan). Then it’s 126km to the last checkpost at Khunjerab Pass, the actual border, where your documents are checked again before you head into Pakistan. Pakistan immigration formalities are performed at Sost. Pakistani visas are no longer available to tourists on arrival (and visas are difficult to get in Běijīng), so the safest option is to arrive in China with a visa obtained in your home country. Check the current situation as this could change.
TO TAJIKISTAN
The 4362m Qolma (Kulma) Pass linking Kashgar with Murghab (via Tashkurgan) opened in 2004 to local traders, but sadly remains closed to foreign travellers, even if you already have a Tajik visa.
8Getting Around
The airport is 13km northeast of the town centre. A taxi costs ¥15 to ¥20 but drivers often ask for double this. Insist on a meter being used, and avoid the touts in the arrivals hall. Bus 2 (¥1) goes directly to the airport from People’s Sq and Id Kah Mosque, from where it's an easy walk to most hotels.
Bikes are a popular way to get around Kashgar, and can be rented from Kashgar Old Town Youth Hostel, Uighur Tours, Kashgar Tourist Service Centre and Kashgar Pamir Youth Hostel. Expect to pay between ¥40 and ¥80 per day.
Useful bus routes are numbers 2 (Jiefang Lu north to the international bus station and the airport), 9 (international bus station to the Chini Bagh Hotel and Sèmǎn Bīnguǎn), 20 (China Post to Abakh Hoja Tomb) and 28 (Id Kah Mosque to the train station). Place a ¥1 note (change is not given) into the plastic box when you board.
Taxis can be found easily, and drivers use their meters almost without fail. Flag fall is ¥5, and nowhere in town should cost more than ¥15.
Karakoram Highway 中巴公路
The Karakoram Hwy (KKH; 中巴公路; Zhōngbā Gōnglù) over the Khunjerab Pass (4800m) is one of the world’s most spectacular roads and China’s gateway to Pakistan. For centuries this route was used by caravans plodding down the Silk Road. Khunjerab means ‘valley of blood’ as local bandits used to take advantage of the terrain to slaughter merchants and plunder their wares. Today, it's a far more welcoming place, not to mention an easier journey, with a new road and a high-speed rail link to Pakistan under construction at the time of writing. Whatever you do in Xīnjiāng, do not miss this incredible journey.
The main (and practically the only) town between Kashgar and Pakistan is Tashkurgan, a surprisingly modern and sprawling town with a devastatingly beautiful mountain setting. This is where the bus journey to Pakistan begins, and it's also as far as most travellers not entering Pakistan itself are able to go.
Kashgar to Tashkurgan
Travelling up the KKH to Tashkurgan is a highlight of Kashgaria and of China as a whole. The journey begins with a one-hour drive through the Kashgar oasis to Upal (乌帕尔; Wùpà’ěr), where most vehicles stop for breakfast, especially during the interesting Monday market. The renovated Tomb of Mahmud Kashgari (adult ¥30), a beloved local 11th-century scholar, traveller and writer, is a potential excursion but it’s far from unmissable. The tomb is about 2.5km from the market on the edge of Upal hill.
Two hours from Kashgar, you enter the canyon of the Ghez River (Ghez Darya in Uighur), with its dramatic claret-red sandstone walls. Ghez itself is a major checkpoint; photographing soldiers or buildings is strictly prohibited. At the top of the canyon, 3½ hours above the plain, you pop out into a huge wet plateau ringed with mountains of sand, part of the Sarikol Pamir, and aptly called Kumtagh (Sand Mountain) by locals.
Soon Kongur Mountain (Gōnggé’ěr Shān; 7719m) rises up on the left side of the road, followed by heavily glaciered Muztagh Ata (慕士塔格峰; Mùshìtǎgé Fēng; 7546m). The main stopping point for views is Karakul Lake, a glittering mirror of glacial peaks 194km from Kashgar. From here you can hike into the hills or circumnavigate the lake.
The journey climbs to a pass offering fine views, then meanders through high mountain pastures dotted with grazing camels and yaks, before passing the turn-off to the Qolma Pass (currently closed to foreigners), which leads into neighbouring Tajikistan. The final major town on the Chinese side is Tashkurgan at 3600m. You could easily kill a couple of hours wandering the streets and visiting the small museum at the Folk Culture Centre (adult ¥30; h10am-5pm) at the central crossroads (marked by the eagle statue).
On the outskirts of town, close to the river, is Tashkurgan Fort (石头城, Shítóuchéng adult ¥30), the 1400-year-old stone (tash) fortifications (kurgan) of which give the town its name. The ruins were one of the filming locations for the movie The Kite Runner. The boggy valley below is dotted with Tajik yurts in summer and offers some spectacular views back towards the fort from a touristy boardwalk that rises above the waterlogged valley floor.
Some travellers head up to the Khunjerab Pass for a photo opportunity on the actual Pakistan–China border. Note that you need a border permit (available in Kashgar) and a guide, which most tour agencies can arrange. Travelling into Pakistan itself is perfectly possible if you have a valid visa, though always check in Kashagr or Islamabad whether the pass is open before you set out.
ADVANCE PLANNING
There are almost no settlements on the road between Kashgar and Tashkurgan, so be sure to take everything you need, including warm clothing, food and drink. If you take a bus, be aware that anything stowed on the bus roof will be unavailable during the journey. Check the state of the highway well ahead of time, as heavy snows and landslides can close it at almost any time. If you plan to continue into Pakistan, it's essential to have a Pakistani visa already in your passport. To get past the first checkpoint at Ghez, you'll need to have a permit: these can be arranged by any travel agency in Kashgar, they're free and you'll just need to submit a copy of your passport's photo page to allow them to get the permit, which is issued on the spot.
1Sights & Activities
Within China, many travellers head up the highway at least to Tashkurgan. It’s possible to do a day trip to Karakul Lake and back but it’s much better to spend a night or two up in these gorgeous mountains either camping and trekking or just in a hotel in Tashkurgan. Some travellers also hire bikes in Kashgar: get a lift up to Tashkurgan and cycle back for an exciting three-day journey.
Bulungkol LakeLAKE
(布伦库勒湖; Bùlúnkùlēi Hú )
This absolute wonder of nature is the first of the big plate-glass lakes you meet as you head up to Tashkurgan on the Karakoram Hwy. Backed by sublime sand mountains and often without a single ripple in its waters, it's an astonishing sight on a c
alm day, when the landscape is perfectly mirrored in the lake. It's currently totally deserted, though it looked like some form of construction was beginning when we were there, suggesting that mass tourism can't be far away.
Karakul LakeLAKE
(喀拉库勒湖; Kālākùlēi Hú )
This extraordinarily beautiful lake sits below the soaring snowcapped peak of Mt Muztaghata (7509m) and has a couple of small Kyrgyz settlements along its western shore. Famed for its perfect plate-glass reflections of the surrounding mountains, it's a popular overnight stop between Kashgar and Tashkurgan where travellers can stay in traditional yurts or stone huts as guests of local families. This is best organised through a travel agency.
THE SILK ROAD
Nomadic trading routes across Asia and Europe had existed for thousands of years but what we now call the Silk Road, an intercontinental network connecting the East and West, began to take shape in the 2nd century BC. At the time, the Mediterranean had already been linked to Central Asia by Alexander the Great (and his Roman successors), and China, in its need to defend itself from marauding Xiongnu, was about to do its part.
In 138 BC, the Emperor Wudi sent envoy Zhang Qian to negotiate an alliance with the Yuezhi, a Central Asian people being driven west by the Xiongnu. On his return (after much hardship which included being kidnapped twice), Zhang piqued the emperor’s interest with tales of wealthy neighbouring kingdoms, powerful horses, and trade of Chinese goods, including silk, that had already reached these regions. Over the next two centuries, the Han experienced endless setbacks as they sought to defeat the Xiongnu and secure safe passage from Gānsù through Xīnjiāng, but eventually formal trade with Central Asia was established.
Lonely Planet China Page 169
