Tim Boelter

Yesterday Lao Wang took the vehicle in to the shop to have it tuned up. I noticed a lot of valve clatter in the previous days of driving and recommended he have the engine timing checked. After receiving a bill of 3,000 Yuan ($375), there was much more wrong than just the engine timing. All the frame shock mounts on the vehicle had to be replaced. So for seven hours yesterday the vehicle was getting some much needed attention. I feel bad about this because this is an expense that goes beyond the trip budget.

As I may have written in previous dispatches about the rough road, I guess I wasn't over exaggerating, or perhaps Lao Bei just drove the hell out of the vehicle. The amazing thing is, all the equipment made it though the rough roads, including the hard drive and computers. We still have plenty of that to come, so it isn't over yet.

With Lao Wang now at the helm we departed Urumqi at 10:00 a.m. today. The drive to Korla was approximately seven hours, but almost an hour of this was spent negotiating with the police. As we were departing a tollbooth gate three police officers were in the process of pulling cars over to the side of the road. Once the officer saw us, he motioned us over also. I looked at Lao Wang and asked, "What's going on?"  He said, "Apparently I was speeding."

Now the interesting thing about this incident is that about an hour earlier as we entered this rugged canyon region Lao Wang noticeably slowed down and told me he is doing this because the police monitor this section of the road. So I can bear witness to the fact that Lao Wang was indeed aware of the speed limit and obeying the law. However, it seemed to me that they were just pulling people over randomly and charging them for a ticket.

We had traveled this section of the road on our way to Urumqi when Lao Bei was driving, and I can assure you that we were driving much faster then we were this time. In fact I was amazed at how many police cars were on the road today. The entire time we were driving out to Urumqi we had no problems.

What compounded the problem of being pulled over is that when Lao Wang went to get his vehicle registration documents they were gone. This could be a big set back for the trip. The police could hold the vehicle until the proper documents were presented. After a phone call to Lao Bei, it was discovered that he had accidentally taken them back to Zhengzhou with him. Why this happened is because of another incident that took place back in Tianshui on the 3rd of May. I probably didn't mention the fact that Lao Bei accidentally backed up and hit a taxi while we were searching for a hotel. This little fender bender ate up about another hour of our time that night. Lao Bei probably needed the document to show the authorities and mistakenly put it in his wallet.

So here we are at a desert tollbooth being ticketed for speeding and we don't have a vehicle registration document. All I'm thinking is poor Lao Wang, not only did he just pay for vehicle repairs, now he's got to pay a speeding ticket, and to top it off, the car may be held until we can produce the documents. Just when I'm beginning to think we're screwed, Lao Wang pulls out the name of a friend who has connections in Urumqi. He makes a call and then that person calls the police supervisor who in turn tells the officer we're okay. We didn't get off free though, Lao Wang had to pay a 200 Yuan ($25) fine.

We continued driving southwest toward Korla. The landscape was very impressive as it always is here. Every turn in the road revealed another striking view, with a variety of colors ranging from deep red, to yellow, to even purple. The days spent driving may be long, but the vistas are worth it.

We traveled through real desert terrain and passed a few oasis towns along the way. What was impressive to me was seeing the town of Korla.

I honestly thought this city would be a small oasis town, but when we drove in from the desert I was blown away by its size. Korla is a typical Chinese city filled with new high rises, and streets lined with large green trees. In fact, I was equally surprised to see lush green grass growing in the medium of the roads and around the parks. They even had underground sprinkler systems watering the grass. Now that is the last thing I thought I would see in one of the world's harshest and driest deserts.

As we entered the main boulevard of the city, it wasn't but two minutes before Lao Wang was again pulled over by a policeman on foot. And again he was being stopped for speeding. This time Lao Wang quickly got out of the vehicle and went over to the officer, and from what I could see he was raising his voice. Within a few moments he was back in the vehicle and we were off without a ticket. "What did you say?" I asked. Lao Wang replied, "I told him we are in a hurry to meet with a very important dignitary." Obviously it worked, but I'm still confused as to how he got out of that. I'm just glad he did get out of it because every time I see money go from his pocket to someone else's it creates a problem for our budget.

At 5:00 p.m. we arrived at the hotel, quite nice I must add.

Lao Wang went to pick up some jerry cans for fuel. When we go deep into the Taklimakan Desert we'll need an extra 40 gallons of fuel to get out and there are no gas stations where we're going.

This afternoon Lao Wang introduced us to a man by the name of Peng Ge Xiang or Lao Peng. He is known as the living map of the Lop Nor region of the Taklimakan Desert. Lao Peng is a legend in these parts because of his knowledge of the desert. Lao Peng has crossed this grueling desert many times and has managed to map it out in his own head through the use of various technologies such as video, photographs, GPS, CB radio, and other means. Lao Peng stays in contact with some of the remote villages and knows how to navigate this region like no one else. It was truly and honor to have Lao Wang introduce us to his friend.

We all had dinner together in Korla and once again Mike and I were treated to some very fine cultural food while being subjected to the dreadful mao-tao jio (Chinese brandy), with plenty of gan-bay (cheers) to go around. As much as we both hate the stuff and its effect on us, we felt obligated out of respect to our hosts to take part in the drinking. I really don't know how much more we can take before we become certified alcoholics. Regardless of the potent drink, Mike and I have been experiencing a far more important and rewarding journey than what most others would experience otherwise. The true cultural interaction is real and not the fabrication typical of most tour guides here. We go to places that are truly out of the mainstream and we're experiencing this country with our Chinese friends, who really represent what China is.

After a fine dinner and some interviewing, Mike and I retired back to our hotel room where we busied ourselves with photo processing, video processing, and dispatch writing.

Tomorrow we were going to head into the desert to visit a remote village, but according to Lao Peng the village has just recently been abandoned due to the lack of water. So we will continue across the northern Silk Route toward the town of Kuqa.

Mike will fill you in on all the details and history of the region next.

—Tim Boelter

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