Tim Boelter

On our second day in Urumqi we said farewells to our friends and hosts Lao Bei and Lao Wu. The trip out here with them was definitely worth the experience. Although we had some communication problems concerning where to stop and what to take footage of, in the end it all washed out. Last night we had our last dinner together and of course it was shared with a mixture pee-jio (beer), hong poo-tao-jio (red wine), and mao-tao jio (Chinese brandy). Lao Bei certainly likes his food and liquor. By the end of this night we were all very merry. It's amazing how people seem to communicate better with a little help from the bottle.

After saying goodbye to Loa Bei and Lao Wu, my friend Lao Wang regained control of his vehicle, and took over as our driver and partner in the real adventure that is to come. Lao Wang had done a lot of research on certain regions of the Silk Road and recommended to us places that are a rare treat. In fact, after we went over the proposed itinerary, Mike and I were thrilled to learn that we would be going to places that foreigners never travel to, and to places in the remote desert where people live isolated from the rest of the world. Our journey back to Xian would be by the true southern Silk Road route. As we cross into the Qinlai Province and head back east toward Xining, we will be traveling across a land where roads are not present. Lao Wang warned us of the dangers, but I had trust in his abilities as an off road driving professional. He said that most drivers consider this region very dangerous but for him it would be no problem.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON LAO WANG:
I met Lao Wang back in November of 2004 when Jon Otto, myself, and a Chinese team climbed a mountain called Siguniang Shan. This climb was actually the second attempt for Jon and I, our first attempt in 2003 ended after violent rock fall and poor weather pushed us off the mountain. The next year we returned with a huge contingent of Chinese climbers and Lao Wang was asked to report and film the climb for the sponsoring company and the media. I was filming the climb so naturally we had conversations about filmmaking. The climb turned out to be an historic event for the Chinese because it was the first time Chinese climbers reached the summit. The success of this climb was carried in the Chinese media and drew a lot of attention. Subsequently I produced a film that has been very successful as a DVD release and is now being reedited for television. Lao Wang and I stayed in close contact since this climb and developed a friendship. Because I have been putting together ideas and proposals for future film projects in China, Lao Wang extended his interest and help in putting the logistics together to get these projects off the ground here. Lao Wang is quite a well-known figure in his home province of Henan. He is a successful bar owner as well as the owner of the Target Off Road Team. His pub is recognized in the Lonely Planet guide and draws a large foreign clientele. The more I get to know Lao Wang the more I see that he is a well respected man by his peers.

MEETING LAO RU, A FAMED OFF-ROAD DRIVER:
Later in the afternoon I was asked to interview China's number one off road rally driver, Lao Ru. I quickly went over a list of questions with Mike and we conducted the interview gaining some valuable knowledge about off road racing in China and how the popularity of this sport reflects a changing economy. After my interview I filmed Lao Ru being interviewed by a local news reporter and then again by a Hong Kong based television station. The reason for all this attention, as I would come to learn, is that Lao Ru is considered a sports hero throughout China. His popularity goes beyond the off road racing circles into the general populous.

Lao Wang just returned to Urumqi after finishing the Taklimakan Desert Rally, a competitive off road race through the most dangerous desert in the world. Lao Wang was the navigator for Lao Ru during this race, which explains why he couldn't drive with us out here. But just the fact that Lao Wang was asked to be Lao Ru's navigator says a lot about my friend's experience.

Initially this trip across the Silk Road was going to include a segment covering the Taklimakan Desert Rally, but as I mentioned in an earlier dispatch because of a very unfortunate event in Mike's family, we put this trip off a week, and were not able to take part in the rally.

WHY DOES EVERYONE’S NAME STARTS WITH “LAO?”
Just a side note, as you read these pages you are probably wondering why everyone's name starts with Lao. There are two reasons for this naming method. One, it's easier for foreigners to pronounce Lao then to sometimes pronounce Chinese names. And two, Lao is in reference to someone who is old (older than 36). So I would be referred to as Lao Tim. And Mike, being of an ancient age, becomes "Lao Lao" Mike.

I was quite impressed by how many people wanted Lao Ru's autograph. Although we were only with him for the evening it was obvious that this man was a sports icon over here. What was even more impressive is how polite and personable he was. After the interview he handed Mike and me two rally team shirts and a baseball hat each.

After the interviews Mike and I were invited to a banquet being held for the team's success in the race. Once again Mike and I were treated very well and the food and drink arrived in mass quantity. By the end of the evening we engaged in more then enough "gan-bay" or cheers. Every time someone stands up in front of you and holds a glass of mao-tai jio (Chinese brandy) in the air and says something in Chinese you're obligated to touch glasses and down the whole thing at one time. Mao-tai jio is clear smooth liquor that packs one heck of a punch at the end, and after doing this three or five times you begin to feel it. Although I cannot enjoy the taste of most hard liquor (in most cases it tastes dreadful) due to a head injury that resulted in the loss of my olfactory nerves, I felt it was my duty to return the generosity by taking part in the gan-bay. Apparently Lao Wang talked highly of us, because after the banquet Lao Ru and his crew chief invited only Mike and I over to a special tea table made out of one single trunk of wood and carved with intricate dragon figures. We then enjoyed broken conversation while drinking some very expensive oolong tea also known as Chinese coffee.

We were treated like royalty and at the end of the party Lao Ru invited me to take part and film another desert rally in the Gobi Desert in September. I felt honored to be invited to this event by China's number one off road rally driver.

Once again Mike and I didn't get to bed until 2:00 a.m.

—Tim Boelter

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