Beijing Pre-trip, Wednesday, May 17, 2006

It is still the pre-trip phase, but Karen, Simone, Scott and Steve arrived safely in Beijing and are ensconced in the very comfortable Jade International Youth Hostel. After a modest amount of rest, they explored the area around our hotel, which is quite close to the Forbidden City, the imperial residence founded by the Mongolian Yuan dyansty, and later used by the Ming, and the Qing dynasities until 1911. It is now a tourist attraction with all that accompanies that.

North of the Forbidden City are two parks where we were able to take refuge from the dusty air caused by the winds and the drought conditions in Beijing. They are Jinshan and Beihai Parks, the latter with an artificial lake. An island on the lake formed by the dredging sports a Tibetan Buddhist temple, with great views of the surrounding city. A boat ride on the lake afforded views of some nearby temples. While resting in the park a group of domestic tourists asked to be photographed with the group; like they were celebrities. The air is grey and thick, it seems like you could almost cut it. But the people are wonderfully friendly! Next a taxi to the upscale Oriental Mall– one of the fanciest anyone had ever seen. Hello New China!

 Pictures here

Beijing, Pre-trip, Thursday, May 18, 2006

Another day of adventure in Beijing. Mary Frederickson arrived at the hostel with her friend Carol, who had been staying with Yihong Pan in Beijing. The two of them headed for Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, while Scott, Karen and Steve headed to the Wangfujing shopping area, where they observed Silk Road motifs and bought scarves.

Steve’s acquaintance Paul del Main is a Chinese teacher at Concordia Language Villages. As he is familiar with Beijing, he gave the group a tour of the hutong (the old neighborhoods of Beijing, which consist of little alley ways that wind around). Once upon a time these were posh houses, but then were made "communal" by the communists and are quite crowded. But for the past 50 years this has been much the center of Beijing life, with people who hock their wares, a real sense of neighborhood despite the huge city. Many of these old parts of town are being destroyed as the city grows (especially in preparation for the Olympics in 2008--and in general there is much construction everywhere). Beijing is definitely a city in transition. But it was still great to get a flavor of a way of life that seems to be disappearing (and, much like the old parts of many Western cities is now more a tourist attraction than anything else).

Some climbed the Drum Tower, which was Beijing's imperial Big Ben, and had a nice lake-side lunch. While the group continued to arrive, some went out for Peking Duck at a fancy restaurant on Wangfujing. This was the most extravagant meal so far, and it was still only about $12. The grayness of the air continues, and is not just pollution, but sand storms, as this part of China is in drought.

In the meantime, Gulnaz had arrived and gone on a walk of the Hutongs, where she was persuaded to take a rickshaw, a bike with two extra seats (sort of a carriage), then on to Wangfujing street and the adjacent back streets. She finished off the evening with a much-appreciated foot massage.

 pictures here

Beijing Pre-trip, Friday, May 19, 2006

This morning the group arranged for a van and driver to go to the Great Wall. This was most excellent, because it was less expensive ($50 for the whole day for everyone), but mostly because it bypassed the mandatory stop at a retail opportunity that always accompanies the hotel tours. By now Sante and Gulnaz had been discovered and they joined the rest of the group (seven altogether) in a rather modest van that just barely held everyone. First stop was the Mutanyu section of the wall, which sports a chair-lift up and a toboggan slide down! The weather was overcast, so the views were not spectacular, but there were very few others and little retail pestering. The group explored the wall and was even able to climb on some of the unreconstructed portions.

Before leaving the Great Wall site, Gulnaz introduced everyone to her fantastic bargaining, successfully reducing the price of a tablecloth from 500 to 50 Yuan. This led to a great discussion about going to markets as a way of engaging with the local people and culture, and providing additional discoveries and surprises.

The driver took us to a restaurant where Gulnaz caught a couple fish from their pool for lunch, along with an amazing variety of vegetable dishes. Then back to Beijing to have a look at the Summer Palace, where the Qing dynasty escaped the heat of the summer. It has a huge artificial lake and many temples and palaces.

This is one hopping capitalist country--cranes for buildings everywhere, gated communities in the outskirts near the Great Wall, there are a lot of Mao t-shirts etc for the tourists, but no pictures of him anywhere except Tiananmen Square. There’s an English-language TV station, owned by the government, with news, etc--very patriotic, but no communist jargon whatsoever. It's all about the growth in the Chinese stock market, property rights, value of the currency, etc. Karen commented that she hadn’t heard Mao's name mentioned once. A lot of negative references to the Cultural Revolution. There have been a lot of references to the resistance to the Japanese invasion in WWII, and positive references to emperors, etc.

A comment on driving in Beijing: it seems the days of the bicycle domination are ending, as there are probably as many cars as there are bikes on the road today (and far more pollution). Though there are still lots of bikes... The traffic is unreal: absolutely no honking, fast braking, or road rage. Everybody just kind of keeps moving at a gentle pace. People are extremely welcoming and friendly.

 pictures here

Beijing Pre-trip, Saturday, May 20, 2006

This morning was the first power outage of the trip, which was exciting, most of all for those who had wet laundry we could not get dried before checkout time.

Gulnaz, Gülen, Sante, and Afsaneh left early for a guided tour of the Forbidden City. Gulnaz arranged a personal tour with a local tour guide, a nice young man who agreed to guide them for 260 Yuan instead of 400 he asked for. Good intentions worked for him and he earned more than he originally asked for (500 Yuan minus 60 he paid for the Forbidden City ticket). He had a tough day which started in the Forbidden City, showered with questions of all kinds: the emperor's everyday live, his love life and the concubines system, the buildings and their heating system, the religions of China and how their ideas correspond to other systems of belief, etc. etc. Many questions to which he gave very good and detailed answers, and this is all in addition to everything he had to say as a tour guide. In the Forbidden City there is calligraphy of the nephew of the last emperor (the only remaining relative).

Scott, Steve and Karen went to Tiananmen Square. It's very "Maoist"--enormous picture of Mao on the gate, and enormous line of people going into the enormous mao-soleum (which we did not partake of). Tiananmen Square is just outside the Forbidden City, site of Mao's annual reviews of the troops, one million Red Guards were amassed here at the start of the Cultural Revolution, and then in 1989, thousands of young students were killed in pro-democracy demonstrations. Today, its a haven for weekend excursions from the provinces (thousands lined up to see Mao's body mummified in the Mausoleum--a building probably 20 times larger than Lenin's tomb) and lots of hockers, all 'selling' the revolution--Mao t-shirts, Mao bottle openers, watches, everything. When you start commodifying the revolution, you know it’s over. Surprised by few policemen in such central part of the city - Scott asked about it... In fact, they are there -- but in civil dress... The place is being carefully watched...

Lunch of thick coldish noodles with sauce (at a popular cheap place with famous Beijing noodles) replenished energy for a trip to a famous silk store and the pearl market - a chance not to be missed. It was an absolutely overwhelming place, even for women (even for women from Turkey), who are supposed to be used to such market places. You usually do not see men in those stores; it is hard for them to take it well.

One big observation is about exchange... in fact it should be written in capital letters... everything here is about EXCHANGE! Somehow it does not infiltrate life in the west to such an extent as here... or perhaps it is the fact that exchange here is personalized, while in the west it has become an impersonal act... Of course, local markets are the center of life and negotiation of prices is expected. The more interesting thing is that even more official businesses --- such as hotels and airlines - have their own systems of personalized exchange. It works as follows: there is a set high price for a room or a place ticket; however, most of the tickets are sold on 20, 30, 40, 50 and even 60% discount. There might be a certain quota (as Abdullah mentioned) of the discounted tickets. The key is how people get to those tickets. Well, no surprises here: you need connections and you need to share the profit. There are relationships between for example tour agencies and travel agencies that are cultivated through the years and bring mutual profit. So in a way, the bazaar mentality works here even in the official business sphere.

The park by the Temple of Heaven was full of people dancing, playing cards, other games, singing folk songs and opera-style songs, a wonderful lively place. The amazing thing about the temple is the symbolism behind every small detail: round shapes for heaven, square for the ground, number 9 as the imperial number, red and yellow as imperial colors, blue as the color of heaven.

There are lots of domestic tourists here for the weekend. Everyone is preparing their departures to Xi'an today, most by overnight train. Ben Sutcliffe and Karen took the evening plane to Xi'an and checked into our luxury hotel, the Aurum. A group of eight take the overnight train, which is very nice--new, clean, with individual videos for each bed playing various incomprehensible movies. Many have comfortable nights full of drug-induced sleep. Steve spends several early morning hours thinking what a genius Karen is for flying to Xi'an. However, at dawn everyone is up to watch the countryside go by for an hour or so, before transferring to the hotel.

 pictures here

Xi’an Pre-trip, Saturday, May 20 Saturday

Liz, Rick and Judith started out in Xi’an. They spent a good deal of time in the Forest of Stelae museum, which contained some great images of famous Chinese Buddhists and the renown Nestorian stelae which serves as evidence to suggest that Christians had first come to China over 1200 years ago. There was a lot of fascinating Buddhist statuary as well.

The day was full of people-watching and fun interactions with Chinese kids on the street. One child pushed to speak with the English-speakers by her father; this 10-year old polyglot prodigy who called herself Linda had an impressive vocabulary. A whole crowd gathered around to listen as she and Liz conversed on subjects ranging from pets and sports to families and future aspirations. Liz has been very diligent in asking about the correct way to pronounce Chinese phrases, and how to say things in Chinese. Another people-watching highlight was watching kids and young adults roller-blading at the park in the city square a half block from the hotel. Adjacent to the famous historical site, the Bell Tower, was a seven story shopping mall.

A great and huge lunch at the Stelae museum only cost 5 Yuan (62 cents): rice, green beans, a tofu dish and a pork dish. Dinner was a huge seafood dinner, cooked right at the table in a heated recessed hot-pot bowl: vegetables, greens, fish (undetermined variety) and live shrimp, all boiled in rice broth and served into small bowls with a mix of spices.
Liz commented that since her last visit to Xi'an, the middle class has burst into display here. More LA and Venice Beach style than ever seen in Ohio. In the park, teenagers play shuttle-cock, hackey sack, and roller blade/skate with I-pods while the elders do Tai Chi and patriotic aerobics.

Day 1: Sunday May 21: Xi’an

This is the first official day of the 42-day itinerary along the silk road, which traditionally began in the old capital city of Xi'an southwest of Beijing. Everyone eventually arrived safely here, last of all Yildirim, who arrived in the evening. Those on the train had breakfast at the hotel where they encountered most of the rest of the group, Liz Wilson and Rick Colby, who arrived a couple days earlier, Judith, Karen and Ben, who arrived by plane and looked very rested.

After breakfast Yihong led a group to the southern city gate where some rented bikes for a circumnavigation of the 13 km walls (which took exactly 100 minutes), while others walked. The walls are quite impressive and make for nice views of the city, where the old and new China are once again much in evidence. From the wall, there is a view of the moat around the city, poorer neighborhoods from the vantage of up high on the wall, and the city gates, some containing small museums. There are 50 universities in Xi'an so the streets seem filled with young people. It seems a very vibrant city of about 6 or 7 million people, and very pleasant and friendly. It was like Oxford on a Saturday night except multiplied by 1 million.

Gulnaz set off for the post office, where she was successful in mailing some of her earlier purchases. The postal system worked pretty efficiently -- great packing and good service. In the Muslim quarter, full of life and character with narrow streets, she engaged a family in conversation and tried the famous mutton soup Simone had mentioned.

After seeing the walls the group walked past a long retail area for tourists filled with many wonderful things which everyone is doing their best to resist at this early stage. Yihong found a local dumpling restaurant where everyone ate like kings. Next on the agenda was the inscription museum, which has a forest of stone steles with important inscriptions, whole books on enormous slabs. Among those of special interest is a Nestorian inscription from 781 in Chinese and Syriac and Confucius's "Analects" from the 6th century.

Tonight was the first meeting as a group, coordinated by our tour guide for the entire trip, a Turkish woman named Meli. We also have a Chinese tour rep named Abdullah, and a local Xi'an assistant Vivian.

Dinner was at fairly touristy Chinese restaurant not too far from the Bell Tower. On the walk back, some of shopped, others found the "Coca Cola Club" internet cafe. The place was chock full of young Chinese teenagers, some playing videogames, some emailing, and some watching what look to be movies or online TV programs. Lionel Ritchie's "Say you, Say me" was just playing in the background. Interesting atmosphere.

 pictures here

Day 2: Monday May 22: Xi’an

Today is the second day in Xi'an. It day began with an elaborate breakfast buffet and a disturbing news about Mary’s wallet disappearing after her purse dropped on the floor. Fortunately, it reappeared when someone just handed it to her in the hotel lobby. With less than half hour delay, the tour bus was on the way to the Terra Cotta Army site, an hour outside the city center.

Passing through orchard after orchard of Pomegranate trees with red blossoms, the group finally arrived at the site of the Terra Cotta Army- a breathtaking trip to an unearthed past! More than six thousand intricately carved, hollow Terra Cotta characters replicated the Qin Shi Haung’s powerful army, face by face. In the midst of vast red clay carved into the land lay the broken arms, heads, horses and lines and lines of standing solders. Vivian, the tour guide, explained in detail how Qin Shi Haung, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, after eliminating Han, Chu, Zhao, and Qi, unified the whole China. Everyone should see this.

The emperor who was responsible for their creation, Qin Shi Huang, was the first to unify China in one empire in the 220s BCE, with the capital in Xi'an. (Before this, China consisted of several separate kingdoms. Beijing, by the way, was only founded as capital by the Mongols in the 13th century.) He unified the language, alphabet, and many other things, though was know to be a harsh ruler. The dynasty fell not too long after--in fact during the rebellion much of the tomb where the warriors were buried was destroyed. Despite the overthrow, many of the affects of his reign lasted. At any rate, you can imagine how impressive the whole thing was. Rick was impressed with the site, and left thinking about comparisons with Egyptian burial customs. The bus ride home included an interesting discussion of people's impressions of the site.

After lunch was a visit to the Xi'an historical museum, which contained archeological objects from the Shanxi province from several thousand years ago until the middle ages. Since Xi'an (pronounced "shee-an") was the capital for so long, the museum was very rich. It was an incredible experience and education that displayed the history of China starting from the prehistoric era, although, it is too extensive to describe here. One display showed how the Terra Cotta characters were actually molded, burned in the kiln, and even how they could be purchased. Each of the 6000 soldiers of the Terra Cotta army is unique, as if by recreating the image of each individual, the master infused the clay with life and power reflective of their beliefs in a sense of accepting the unity and connection between material and ideational, and also non-elite.

Xi'an was actually the starting place for the Silk Road (hence the trip officially beginning here), and Muslim traders came to the region in the 7th century. They intermarried with local women, and their descendents still live, numbering in the tens of thousands, in this part of China, and the mosque seemed to be quite flourishing. But very notable (as you will see when the pictures are posted) are the Chinese artistic, architectural and symbolic flourishes of the mosque.

Next the group visited the Xi'an Great Mosque, a touching experience. The mosque was Chinese, architecturally, no crescents, even. The building dates to the 14th century though repaired periodically. The mosque itself was founded about 746. Sitting around a long table with curved edges and recessed center, in a rectangular room opened to the garden, a nice man from the mosque talked about the history of Islam in Xi'an and the Mosque. Conflicting questions and a couple of heated discussions were raised but left unsettled only to be discussed in its own good time during the rest of our journey. In this magnificent site one can simply see Cyrus the Great’s vision of community manifesting itself. This site unites the Persian Garden and architectural motifs with Islamic scriptures and prayer rooms with the Chinese Buddhist architecture. The word "paradise" in English is derived from Pairidaeza from pairi, "around", and diz, "to form or mould". In Greek Paradeisos describes the gardens of the Persian Empire, which is later translated in the Bible to mean Garden of Eden. But if the concept of paradise came from the Persian Garden, which originated in Persepolis, ancient city of Persia near Shiraz in southwest Iran, in Xi'an's Great Mosque, the true sense of paradise finally comes to life. In this space, serene and humble, yet majestic, the constant song of the birds celebrates the Arabic scriptures on the walls, living peacefully in its highly intricate architectural style of the Buddhist temple. Xi'an’s Great Mosque reaches far beyond its humble name. In the magic of its peaceful harmony one finds home. Here, all becomes one and architecture reaches its highest self.

After walking through a colorful Bazaar (incredibly interesting--like Khan al-Khalili in Cairo, observed Scott) with merchants chasing to attract attention, an exquisite authentic Xi'an dinner ended the day. With an array of delightful vegetable dishes on the table, (The “vegetablearian” crowd- except a couple of nonbelievers) the main dishes just kept coming. After leading to two intermediary desert dishes, first juicy ice-cream rolls, second a delicious pumpkin pie with sticky rice in the middle, and many fascinating dishes, dinner ended with rice, noodles, and a tasty Chinese delicacy, a fish head soup. From the other table--the meat-eaters table--a rumor spread about someone biting off a flower decoration thinking it is a carrot--oops. What a great day! Food has been fantastic -- lots of local fare -- fish head soup, noodles, spicy stuff, great (and local beer!).

 pictures here

Day 3: Tuesday May 23: Urumchi

Departing the Aurum International Hotel in the city centre of Xi'an around 9:00 am in the morning the group started driving north toward the Airport with local guide Ms. Zhang Yuan Ji (aka Vivian). Zhang pointed out the Han tombs located west of the highway about 10 miles outside the city. Checking in luggage took a relatively short period of time before the 3 hour flight to Urumqi. The first flight together as a group during this journey was a smooth one with no serious bumps at 35000 feet elevation flying over the easternmost part of Tibet. Urumchi is a major trade center of NW China in the center of the Uyghur autonomous region of China. The Uyghur are a Turkic Muslim minority who live primarily in this province of China. A vast loess plateau stretched from Lanzhou to Dunhuang as we flew towards the eastern Tarim Basin to the northwest.
The majestic Tianshan Mountains appeared on the left-hand side of the airplane first as NW-SE-trending irregular ripples on the surface, and then quickly rose to white snow-capped peaks. These are one of the most significant intra-continental mountains with elevations reaching over 5.2 km above sea-level in a nearly 220-km- zone, separating the eye-shapes Tarim basin to the south from the Junggar basin to the north. The drainage patterns on both sides of the Tianshan Mountains look so different from the airplane: very dry on the southern foothills, whereas relatively wet and green on the northern foothills feeding the Urumqi’s water supply. The plane offered a view of a series of irrigation dams during the descent toward the city. The city of Urumqi is stretched in a NW-SE direction between two smaller mountains, which are part of the larger Tianshan range, and it looks reasonably green despite the apparent lack of surface water.

Upon exiting the airport with all luggage accounted for, the group met a new local tour guide, Mr. Muhammed Ali, who had an uncanny resemblance to the famous American boxer, and who escorted everyone to the bus. Abdullah offered some “snack food”, which turned out to be a full-blown feast with delicious shish kebab, juicy watermelon, and sweet yogurt; Uygur hospitality! Nobody questioned the freshness of the kebab meat, sitting right next to some recently skinned lambs and sheep hanging from the butcher stands.

It is very hot -- certainly over 90 degrees, dry, but with snow capped mountains in the background. Dry, and desert. This is the Muslim part of China, and the local language Uighur is written with Arabic script. . This city has 4 million people! (120 Chinese cities have more than 1m). It's the first city on the itinerary so far that is not clogged by pollution. Urumchi is perhaps most notable as a trading city, close to Central Asia and Russia, and the point thru which all those Chinese goods make their way to Russian markets and beyond. Although the city is 90% ethnically Chinese, it clearly has a very different character and feel, and there is a much greater variety of people. Even signs are in at least two languages (Chinese and Uyghur), and often in English and/or Russian as well.

After checking in at Xinjiang Grand Hotel in Downtown Urumqi (another luxurious hotel in a big city), the group departed for the market in the city centre. The city is very much alive and developing, though with less character than some parts of Xi'an. The market turned out to be an amazing experience. Among the most unusual were the spice stores selling dried snakes, scorpions, turtles, frogs, and a bunch of other desert fauna that the local use for all kinds of ailments. Steve refrained from getting some of this traditional medicine and instead got himself a nice Tajik hat in the market; Yildirim bought a Uygur hat from a nice Azerbaijani woman whom he could understand completely. There were spices, colorful clothes, cassette tapes, jewelry, and almost anything else you can think of was for sale there. The food stands were buzzing with activities and teaming with people. Some of the most interesting menu items included roasted sheep head, boiled goat feet, and BBQed kidneys of all kinds of animals. The smell and the freshness of the cooked food were so tempting, but unfortunately lunch was only an hour prior and so everyone skipped the food. Rick had to limit himself to buying a kilo of dried apricots, which are fantastic here. Russian signs on the stores reflected the presence of Russian shuttle-traders. After this market tour, we returned to the hotel for our group discussion lead by Yihong Pan.
Dinner was traditional Uygur at a restaurant that held a fantastic folk music-dancing show. The food was heavenly, the music was pleasant, and the service was superb. This was a full day on the Silk Road that set the stage for pending experiences in the land of Uyghur. At the end they encouraged people to get up and dance with them, and Scott and Gulnaz were brave enough to oblige. They both did really well.

Urumchi has grown so rapidly in the last decade to almost 4 million. Signs all over the city are in both Chinese and Arabic. Everyone seems focused here now because of oil, natural gas and telecommunications. The city is surrounded by huge oil storage tanks. As in Beijing and Xi'an billboards all over the city advertise western goods and KFC everywhere. Mary was struck by how much China is like the US, especially in terms of westward expansion and treatment of minorities.

 pictures here

Day 4: Wednesday May 24: Turpan

Today, the Silk Road tour hit new lows. The day began in the luxury of Urumchi's 5-Star Xinjiang Grand Hotel -- part of the Holiday Inn chain -- and ended in Turpan's dim and squalid Oasis Hotel -- part of the Soviet-era "Concrete Bunker" chain. The staff of the Oasis Hotel is particularly keen to push their massage business. After all the walking and qi-enhancing pills of the past few days, good massage may be needed soon. How did this intrepid group of explorers descend from the mountainous heights of luxury to the barren depths of the second-lowest basin on Earth?

Xinjang is the largest province in China, the furthest west, and the most ethnically diverse. The day began with the first official seminar of the trip, a full morning at Urumchi's Xinjiang University, a visit that was unanimously deemed a success. The university is the major university of the province. High ranking university officials welcomed the group to their thriving and modern campus, whose size is not so different from Miami, serving 21,000 undergraduate and 2,340 graduate students. After exchanging introductions, gifts, and pleasantries around a U.N.-style oval conference table, there were five short seminar presentations by faculty from both universities.

From Xinjiang University, Dr. Niu Ruji offered a picturesque PowerPoint presentation about religion along the Silk Road, Dr. Yunis described the various routes of different "silk roads" over time, and Dr. Asat discussed the history of the Uighur language. From Miami University, Dr. Yihong Pan examined the concept of "Middle Kingdom" from both Sino-centric and alternative points of view, and Dr. Yildirim Dilek described some of the geological enigmas surrounding the formation of the Tian Shan mountains and the neighboring Tarim basin, which he presented in such an accessible and fascinating way... as he talked about tectonic plates clashing and the earth's surface undergoing transformation in much the same ways that we humanities people talk about cultures--expect that the processes he's describing take place over hundreds of millions of years rather than hundreds of years--it puts time, and human culture, in an entirely different perspective. Of particular interest were a Chinese scholar presenting on silk road religions (he is evidently an internationally known expert, who has written on Nestorian Christian monuments in China etc.)

In the words of Xinjiang administrator Li Dan (speaking through a translator), "We have begun some very pleasant communication here, and we hope that we can continue the connections begun here in the future." He extended his greetings to Dr. Stan Toops, who once studied at Xinjiang University and whom the institution proudly claims as one of its own. Reflecting upon the fact that both the administrators and faculty of Xinjiang so kindly honored our group with such a warm reception, Karen Dawisha later echoed Li Dan's praise, saying, "We can be grateful for a very good first start [to these seminars], and it is thanks in no small part to Stan." We all look forward to Stan joining the group early next week.
After the seminar at Xinjiang University came a trip to its Folklore Museum (which was filled with traditional ethnic costumes and Uighur manuscripts), its library (which was officially closed because of regular Wednesday afternoon "study sessions"), and its bookstore (which was where we purchased a number of books to build up Miami's library holdings). The local museum is renowned for the "mummies" (not actually mummified, but desiccated corpses). Our tour was also fun because a group of college students abandoned their own tour to join this one so they could hear it in English, and it was interesting to chat with them though some describe the experience as being persistently stalked by Chinese students wishing to practice their English.

Next was the 3-hour bus ride to Turpan, an oasis town set down in a depression not unlike Death Valley. The mountain scenery on the way was truly spectacular, and it was made even more meaningful after Yildirim's "suspiciously interesting" presentation today. Liz Wilson gave a brief introduction to Buddhism as the bus neared Turpan, information that will be useful tomorrow during the tour of the Buddhist art preserved in caves in the vicinity of Turpan. Although this is a very low point geographically, and although the jokes floating around sometimes scrape all-time lows of propriety, spirits remain high during the beginning of this new stage of the journey.

Arrival in Turpan was fairly late, in time for dinner then an evening walk. Turpan is reminiscent of Needles, CA: near high mountains, itself at sea level, and evidently one of the bloody hottest places on the planet. So far it's pretty mild, though right now (at 10 pm) it's pretty warm (today was around 30 Celsius). But it's a kind of desolate place (like Needles, it's the kind of place you only stop in because your car breaks down). But there are evidently some interesting sites, which are on the agenda for tomorrow...

 pictures here

Day 5: Thursday May 25: Turpan and environs
The fifth day of the Silk Road adventure is in Turpan. For Gülen, it was the best day so far, happy that it is getting better and better everyday and hoping that it does not change.
Passing by the dusty roads and saw the small villages which were located undecidedly in-between the urban and the rural settlements, the bus made its way on the winding and bumpy roads of Turpan vicinity. Adobe bricks created beautiful textures and motifs on the walls. Everything fits perfectly. This is what one thinks seeing the color of the sandy mountains and the same colored buildings at the skirt of the mountains. There is a great sense of the value of locality in these vernacular architectures; an appreciation for what is available and what is appropriate. It is a careless and effortless way of building and being; not in a negative sense.
A stop in a local village showed that life her is quite distinct as you can imagine, what with the dry heat and all. The main crop is grapes for raisins. People have very open clay houses with courtyards and beds on the roofs. In July and August the temperature reaches up to 45 C. Today the heat was intense. This dry land receives only 20mm rain in a year. At first it seems that it is an act of fortune that people dwell on this land. It is only after seeing the petrol drill fields, and the grape vines, and the beautiful surprisingly green villages that one is able to understand why and how. Nonetheless Turpan is a testimony to determination and human achievement. The petrol drills have variable capabilities: the small ones drill about 5-6 tons/day and the large ones about 12 tons/day.
On the way to Toyuk valley Budha caves, the group stopped by the Muslim cemetery. The effort dedicated to mark the tombs and contrary to the earthliness of the chosen material was quite striking. The earth tombs were destined to disintegrate into the landscape just like the humans who come from earth and return to earth. Even the tombs of the higher ranking individuals with a square plan and dome were made of earth. Abdullah explained that this practice can be seen often in the rural areas. It tells of the belief of afterlife. There was no point to eternalize the place of the corpses, after all the end of physical being marked a detachment from earth and the start of another life.

The village of Toyuk is in a river valley between the cliffs, an oasis of greenery around water surrounded by dry, dry land. Upstream are ancient Buddhist caves, richly decorated with murals. And it was just an incredible experience imaging these Buddhist monks living in this spot some 1600 years ago. Closer to the village there was another cave that was considered an Islamic holy site, the cave of the “Seven Sleepers,” and pilgrimage to it was considered "half a hajj".

The "facilities" of the Buddha caves in Toyuk Valley were composed of an ugly parking lot and a mobile toilet that cost one Yuan/person. The path first led to the local touristy shops and then to the village and beyond. The earth path transformed into wooden slats. Walking above dirt and water, by the waterfall, under the shadow of the trees and the heat of the sun. Walking. And climbing the stairs. Unfortunately the caves suffered greatly in the hands of various people. It was very sad to see that the frescoes are significantly damaged. The group enjoyed mulberries and black mulberries, melon, watermelon, bread for snacks under the shade of the grape vines.

After seeing the remains of the Buddha caves in Toyuk Valley it was on to Idikut in small carts pulled by donkeys. Idikut was one of the most important cities on the Silk Road and has about 2000 years of history. However, it was not until the 9th century that the city shined and became a political and economical center. Idikut had three components: Palace and its surroundings, Inner city and Outer city. It was destroyed by the Kalmak (Kalmuk) Mongol invasions. While no original complete buildings are left in Idikut, it is still possible to feel the energy that the city once had with its 50,000 inhabitants. This began as a Chinese outpost in the early part of the common era. Later, it became the capitol of some Uyghur (pronounced Wee-ghur) kingdoms, who were alternately vassals of more powerful states either to the west or to the east (Chinese). The most interesting thing about this kingdom is that it contained quite a diversity of religions, from Buddhism to Manichaeism to Nestorian Christianity, and there are plenty of archeological finds of all three religions in the site.

As if cholesterol take-in was not enough the last couple of days, a quick lunch consisted of shish kebab. Then it was back to the bus and on to Astana tombs. It was quite interesting to see the same landscape of repetitious mounts at the pre-Islamic burial site and the Muslim cemetery that we visited in the morning. This was yet another indication for the power of locality, culture, and ritual over religion. The Astana tombs were perhaps the least spectacular site, though it is here that some of the well-preserved bodies observed at the museum in Urumqi were found.

The drive from Astana to Flaming mountains was exciting and sometimes scary with the natural magnitude and red beauty of the Flaming mountains. It was here that the day drew to a close with yet another amazing site: the Buddhist caves and monastery at Bezeklik. This site was inhabited, and the murals painted, between the 4th and the 14th century, and was in an absolutely amazing spot--words cant do it justice (hopefully the pictures will). In general this region seems to have been very religiously diverse until about the 14th century, when Islam finally came to dominate and the other religions disappeared.

One point of all these sites is that they were originally excavated by some European explorers such as one Le Coq, who carted off literally hundreds of crates of artifacts at the beginning of the 20th century. They even went so far as to cut out the murals from the walls and send them to Europe (many of which were then destroyed during the Allied bombing of Berlin). All of this seems to Euro-centric & reprehensible from our perspective today, though at the same time a lot of the remaining murals were defaced by local Muslims who consider these Buddhist images to be idolatry.

 pictures here

Day 6: Friday May 26: Urumchi

Check out was 7am, despite universal grumblings, in order for a stop at Jiaohe. The weather early in the day is cool, pleasant, sunny and brilliant blue skies--temperature in a pleasant contrast to the 100+ degrees of yesterday.
Jiaohe is 10km to the west of Turpan, carved out of an island plateau. The river splits and goes around it to join up on the other side. The island itself is leaf-shaped with earthen cliffs providing natural protection from invasion and cultural intrusion for its entire history. Established in the second century and ultimately abandoned in the fourteenth, it was never a major caravan stop on the Silk Road, and consequently also never experienced religious and cultural diversity of the kind we saw yesterday in other sites around Turpan--no evidence of Manichaeism, Nestorianism or Islam. It was originally used as a military outpost of Goachang, where we were yesterday, with many Buddhist temples and monasteries. The buildings are much better preserved than Goachang, and because it's not nearly as big, it was fairly easy to walk around the whole site in a couple of hours.

The fact that it is a city carved down into the ground rather than built up from the ground makes it somewhat reminiscent of Petra, but without Petra's light pick hues and dramatic porticos. Aurel Stein is said to have complained when he came upon Jiaohe that by the time he arrived, the relics had already disappeared – there is extensive evidence of his and other archeologists' crude plundering of neighboring sites, but certainly the locals got to Jiaohe first. Nevertheless, the site is vast--1700 meters long and 300 meters wide, and the overall effect is extremely impressive.
Back in Turpan, the group visited the ancient Karez well system. Because Turpan is the second lowest place in the world after the Dead Sea, transporting water from the nearby snow- and glacier-topped Tien Shen mountains required the construction of subterranean channels to prevent evaporation. Via these canals, water travels from glacier to oasis and arrives fresh and cool. There are 11,000 canals covering 3000 kilometers--these irrigation canals follow the same hydraulic principles as those constructed in ancient Persia and Egypt and still provide all of the water for the city. At the Karez Museum they have rebuilt a 19th century house showing how the canals literally went under, and were accessed in, the house's inner courtyard, allowing individual landowners who had purchased water rights to draw from the canals. This was a clear and vivid demonstration of the political power of water in the eastern variation of feudalism.
The final stop in Turpan was the Emin Minaret and mosque complex, built in 1778 by Uighur leader Emin Khoja. Majestic and impressive, the minaret stands 100 feet tall, next to the mosque, which is newly rebuilt having been destroyed according to guide books during the Cultural Revolution. Muslim life here is under the direction of government-sponsored local religious boards, much like Central Asia in the Soviet period.
Lunch was at a local Uighur restaurant, and consisted of a number of spicy dishes--at the meat lovers table the new favorite dish was lamb and bread fried in oil and hot chilies--certainly a long way from the French fries served in Xi'an!
The ride back north to Urumqi was approximately 3 hours, through desert, with hills and mountains on both sides, and the Tien Shen in the distance. The Wind Power Station on the left of the van is the largest in China, with approximately one hundred massive wind mills, balanced on the right hand side by shepherds and their flocks of sheep, and several dozen camels on the landscape--the contrast providing an absolutely perfect allegory perhaps for all of China, but certainly for Xingjian. Scott gave a terrific lecture on Manichaeism and Nestorianism during the journey. Manichaeism is the highly syncretic world religion created by a Persian prophet in the 3rd century, which spread West (and claimed Augustine of Hippo as one of its adherents) and East, where it was particularly strong in Central Asia and even spread to China, until it virtually disappeared after it's last moment of glory during the Mongol period. The Church of the East, sometimes referred to as Nestorian Christianity (because they didn't recognize the Council of Ephesus's condemnation of Nestorian Christology in 430) also spread east to Central Asia and China from the 8th century until the Mongol period. Everyone seemed to enjoy our discussion, and there were lots of great questions and issues raised.
Back in Urumqi, after checking back into the hotel, there was time to catch up with CNN, universally express great satisfaction that Enron executives have been found guilty, have some good local beer in a terrific small restaurant, and once more eat more food than anyone thought possible. Everyone was in good spirits and seems to be well settled in the group.

After dinner, Scott, Liz, Yildirim, Gulnaz and Abdullah the guide went to a Russian club. There were Uygur singers and Russian girls dancing alternating with dance music for the whole crowd. The dancing was quite unique--more gender segregated than in the West (men with men and women with women), and they also danced in a way where everyone on the dance floor moved around in a giant circle, like a wave, as the song progressed.

 pictures here

Day 7: Saturday May 27: Kashgar

This morning everyone went off in different directions for the first free hours of the trip: Steve and Sante to a park near the hotel that was full of families out for a Saturday morning of rides and games; others in our group went shopping; several tried to catch up on e-mail, although the connections were iffy. At noon after gathering in the lobby of the hotel, the group loaded onto the bus and headed to Shri Shi Go canyon, a Kazak meadow southwest of Urumchi. As the bus left the city the snowcapped Tien Shen mountains were visible in the distance. Closer to the canyon there was a sizeable chemical plant on the right. Finally the bus reached the Rose Garden Holiday Park Development of small homes and gardens built by local developers. Many of the gardens have yurts in them. Families from Urumchi come out for summer weekends, or if lucky, for the entire summer. As the bus climbed the road to the meadow the homes got bigger, with grand new "villas" near the top of the hill (does this seem familiar?) At the open meadow it was immediately apparent why the Uighur of Urumchi flock toward the Tien Shen in the summer----the meadow air is clear and cool and the pines and streams make you think you're in Switzerland. There is now a Silk Road International Ski Resort project underway outside Urumchi and to the right of the Shri Shi Go meadow a ski lift runs up the hill. Faux Swiss chalets (only two so far) are being built near the lift, but yurts still fill the meadow.
A meal of apricots, plums, nuts, fresh bread from a nearby village awaited the group in a large yurt at the top of the hill. Twenty people filled the amazingly spacious yurt sitting cross-legged at a long table. After lunch there was hiking and horseback riding. To wash up at the water spigot outside the bathroom cost 1 Yuan. This particular locale seemed a bit touristy --that is, these particular Kazakhs didn't seem to be authentic nomads anymore, but settled in this spot and quite used to bus loads of tourists coming to visit. Still, it was nice to be out of the city and up in the hills.

About an hour ahead of schedule, the group made a quick stop at the Xingjian Silk Road Museum, "a place where historical and cultural creams meet together". This is a new private museum owned by a patron who operates in a close to anonymous way----no Rockefeller Center here, the patron of this Silk Road Museum is not interested in named plaques, but rather in the four floors of markets that one has to go through by escalator to reach the collections on the fifth and sixth floors. The trip to the top of the building is well worth it for the collection is magnificent with a broad range of relics from the 1st and 2nd century CE through the 19th and 20th centuries. Two of the most incredible pieces were 11th century exquisite gold crowns. It is puzzling how these had survived, especially during the last half century of Communist rule in China. Private police closely guarded the museum and market. No wandering off on this stop.
Soon the time came to leave for the airport. A traffic jam caused by an accident (no one hurt, apparently) on the way made for an interesting experience. All of the cars and buses drove up on the sidewalk to pass. Vendors moved their tables full of wares, cooking carts and fruit stands out of the way. Rather miraculously the buses squeezed through (the sidewalks were pretty wide), and made it to the other side of the wreck and back on the highway. The group said good-bye to the two guides -- Abdullah and Mohammed Ali. Both Abdullah and Mohammed moved to Urumchi from Kashgar, Abdullah to open his touring business and Mohammed to attend Xingjian University. Mohammed said his father, Uyghur, regularly buys and sells sheep in the animal market in Kashgar.

The flight into Kashgar was smooth and easy. Still daylight upon landing, although overcast and windy. The hotel Qinibagh is a modern place built in the garden of the old British consulate. Dinner was in the old consulate mansion house. It is easy to think of the political implications of this connection with the British imperialists.

Fierce winds started blowing walking across the grounds from the hotel to dinner----a dusty, howling wind. This is the third place on the itinerary that is supposedly the furthest town from both oceans----but the first place that is close to five national borders: China, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Afghanistan, and historically has always been a particularly important strategic location. In the Silk Road days, it was the meeting point of the middle and the southern routes after traversing the desert. In more recent times, it was the focal point of the "Great Game" between the British and the Russians vying for control of the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like Casablanca, Timbuktu and Samarkand, Kashgar is full of legends and myth.

pictures here

Day 8: Sunday, May 28: Kashgar

Today was a full day of exploring the far western city of Kashgar. Kashgar is a city of some 400,000 people, 90% of whom are Uighur. In fact, in Kashgar you hardly feel that you are in China anymore, except that there are Chinese signs everywhere (most signs are in both Chinese and Uighur), and the enormous statue of Mao in the center of the city also serves as a reminder. But the feel of the city is very different even from the other places in Xinjiang; essentially it is in Central Asia, though still in the borders of China. The sights and smells; the way people dress and carry themselves, the culture and lifestyle, is very distinct from anything thus far in the trip. Kashgar also as a very important strategic location situated less than 300 km from the borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This proximity to so many borders means that the city is very tightly controlled by the Chinese authorities; even to the extent that there are much fewer internet cafes and one has to register one’s passport even to be able to use the internet (a restriction that does not apply in the hotel fortunately). The Chinese seem to be very cautious about what they regard as the potential Islamic threat from those neighboring countries—and indeed not only the Chinese authorities, as tourism to Kashgar fell by 50% since 9/11.
This strategic location has also been important in Kashgar’s history. Located on the far side of the Chinese deserts, it was the meeting place of both the southern and the middle routes of the Silk Road before they departed for Central Asia or India. It was an independent khanate for much of its history and, unlike the Uighur kingdom centered in Gaochang, became Muslim quite early. Subordinated to China in the 18th century, it enjoyed a brief period of independence in the 1860s and 1870s before falling to the Chinese once again. After that, it was at the center of the Great Game competition between the Russians and British, both of whom had their representatives in the city competing with one another for influence and information.
The day began with a visit to the tomb of Apak Hoja (spelled variously). Apak Hoja was a Sufi master who also founded a dynasty that ruled in Kashgar for 300 years, and he was evidently regarded as a holy man, and the tomb as a Uighur holy site, which often drew tens of thousands of worshippers. The tour guide was quite critical of Apak Hoja’s legacy, stating that his impact on the Uyghur was negative and that he should not be regarded as a holy man. It was hard to know, however, the degree to which this was based on historical evidence or on his interpretation of Islam—since he seemed to imply that all Sufi Islam, and all reverence shown to Sufi masters, was illegitimate (not an uncommon attitude in the contemporary Islamic world, to be sure, but still only one possible variant). At any rate, the tomb complex was massive and very striking, if in a state of some decay.
From there it was on to the “Sunday market” (even locals refer to it in this way), which was primarily a market for the buying and selling of sheep, cows, and other animals. No camels, though, as in Cairo. Despite much recent destruction of old Uighur neighborhoods, and of the old bazaar, the market fascinating. The market was packed with people, young and old, men and women, many dressed in traditional clothing (something visible everywhere in the city, actually). And, of course, there were the animals… living and dead and in various states of dismemberment (including a carpet covered with sheep heads and a trailer full of innards). Knife sharpeners, metal workers, and some beautiful horses were for sale too. Uighur was spoken exclusively, there were perhaps two other foreigners, and very few women in the animal markets. But young girls strolled around in colorful sparkling outfits, and some tried to hawk their wares (one selling traditionally designed knives was particularly persistent). While a few of the things in the market, like the row of goat heads lying on the ground, were not particularly appetizing, the freshly-made bread and "bagels" sold in the market were especially delicious.

Lunch at a traditional Uighur home followed the trip to the market and was quite delightful. The family lived in a traditional style house, architecture reminiscent of old Ottoman houses with slightly extended upper floors, lush inner courtyards, and solid doors to the entire house and courtyard area. The group ate in the guest room—often, evidently, the nicest room in the house that is specially set aside for entertaining guests.
The afternoon was filled with exploring a street where various craftsmen sold their wares, some being more attracted by the goldsmiths and others by those who sold musical instruments. After meeting at the end of the street it was time to visit the Idkah Mosque, evidently the largest mosque in China, built in the 15th century. On Fridays it draws 10,000 people for prayer, and during major celebrations tens of thousands come. Some of the group’s Islamic colleagues noticed there was no separate section for women in the mosque. Traditionally, Uighur women do not go to the mosque. In more recent times, under influence of pilgrimage to other parts of the Muslim world, some women in Xinjiang have expressed the desire to go, but this is something the Chinese government has strongly discouraged. Also, formal religious education of all sorts is forbidden until one reaches the age of 18. It is difficult to gauge how “religious” the region is. In more recent years, the Chinese government (with some US support) fears Islamic extremism, though it appears that what is really going on are more nationalist tensions than religious ones.

The mosque is one of the few not touched during the Cultural Revolution, although the area in the front has in the last two years been bought up Chinese, and the gardens replaced by a large square and Chinese-owned shops surrounding the mosque. Signs of cultural Islamic practices are everywhere, observance of holidays, religious teaching, etc., travel agents arranging hajj, Islamic bookstores, but very limited veiling. But Mao's statue is still here and the central government’s presence is clear. The Uyghur (Muslim) are a long suffering minority dealt many blows at the hands of the Chinese. But despite this oppression mosques and traditions continued and the Uyghur language continues to thrive.

After the visit to the mosque, some went to the new market; others went back to the hotel to rest, while still others went for a tour of the old town of Kashgar. Old Kashgar is a really remarkable area, difficult to describe without seeing it (hopefully the pictures will give a sense); as Liz put it, it reminds one of Native American areas of the southwest. Evidently, many parts of the old town have been destroyed in recent years and new blocs of flats put up in their place—a sad development given the unique character of the old city. The tour was wonderful—a few workshops for those who made hats, musical instruments, and copper teapots, as well as a variety of houses, some several hundred years old and one recently renovated. The most delightful part of the tour, however, were all the children encountered along the way, from the two boys who initially acted as guides into the city, to all the rest of the children who not only offered enthusiastic “hellos”, but were most excited to pose for pictures and look at the immediate results of digital cameras.

The evening ended with a short after-dinner walk down one of the streets near the hotel, which was still teeming with life, with both the energy and the chaos that is Kashgar.

 pictures here

Day 9: Monday May 29: Naryn

Today's activities can be summed up in one phrase: transfer from Urumqi to Naryn. This transfer requires crossing from China into Kyrgyzstan by way of the Torugart pass, which Lonely Planet describes as the "most exciting and most frustrating way to inter or exit Central Asia or China." The excitement comes from the stunning views high up in the mountains--3000 meters--not to mention the rather sketchy roads which the bus drivers negotiated with nerves of steel. The frustration comes from the lengthy delays spent at customs where surly staff eye the group suspiciously and spend unaccountably large amounts of time "recording" information. It was a test of Zen patience with 3 border crossings on the Chinese side and 3 on the Kyrgyz side and a no-man's land in between. An armed Chinese military man rode on the bus to assure a safe arrival on the other side with no additional passengers or goods and to guard against the nomads/bandits who freely inhabit the 'no man's land'.

Departure from the hotel was later than expected, around 8:30 AM. Most people were busy unloading their Yuan and getting Kyrgyz money, the name of which sounds like sum, spelled som. The morning started with a brief visit to a Uyghur family before setting off for the border. The Torugart pass was an important part of the silk road, since it was the main entree into China. However, when Sino-Soviet relations cooled in the 50s, the pass was completely closed, so the road used today was built in 1997, several years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Currently it is used mainly by heavy trucks carrying scrap metal from all over the former USSR to China, to be made into something useful, hopefully plowshares. The only part of it that was harrowing was the way in which various cars and semis passed each other on the road. Well, and the pot holes--since it was mostly a dirt road, they were numerous and enormous; in short, it was a very bumpy ride. It is interesting to see all the trucks going toward China carrying scrap metal and all the trucks headed toward Kyrgyzstan carrying Chinese products.

It is the season when there are lots of mares and foals. The high pastures the road cut through between looming ranges were completely unsettled, no building at all, except for large electricity lines taking Kyrgyz energy to China. Scene in terms of landscape was like the Princeton Hot Springs in Colorado, more like that highway between Buena Vista and Salida, but add 4,000 feet to the mountains, add more water (barely) and take away all the buildings. It was absolutely stunning--oh and also take away a paved road. The only time it was paved was when the road suddenly became as wide as a runway--because the Soviet military had indeed used it as a runway (probably to provide air support for their troops in Afghanistan).

Once through the pass, which follows a meandering river, there are lots of semi-nomadic people who mostly are herders of various animals: yaks, cattle, horses, and sheep. Marmots, large prairie dog-looking creatures, scurry everywhere. Kyrgyzstan is SUCH a beautiful country! Evidently it is over 90% mountains, which means they don't have much in the way of natural resources or agriculture. It is mostly pastoral (reminds me of the mountains of Romania)--nomadic shepherds who still spend their summers in yurts shepherding the sheet & goats, horses, and yaks. As a result, it is a poor country, and the population is 5 million--about 1/3 the size of Beijing. But the sights are just amazing--the whole drive was like going thru the Rockies or the Carpathians.

Lunch took place in the mountains and another snack on the bus. The quantity and quality of facilities required settling for a "WC savage" somewhere on the road to Naryn, with ladies on the left and men on the right. Information from our new guides and Karen helps pass the time on the long journey. The group arrived exhausted at the hotel in Naryn at around 10:00 PM and was assigned rooms in groups of twos and threes, a true test of communal solidarity. Dinner was lovely, with fish and chicken and a great potato soup.

Most importantly Stan Toops has finally completed the group here in Naryn. He has set up a seminar at the University tomorrow. Everyone is in good health and spirits, with plenty of Qin, Ying and Yang (although that may not matter now that we have left China).

 pictures here

Day 10: Tuesday May 30: Naryn

After the fourteen-plus-hour, bone-jarring bus ride across the China-Kyrgyz border yesterday today was a fairly relaxing, leisurely yet varied day in Naryn, a city that feels a little like an outpost and a Soviet relic. The Celestial Mountains Hotel, also called the English Guest House on the English-language version of its sign, is a hastily and cheaply refurbished home, with mostly separate and not very roomy toilets and showers, but also with yurts available on the hotel grounds, where some of the group will be staying tonight (Ben and Sante in one, and Rick and Scott in the other). Unlike the yurts in the mountains, however, these have electricity and a heater (but with toilet facilities inside the house).
The meals have been noticeably different in the Kyrgyz Republic. First of all, no chop sticks. Both suppers at the hotel have been more "European," and more specifically "Italian": starting with a sort of antipasto-like-salad, followed by a soup, and then the meat course, with a vegetable side dish, with black tea. Breakfast this morning was also interesting. Already on the table were bowls of condensed sweetened milk, jam, bread, and individual plates with slices of very tasty cheese and slices of butter, as well as jars of instant coffee and pitchers of hot water and pots of hot tea. Once seated, they served dishes with slices of what looked like large beef sausage, a hard-poached egg, and warm rotini pasta cooked in butter. The vegetarians are in trouble, though. Nomadic cuisine is meat- and dairy-based, with very few vegetables, which take time in the same place to cultivate and harvest. Some have given in and joined the carnivores, with only two hard-core herbivores hanging tough (Afsaneh and Scott).

Naryn is a relatively small town. The mountain vistas are breathtakingly beautiful, and the whole place has a more relaxed air about it. Perhaps it is because it feels less touristy, or perhaps because it is much less crowded. The whole country of Kyrgyzstan has a smaller population than the Chinese city of Urumchi.

After breakfast was a visit to the State University at Naryn, which seems to be a small struggling university but is making good efforts, as it is the only institution of higher learning in the entire oblast or region. The Rector, Almasbek Akmateliev spoke English quite well, having spent time at the University of Montana on a Fulbright, but preferred to speak in Russian. Gulnaz translated brilliantly and expeditiously, with the two of them often talking simultaneously without pauses. He explained that Naryn is the largest region in Kyrgyzstan territorially, 35% of the land area, but with the smallest portion of population, 5%, in his words "a lot of breathing space." The university was founded 10 years ago, in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It has about three and a half thousand students, many of whom become engineers, economists, and teachers. It has a very strong program in English. The Chair of the English Department, like the Rector himself, also received a Fulbright grant to spend a year in the United States (University of Kansas), from which she had just returned. The Rector indicated that the university enjoys very good relations with the U.S. Embassy, with which it has established joint programs, including the Center for American Studies (see below). The Rector indicated that in this transitional post-Soviet period education is essential for the progress of his country. He feels that a "province university should not be provincial," but should strive for the highest standards and innovative programs. In practical terms he proposed an exchange of 5 students between Miami University and Naryn State University for a semester of study, as well as one-year faculty exchange programs. Though he made many friends in America and has hosted them here, this is the first large contingent of American academics his university has hosted, and he hopes it augurs other visits and future relations. He pointed out that there were eight universities in the country during Soviet times, but now, fifteen years later, there are over fifty, some state, some private, and some joint ventures with other countries. As a result, quality of instruction is not standardized and universities compete for students, even though professional opportunities for graduates remain limited.
After meeting with the very affable Rector, the group visited the Center for American Studies and met with its Director, several students, and three Peace Corps volunteers (even though this is exam week and they all had exams this afternoon). All of the students were female and are very much trying to continue their education and escape the village. Apparently studying English, American Studies, and other such fields is not considered “macho” enough for the male students. The Peace Corps volunteers have taught English at the university and have helped to establish the Center, among other projects including soliciting and receiving over four thousand books from American friends to establish the Center's library. The Center offers language courses as well as courses and resources in popular American culture: e.g. sports, movies, music, gender issues, and so on. The students were very engaging and spoke English very well. Four of them came to dine with the group, along with two of the Peace Corps volunteers, Greg and Jennifer, husband and wife.
After the visit to the University was a trip into the mountains, back along the same road taken from the border and Torugart pass (3752 meters above sea level). On the way there was an Islamic cemetery overlooking the road just outside the city. Meli pointed out that since nomads live in very simple structures; they tend to make up for it by erecting very elaborate tombs in their cemeteries. On the other side of the road from the cemetery there was a mountain stream running along the road, with a woman washing clothes on its rocks, a group of boys bathing in its frigid waters, and cows fording it on their way to or from pasturage.
After a picture-taking pause, it was on to the compound of a nomadic Kyrgyz family to spend the rest of the afternoon with them and watch their activities. Lunch inside their yurt was first, with two table cloths on the ground covered with three types of bread: nan, a round loaf soft and chewy on the outside and flat and crispy on the inside, bite-sized (large bites!) pieces of fried dough, and a crispy, fried, thin, rope-like looped bread. There was also black tea, jams (raspberry, apricot), cottled cream, fresh yellow butter (partly melted in the bowls), and individual plates of a cucumber, tomato, and dill salad, followed by bowls of a savory clear meat broth and noodles with meat and onions (rice and carrot for the vegetarians). Everyone sat cross-legged on rugs on the floor around the table cloth, with the exception of a couple of flexibility challenged kneelers.
After the meal, the family gave a demonstration of a yurt-raising. The family, with some of the group pitching in to help, constructed and furnished a yurt in less than half an hour. Rain clouds rolled overhead, rain drops fell, and thunder echoed off the mountain walls, but they all kept working, and the rain soon passed. Then the women made a felt "allakeezy," starting with white wool spread over a square reed mat. They beat it with metal rods for several minutes, spreading it to cover the mat. On top of it they then laid a strand of black wool, laying it to form a traditional geometric pattern. They then poured hot water over it, through a broom, to insure even sprinkling. They rolled up the reed mat with the wool design inside, enclosed it in canvas bags, and tied the resulting tube with ropes. They then rolled it along the ground while three boys stomped on it. This went on for over half an hour, with women or men replacing the boys and each other and pouring more hot water over it occasionally. Two women separated it from the reed mat, rolled up the felt that emerged, and rolled and kneaded it with palms and forearms. Finally it was rolled up, folded, and washed with cold water and hung up to dry, with the black pattern permanently embedded into the felt.
In the meantime, while the boys were stomping the felt mat, a woman was demonstrating the art of making blankets with felt appliqués. Later another woman milked the mares, whose new-born foals were all tethered together on a rope on the ground, and they demonstrated the process of making "kumis," fermented and slightly alcoholic mare's milk, by churning it inside a horse-skin bag for two hours. Everyone then tasted previously made kumis, served in bowls from a goat-skin pouch. Liz memorably dubbed it as "like a feta cheese shake." It tasted a little like unsweetened yogurt. One of the boys, about twelve, gave a horse-riding demonstration around the compound. The daughter in-law did almost all the work while we were there--milking, serving, showing us sewing of felt quilts. She was thin and not very healthy looking. Students told us this is very typical structure of a Kyrgyz nomadic family and the main reason why they want to go to the towns and cities and get their own place and continue their education.

Finally they offered some crafted goods for sale: felt rugs and wall hangings, purses, hats, etc. The head of the clan exchanged his Kyrgyz hat with Stan's bush hat. As gifts the group gave the two small children a pencil and a pen, and Sante gave the patriarch a flexible reading light with a picture of a screaming blonde from a horror movie. It was a big hit and he looped it on his jacket zipper, saying it would come in handy in the dark yurt. The group took a picture of the entire family and left, with heartfelt thanks and good wishes on both sides.
In addition to the herd of horses near the compound, the family also had some cows grazing near the horses and sometimes mingling with them, and a very large herd of sheep grazing much higher on the mountain, across the road (Scott walked up to say hi to them, and to walk off some of the lunch). On our return, several went in search of an internet cafe. At dinner the four students from the university said that they had passed their translation exam with the highest grade possible, 5, and sat at various tables, telling about life and schooling in Kyrgyzstan. All in all one of the more pleasant and leisurely days spent on the trip so far (and refreshingly cool, if not downright cold, after the intense heat of the Tarim basin in Xin Jian).


This is the third world the group has experienced (not the third world as used in common parlance). The first cultural world was in Beijing and Xi'an - with its ancient traditions, its music and its people, and its dresses and its history. The second world was in Xingjian - the Turkic part of China... starting with Urumqi and Turpan and culminating in Kashgar... This was indeed a very special world. When landing in Kashgar, it was Scott who noted that it feels like landing on the moon or something... the land seemed desolate and brownish-gray with some weird shaped hills, etc. No greenery... the desert area... a next day experience in the animal market and in the old city was a step back in time... as if the time was preserved in this town and as if life has not changed there since the middle ages... as if the heat coming from the desert preserves not only the corpses (the mummies in Xingjian), but also the lifestyle...
Moving to the west - through the Torugart pass (almost 4000 meters above the sea level) - to Naryn oblast in Kyrgyzstan is the third cultural world. A sleepy little town... with a strong Soviet feel...

 pictures here

Day 11: Wednesday May 31: Issyk Kul

On the road most of the day from Naryn to Issyk Kul, going up through Dolan Pass, and down; a short stop at a village called Kochkor with a busy market, and a handicraft store; lunch at Balykchy; passing Tokoy reservoir, a short visit at the Petroglyphs site; arriving at the Aurora Hotel around 3:30 in the afternoon.
As usual, the day did not start right on time and as usual it was an exciting day. By the way, those who stayed in the yurts all agreed that it was much more comfortable than camping.
Ten past eight in the morning. As the bus was leaving the small city of Naryn along the winding, partially asphalt road, the shepherds were already on horseback taking their cattle, sheep, goats, or horses to pasture. It was a sunny morning, a bit cloudy, refreshing breeze.
On the way up the mountains, some of them like the Rockies, some of them with green grass, Meli started to make up a fairy tale for our amusement. One by one the group continued the tale, each person adding a twist to the story: Once upon a time, there was a Kyrgyz family with a grandma, parents and two little grand-daughters. The two girls got lost with their lambs. . . . The king of the area was on an outing although he had a flu. He sneezed in a silk handkerchief presented by a beautiful young woman, so he fell in love with her and a wedding took place. People from different places gathered for a celebration, singing their songs, and an interpreter arrived. A friendly competition of songs and poems began. Marco Polo arrived late, and told the king about Xi'an (China) and Cincinnati, Ohio.
As the story went on, the bus passed several Kyrgyz families camped near the riverside under the foot of the hills with their white yurts, smoking chimneys--they were making tea for breakfast, their washed clothes lying on top of bushes to be dried, and their children waving at the bus. Nowadays, many of these nomadic families have cars and mobile houses that can be pulled by a car. The Kyrgyz nomads are dressed in modern clothes. What marks their ethnic identity is the hat for men, and scarf or skirt for women.
The story-making up continued. The lost girls found their way home with the help of a white camel. One day they saw a group of travelers. One of them, the monk Xuanzang, told one of the girls, Aida, about non-violence, and took her to India, or where she thought was India, but then when she heard a beautiful Persian poem she realized she ended up in the western section of the Silk Road. What happened to the other girl? She disappeared with a handsome young man.
Aida's daughter's roamed back home and their successive generations lived their nomadic way: yurt, pastures, streams under the mountains, but then a man came to declare that he wanted to liberate them from feudalism. The Kyrgyz people were losing their tradition until....
This is the ancient Silk Road, or one of the branches of it. The ancient travelers must have told stories on their long journey to entertain themselves. Not just the deserts, mountains or hardships, the Silk Road also meant stimulating imaginations. When you see all the magnificence of nature, when you encounter many different people on the road, you want to tell stories about them, don't you?
The story making was followed by a more serious topic: what did everyone learn from the conversations with the students of the Naryn University majoring in English at yesterday's dinner? tradition of bride-kidnapping, bribery for grades here and in many places in the world, women university students, economic situation, etc, and to the question why the color blue is so popular in this area: blue fences, blue colored windows? The answer is they live under such blue skies.
Then Gulnaz and Karen explained about the political and economic situation in Central Asia; and our two local guides, Nargiz and Asel, told us the great epic of Manas, the hero of the Kyrgyz people. Asel's recitation of a few lines sounded so beautiful.
Lunch time already. Although a video made by the Lonely Planet on Kyrgyzstan complains about the local food, so the meals have been delicious. Today's lunch began with tomato and cucumber salad, bread, followed by beef meat ball soup and cherries. Just as some thought the cherries were dessert, they served a plate of rice with tender beef. Even the vegetarians were delighted to have their borscht and vegetable (mushrooms) rice dish.
The Dolon Pass of the snow-capped Mountains (3030 meters) was left behind. No more winding, switchback road; the new landscape was a flat plain with an irrigation system and lots of trees. Not far in the distance the mountains are still visible. Ninety-seven percent of Kyrgyzstan is mountains. The land is poor in economy and rich in water; the bus traveled all the way along a river and passed the Tokoy reservoir that leads to Issyk Kul, the "warm lake," not so warm that you can swim at this time of the year, but warm enough so that it never freezes because of its depth, thermal activity and mild salinity. It is the second largest mountain lake in the world.
An ecological tax was required (100 som =US$ 2.50 each person) before entering the Issyk Kul resort area. The region around the lake is protected, all industry and so forth has been stopped. Outside the bus windows there were abandoned factories, small metal warehouses, and all of a sudden a huge field of glacial boulders. This is the State Museum of Petroglyphs. Many of the rock etchings are left by the nomadic Saka-Usun (8th century BE to 1st century AD) and Turkic people (5th to 10th century), featuring long-horned ibex, wolves, deer and hunters, goats, and camels. This was a religious site for these peoples. The lake region now seems to serve primarily for tourism, and soon they will open a direct Moscow-Issyk-Kul flight so lots of Russians can come here for vacation.
It is the off-tourist season here. The hotel, in Soviet style with chandeliers, large hall, and not so efficient service (offices for internet and long-distance phone already closed) is located near the lake. Standing on the balcony the green garden of the hotel and the lake are visible. Its clear blue color merges with the blue of the snow-capped mountains in distance.
The dinner menu consisted of carrot and sea weed salad, fish and bulgur with ketchup for vegetarians, and oromo--steamed rolls with meat and carrots for the others, with sweet and buttery corn meal cereal for dessert.

pictures here

Day 12: Thursday June 1: Issyk Kul

Today was spent at the Aurora Hotel (perfect example of the Soviet days’ Sanatorium) in Issyk Kul. Despite the term “sanatorium’s” ominous sound, it is a health clinic of sorts. People come here to get all sorts of treatment, from massages and saunas to psychological counseling. The sanatorium had strong Soviet cultural features. The stern woman administrator looking and speaking tough and cold, the labyrinth of hallways where everyone from the group got lost, the complicated package of services (impossible to use because of the bureaucracy involved) and even the complicated menu (impossible to enjoy because of horrible organization). The only exception to all this was the magnificent park with all those flowers with heavenly aroma and the incredibly pure and enlightening air...

The itinerary listed this day as a “relaxing day" as well as one for seminars. It was indeed relaxing—but also filled with excellent presentations. Many started the day with a knock on the doors at about 7am; clean clothes were being returned from the laundry to those who had sent them the night before—after several false starts with the delivery of the wrong clothes and one instance of apparently “lost” clothes everything was received—though much of it was wet and needed to be hung up.
Breakfast was served at 9am… not before and not later. It was an elaborate affair with many courses. Among the items served were egg salad, Spanish omelet served cold, beet and raisin salad, whole fried fish and rice, hot kasha, corn flakes, lamb and rice, cheese, several kinds of bread, several jams, and of course, tea and instant coffee (but no milk). Even the vegetarians had plenty from which to choose.
At 10 am everyone met in a first floor conference room for presentations by three members of the traveling community. Ben Sutcliffe spoke first on the topic “Imagining the Orient: Conceptions of Central Asia and Russian Culture”. He handed out information which included suggested readings and films. Next Gulnaz Sharafutdinova gave a comparison of the five Central Asian nations in terms of political and economic transformation after the fall of the Soviet Union. Liz Wilson presented on the life and achievements of Xuan-tsang and discussed his trip from China through Central Asia to India and back. Lots of questions and discussion followed each presentation.
After the meetings everyone headed out for some relaxation before and/or instead of lunch. The beautiful gardens were an attraction to all…beautiful roses, Shasta daisies, Irises of deep purple and yellow, incredible profuse Lilacs in both purple and white. The property also had a variety of evergreens and white poplars leading to the beautiful sandy beach of the lake. Several sunbathed on the beach while others walked in the sand and waded; some truly courageous went swimming in the cool lake waters. The sun was bright and warm and enjoyed particularly since the first afternoon in Issyk Kul was marred by rain.
Other activities to be chosen from included swimming in a heated pool, horseback riding reported by Liz to be pleasant, plodding and filled with beautiful scenery. She said she didn’t “fly like the wind.” The full body massage proved a popular diversion as well, though the scheduling process was reminiscent of the Soviet history of the hotel.
At 6pm everyone gathered again for a conversation and presentation by Nathan Light who has been teaching anthropology at the American University of Central Asia. Dr. Light will join the Havighurst Center next year as a post-doc.
After dinner various activities continued: playing cards, meeting to discuss the Bishkek seminars, massages, walking. It was an early night for most since all the bags have to be out by 6:30 am.

 pictures here

Day 13: Friday June 2: Bishkek

"It was a wonderful day," said Yildirim, walking to the hotel from a night club at about half past midnight in Bishkek. Indeed, everything is well that ends well. But the beginning of that day was not that wonderful. The morning was rather dull, driving to Bishkek from Issyk-kul so early that breakfast was replaced with some Soviet-style "sukhoi payok" (dry rationing). Things looked grey at 7 am to those who under slept or lacked the required shot of caffeine. Only Mary - the most dedicated photographer - was still taking photos in these last minutes at Aurora, and Meli came out of her room before the departure cheerful and fresh. The rest needed some boost. Thankfully, the boost was discovered, already in the bus, in the form of hot coffee or rather its smell. This coffee-like drink that normally could hardly be called real coffee produced so much excitement in the bus, that happiness seemed within reach. But, some divisions in the group started to surface: front vs. back of the bus, adding to the older divisions of veggies vs. the meat-eaters. Fortunately, there are always those in the middle, or those who switch their places: those are the links, the nods, the glue. That morning the role of the link was played by ever-cheerful Liz, who served the coffee to those in the front. So much for the morning.

Passing the mountains which take up 94% of the territory of Kyrgyzstan and are responsible for the magnificent landscape, the bus slowly descended to the lower lands. It took about 3-4 hours to reach the town of Tokmac and the Burana Tower (minaret) and other remains of Balasagun - the eastern capital of the Karakhanid Khanate. This Turkic Turkish political entity existed during the 10-12 centuries and is allegedly responsible for bringing Islam to this part of the Central Asia. Departing from the bus, all of the sudden it seemed as if the summer has arrived. The sun was bright and very hot. The few courageous ones went to the top of the Burana tower built in the 11th century; others proceeded to see the bal-bals, Turkic gravestones of VI-Xth centuries, featuring stone figures or rather faces engraved in the stone.
Balasagun is probably most famous by its thinker, Yusuf Balasagun, who created the oldest written Turkic work: Kutadgu bilig ("The knowledge that brings happiness"). To Gulnaz’s delight, there was Russian translation of this book in the small museum there. The book is a collection of wisdom from different parts of the world and different cultures (Persian, Arab, Turkic) and has advice on various aspects of life and to various types of people. This is a second big thinker the group learned about after Makhmud Kashgari who created the dictionary of Turkic languages. Both lived and worked in the 11th century.
The lunch-issue quickly emerged as very important after the new discoveries (especially considering there was no real breakfast), so there was a rapid returned to Tokmac to replenish energies. By Afsaneh's suggestion though this was also a good time for some poetry reading (spirits run higher when the stomachs are empty), so on the way to the lunch place Gulnaz read some of Jalalutdin Rumi.
The lunch was not disappointing: starting with some great salads, it ended on a high note of ice-cream. The day seemed brighter and brighter. It was another hour of driving to Bishkek. The group integrity was reinforced during a game of password and the sharing of observations about the surroundings. Mary commented about the only operating plant passing through the German town, Gülen and Karen wondered at the glass decor of some houses and Gulnaz noticed a collective farm named after Lenin (or at least the remaining label of a collective farm that existed sometime ago). With everyone glued to the windows the bus approached Bishkek, entering the city on the Silk Road street (Zhibek zhul).

The Soviet touch, the defining feature of this world, increased dramatically upon arrival in Bishkek. The collective farm named after Lenin (kolkhoz im. Lenina), the Sovetskaia street, the familiar labels on the Post Office - Pochta, Telefon, Telegraph -- using the same blue letters as in any other city of the former Soviet Union.
Another luxury hotel (Ak Keme) with wideband and Kandinsky-esque carpets on each of its 10 floors, a great dinner at an upscale restaurant only reinforced the gradually improving trend of the day, which ended on a high note of going to a night club. Nargiz and Asel' took the most adventurous of the group to a Metro-Retro club. Everyone danced and listened to the music from the 80s and even earlier, including some famous pop tunes recognized by all Russians, like "White Roses."  They also played “Stairway to Heaven,” “Land Down Under,” and a bizarre Beatles medley. Alas, the degree of engagement with the music was not at all comparable to the club in Urumqi, with the great dancer Abdullah, but all seemed satisfied in the end. Hence, walking back to the hotel, Yildirim's "the day was wonderful" sounded right for all.

 pictures here

Day 14: Saturday June 3: Bishkek

The leitmotif of the day is exchange, and in particular exchange as embodied in books, ideas, and mutton (but more on this later in the entry). The morning began with a plentiful buffet not marred by mysterious greasy vegetables (cf. the breakfast offerings in Kashgar). Coffee drinkers were happy to find a vat of "roasted coffee" as well as the ubiquitous Nescafe instant granules. Most of the group then proceeded to the main goal in visiting Bishkek: the Conference on Globalization and the Independent States of the Silk Way: Problems and Prospects. This conference was organized thanks to the hard work of colleagues in Bishkek and generously funded by the Bishkek municipal government.

The morning session, hosted by the Kyrgyz National Library, featured presentations by Karen ("Engendering the Silk Road: Communist Dream and Post-Socialist Reality") and Mary ("Women, Work, and Globalization"), as well as academic papers delivered by Professor Rakhat Achylova and other Kyrgyz scholars. The session was chaired by Karen, Dr. Achylova, and Dr. Jyldyz Bakashova, the Librarian of the National Library. This conference received much attention from the municipal and federal government, suggesting the nation's ongoing interest in the humanities in a global context. The morning was supposed to be filled with a series of ten-minute presentations, but most of them turned out to be 2 or 3 times that long (in part because translation was necessary).

While not all the sessions were of equal interest, they were informative about the city of Bishkek (with a population of about 1 million, and most of the economic opportunities and activities taking place here), social and economic conditions of Kyrgyzstan, and the role of women in contemporary Kyrgyz society, etc. The latter is particularly filled with paradox--on the one hand, there seemed to be general agreement that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and with it many factories and so on, women often became vitally important in opening new businesses and the like, thus helping the survival of families and more. On the other hand, in the villages the tradition of bride kidnapping is very widespread. Even this is a complex phenomenon, sometimes essentially acting like an elopement while at other times it is quite involuntary for the woman.
Meanwhile, Judith, Liz, and Ben were on another epic book-buying expedition. After several adventures ("open" banks with no employees present) and numerous taxis, the necessary cash was obtained, books were purchased from the Raritet bookstore, and a precious 18 kilos of books on Kyrgyz culture were mailed. As someone who, like Scott, frequents post offices in the former Soviet Union, Ben was impressed by the civility of the postal workers Bishkek. Despite low salaries and outdated technology (sending one of our packages involved wax seals) they were polite and resisted the urge to berate their bumbling foreign customers.

Ben translated for an afternoon session of the conference devoted to globalization and culture and chaired by Dr. Tamara Obozova. There was a lively group of librarians asking the group questions. Rick explained how he teaches Islam and Simone described the complexities involved in successfully running a bookstore. The conference also had two other sessions, which were merged to discuss economic and political aspects of the Silk Road. Gulnaz translated for the session, continuing her role from the morning. Both afternoon sessions were round-table discussions.
So far this accounts for two of the items of exchange: books and ideas. The third item came into play with the banquet concluding the conference. Presided over by an amazingly energetic tamada (toastmaster), who sent the Mayor of Bishkek's wishes for a great conference and a stupendous meal, the feast lasted for four hours and took place in a spacious yurt. Many important cultural and political personages were present, with their language of choice varying between Russian and Kyrgyz. Because Gulnaz and Ben were translating, they decided to limit the effects of the evening's numerous toasts (these toasts included one for a group too often overlooked at social functions: librarians). Among the many dishes served was pilaf with the meat most often supplied to travelers on the Silk Road: mutton. Interestingly enough, this feast echoed the Soviet past, as the most popular drinks for toasting were cognac and vodka. (Soviets had a paradoxical attitude towards cognac. On the one hand, many citizens claimed it smelled like bedbugs. On the other hand, Soviet drinkers did not let this stand in the way of consumption.) At 11 the group emerged from the yurt full and ready for a good night's rest.

Kyrgyzstan has a lot to offer: its grand nature with mountains, lakes and meadows; its nomading culture with yurts, kumyz, shirdaks and lots of handicraft work; its people, open, hospitable and free. During the seminar, people shared openly about critical views of more recent realities. Hopefully these people will find their way, as they are placed in a very precarious position among all the great powers. They need much wisdom and lots of tourism.

 pictures here

Day 15: Sunday June 4: Bishkek

There were three events on the agenda today. 1) Kyrgyz National Historical Museum, 2) some shopping at TSum and other sites, 3) and a visit to the mountain home of Rahat Achilova, the host of yesterday’s Bishkek conference.

Bishkek is an easy city to walk around in, and today the group walked past the White House, Parliament, statues to Lenin and Manas, and a National Museum that has a whole floor still dedicated to Lenin and the glories of Communism (even though the government of the Kyrgyz Republic is now democratic).

Kyrgyz Historical Museum is located right at the center of town at Ala Too Square. This Museum was built in 1980; it was formerly the Lenin Museum, devoted completely to Lenin and the story of Russian revolution. The first floor has gift shops, the second floor describes Lenin and the Russian Revolution and the third floor has a combination of archeological and anthropological exhibits of Kyrgyz culture. Originally there was a large status of Lenin in front of the Museum. Now there is a statue of freedom on Ala Too Square. Lenin has moved to a position behind the museum; he is now pointing directly to the American University of Central Asia.
The museum is a large imposing example of late Soviet architecture. Ceilings are high, with marble interiors. The ceilings are of particular interest as all of them are covered with paintings depicting the Russian Revolution. Many of these events have been memorialized in Soviet film, painting and sculpture, the battle ship Potemkin, Lenin's triumphal return to Moscow et cetera, et cetera. This exhibit on Lenin with statues, paintings, and memorabilia, all serve to retell the story of the Russian Revolution. After Kyrgyzstan became independent, the third floor was renovated to add the Kyrgyz component. So the museum shows the Kyrgyz desire to tell the history rather than denying the history of the Soviet era.
The history of Kyrgyzstan is well represented. Petroglyphs dating back to the Neolithic begin the exhibit followed by Bronze Age axes and pots from burial mounds near Issyk Kul and metal implements from the Saka (Scythians) ( 8th C. BCE -1st C CE). Silk from the 3rd C CE found in southern Kyrgyzstan is on display. The Huns controlled much of the territory in 400-600 CE. The Turk Khanate had control from 600-900 CE; their base was in the Chui valley surrounding Bishkek and eastward to Issyk Kul. The Huns and the Turks both came from the east ; another group the Sogdians came from the west. The Sogdians were settled traders; one Sogdian site is outside Bishkek in Karsnya Recha ( in Russian ) or Nevkat ( in Sogdian ). At Nevkat there were traces of Zoroastrianism as well as Buddhism. Sogdian and Turk cultures complemented each other and were important elements of the transmittal of cultures along the Silk Road.
From the west, Arabs came to the Ferghana Valley in the 700s and the Tang Chinese armies ( led by a Korean general and staffed mostly by Turks) also came from the east. In the ensuing clash among Arab, Turk, Sogdian and Chinese, the Tang Chinese armies were defeated. From this battle Chinese prisoners were taken back to Persia, thus bringing silk and paper technology. Arab forces brought Islam to Ferghana. A new group the Karakhanids (also Turks) brought Islam to the region by the 10th C CE. The Karakhanids controlled lands as far east as Kashgar, north to Balasagun (near Bishkek), and south to Mavarannarh in the Ferghana. During this time Jusup Has Hajib Balasagun wrote the Kudatgu Bilig (Book of Knowledge) and Mohammed Al-Kashgari wrote the Diwan Luget et Turk (Great Turk Dictionary). These books form the basis of medieval knowledge for the Uyghur, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz and are claimed by all of them. Kyrgyz tribes arrived from the Yenesei river ( Mongolia) in the 12th C. intermarrying with the locals and bringing a fresh infusion of nomadic culture. The Mongols followed in the 13th C. and Kyrgyz became a part of the Mongol army but were able to retain their own culture.
The Kyrgyz Manas Epic points to the Kyrgyz battles in the region with Mongols, Chinese and others. Kyrgyz established themselves as masters of the mountains, the Tenghri Too in Kyrgyz, Tian Shan in Chinese, translated as "Heavenly Mountains."
Kyrgyz nomadic culture is expressed by the yurt; Kyrgyz call these buz oi, grey houses. The tunduk is the circular frame at the top of yurt; the tunduk is the symbol portrayed on the Kyrgyz flag. Exhibits also showed the shyrdak, felt carpets, and other weavings that hang in the yurt. We saw all of these in our visit to a yurt encampment in Naryn on May 30. Musical instruments such as komuz, (a three stringed lute), the jaw's harp, the ocarina, the wooden flute, were on display.

Rick and Scott began the morning separate from the group, with church services at the Russian Orthodox Church in Bishkek. The service was quite familiar, more or less like anywhere in Russia. However, the church--a large one--was quite packed. The majority were women, though there were people of all ages; most were Russian, only a few Kyrgyz.

Then Gulnaz joined Rick and Scott for a meeting with Kuba, a professor of Kyrgyz history who gave a little tour of the city (including the very communist history museum), that included a great deal of interesting conversation about Kyrgyz history and contemporarily. Gulnaz was particularly interested in the political situation after the "Tulip Revolution" of a year ago. In reality the demonstrations here were huge, and in the end demonstrators seized the "white house" and quite a lot of violence was done both to the white house itself as well as to many businesses that were supposedly owned by Akaev and his family.

Kuba told about Islamic practice in Kyrgyzstan. It's quite a confusing picture in many ways. Kuba said that there were in fact a lot of different kinds of religious groups, including some rather extremist groups (though they didn't have a particularly widespread impact on society, and they are much more influential in the south, which is closer to Uzbekistan and also poorer). In general, it seems that Kyrgyzstan was largely secularized (comparable to Russia), and today there is a residual level of Islamic identity but not necessarily active belief/practice. In fact, many Kyrgyz have converted to various forms of Protestantism and other religions brought by the abundant foreign missionaries. At any rate, it doesn’t seem there is much of a threat of Islamic extremism here.

Gulnaz, Rick and Scott joined up with the group for a late lunch, which included entertainment of wonderful Kyrgyz traditional music. In the early evening we went to the dacha (country house) of Rahat Achilova, a professor of sociology who also served as a parliamentary deputy in the early post-soviet period. She knew Karen Dawisha from a stint in the U.S. some years ago, and was the main contact that resulted in the seminar yesterday. Today's dinner, however, was much more low-key, although it included a lot of vigorous political discussion. Despite the fact that some have claimed that Kyrgyz women have a limited role in terms of Muslim life here, it seems that there is no lack of strong Kyrgyz women. Scott’s friend Kuba said that women are able to participate in an equal footing along with men except for the places in which foreign "Wahhabi" ideas have taken hold. Unfortunately the itinerary has not included any mosques in Kyrgyzstan (supposedly they were rare until the post-Soviet period) nor more than a single holy site called a "mazar" (place of pilgrimage) in order to delve into such questions.

Numerous Kyrgyz (at least of a slightly older generation) are quite nostalgic for the Soviet period and complain of the decline of education, security in the form of jobs, living places, health care, and in general the difficulties that have ensued. Many Kyrgyz lament that their region seemed more prosperous to them 15 years ago.

General impressions of Kyrgyzstan are that the country is truly gorgeous, with breathtaking mountain views almost wherever one turns. The country is also very poor, and unemployment is a huge problem, as is emigration and brain drain. People are incredibly warm and friendly. Some of the speeches at the conference were critical of "Western Imperialism," and clearly the US airbase in this country is the subject of a fair amount of controversy. Despite the objections of some here to American foreign policy, even those with such opinions were hospitable to the American group.

Most Kyrgyz remain largely secularist, and yet the majority identify themselves as Muslims. Many have noted that Protestant Christian missionaries have been actively proselytizing here, and it is a matter of some tension.

 pictures here

Day 16: Monday June 5: Osh

Today the group flew from Bishkek to Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The flight was on a Yak-40 to Osh, which was loaded from the back. But first they loaded the luggage (much of which went under the seats). Fortunately the flight was uneventful other than the amazing views of the mountains. The "Intourist" hotel is very Soviet, and one of the poorer hotels we've stayed in.

Osh is a crossroads city located at a place on the silk road where roads going to China and India cross. It was for many centuries a place were caravanserai offered weary travelers not only beds and fresh horses but also entertainment in the form of jugglers, acrobats, and snake charmers. Said to have been founded by the Suleiman Mazi, migrating from the Karakhanid stronghold to the west, it's reported that the city got its name when Suleiman drew his animals to a halt with the phrase "Osh," meaning "that's enough." Osh is one of the main cities of southern Kyrgyzstan, and already it has quite a different feel than the north--already more of an "Uzbek" or middle eastern feel rather than the nomadic + Russian feel of the north.. Osh feels very different from Bishkek, much more hot, a bit more religiously conservative, many more people with gold caps on the front of their teeth (a sign of beauty among the women).
After a brief museum visit and lunch, the group ascended “Solomon's mountain,” the hill in the middle of the city, to see the home of Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty who lived in this city for a year. Many local families were also making the ascent to visit Babar's house, a modest one-room house that now functions as a sacred place. There were three elderly women descending barefoot, with clippings from shrubs that they'd taken from the top of the hill. They explained that they would boil the leaves of the shrub in water and drink it as tea for the medicinal effect. These ladies must have had an incredible health regimen, as they indeed were tremendously fit for their age. One can only wonder why Babar decided to build his home so high on this soil-scarce hill, and how much effort the getting up and down would have been. Perhaps it was the pink marble underfoot (reminiscent of Mughal miniatures). No doubt the location of his house gave him a spot where observation of the valley would be easy.

On the way to Babar's house, there was a museum displaying artifacts from the past three millennia of history in the area. Of special interest were the Zoroastrian sarcophagi. The Sogdians, who were major culture brokers in this area prior to the ascendance of Turkic groups practicing Islam, at one time practiced Zoroastrianism as well as Buddhism. To desecrate the earth with burial, or to desecrate fire with cremation, or to sully water with the immersion of corpses is not permitted to Zoroastrians, so special wood sarcophagi were used to dispose of the dead (in India the Parsees place the dead on special towers from which vultures pick off the flesh of the dead).
After descending from the hill in the center of town, everyone visited the bazaar, where a blacksmith was making knives and women were selling gold jewelry. Several members of the group bought Kyrgyz hats. This is one of the largest markets of the region because traders come from all the local Central Asian countries as well as China. And indeed it was huge. In many ways it is like markets in Moscow and elsewhere--same Chinese goods--but the unique parts included the Kyrgyz crafts at the beginning and the various foods and spices at the other end.

The day ended with a delightful dinner with students from local universities studying English as well as some of their teachers (including a couple of Peace Corps volunteers--of which there are evidently many in the country). One young woman described the place of women in contemporary Kyrgyzstan, as well as education, living conditions, ethnic tensions (she comes from the far west where there are also many Uzbeks and Tajiks).

One interesting note about Kyrgyzstan before moving on to Uzbekistan. One of the recurring topics of conversation was the relationship of Kyrgyz to Russia/Russian culture. Rather than viewing the Russians negatively as "imperial oppressors," they tended to view them in a mixed but overall positive fashion. Several people mentioned that the Russians, while in fact a foreign and imperial power that did suppress elements of national culture, brought more good things than bad. In particular, they mentioned things like education, agriculture (Kyrgyz were formerly nomadic), industry, etc. Virtually all Kyrgyz are bilingual (Russian and Kyrgyz), and this is something that is continuing with the younger generation.

 pictures here

Day 17: Tuesday June 6: Ferghana
Moving From Red to Blue Border Crossing

Leaving Kyrgyzstan and entering Uzbekistan by land turned into a three hour tedious frustrating event or actually a series of events. When you combine the bureaucratic procedures of two countries and seventeen silk road adventurers of three different nationalities it adds up to a very long morning. It might just be easier to get that camel through the eye of a needle. Hope springs eternal and the group left the Intourist hotel in Osh in high cheer and with expectations of an easy passage to Ferghana. Osh is extremely close to the border; indeed, it seemed to be just on the edge of the town itself.

It was quickly understood, however, that it was not going to be a quick passage. First the passports were collected and the group waited, and waited, and waited some more; all the while it was getting hotter by the minute on the bus. Eventually the USA passports were returned and the reason for the long wait was revealed: three within the group were not registered properly. It seems that the Turkish and Russian nationals did not need a Kyrgyz visa. But according to a new 2005 law they were required to register in Kyrgyzstan for stays longer than 5 days, while the group’s stay was 7 days. This information was not expressed on any entry information, nor expressed to them by the border officials coming into Kyrgyzstan from China, nor by our local guides. What to do, what to do. Take the whole group back to Osh and register them properly and pay a fine and then return again? After negotiations with the border officials the unregistered members were allowed to pay a fine on site. Passports were redistributed to their owners and the bus moved forward through the no-man's land toward the goal of the border. Soon it was off the bus and the luggage was placed on carts to be carried to the Uzbek checkpoint.

Everyone hoped (there is that word again, hope) that the Uzbek bureaucracy would run smoother. No such luck. Such a large group of foreigners - not the stream of Uzbek and Kyrgyz traders passing through on a daily basis - came under scrutiny. First, it was the handing in of passports one at a time without any of them being returned, then it was the filli