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Southern Silk Road Part 04: GPS Coordinates for Filling Stations

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Rouqiang is the last town in Xinjiang before heading into the Qinghai Province. Still feeling utterly terrible, I decide to drive the three or so hours from Qiemo and have the afternoon off. There’s nothing much going on in Rouqiang. It’s a fairly empty place and you can saunter across the roads with no sign of traffic. The river is bone dry and full of rubbish. I film a guy fly tipping which he didn’t like much.

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The river bed at Ruoqiang

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For most trucks, this is the last decent stopping point before Qinghai

None of my GPS maps showed any sign of a petrol station from Hotan to Ruoqiang. Something that stressed me out big time. I did however, record all of the coordinates myself so please find them listed below. There are a couple of big stretches where there’s no petrol anywhere so sometimes you have to fill up even if you did so an hour back. I’ll be doing the same for Qinghai. I hope it’s useful to someone who’s heading that way and having similar anxiety attacks.

GPS Coordinates South Silk Road & Qinghai

Hotan to Ruoqiang

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PDF Download here: GPS Coordinates for Filling Stations on the South Silk Road

1: Qira 36°59′59.23″N 80°48′05.51″E

36.999786 80.80153

2: Xianbai Bazha 36°53′11″N 81°30′34″E

36.886389 81.509721

3: Street 36°49′37.48″N 81°54′32.89″E

36.827078 81.909135

4: 37°03′54.36″N 82°41′27.78″E

37.065099 82.691049

5: 37°45′21″N 84°09′44.84″E

37.75611 84.162456

6: 38°14′24.46″N 85°19′18.24″E

38.240128 85.321734

7: Qiemo 38°08′36.86″N 85°31′29.68″E

38.143572 85.524911

8: 38°42′12.27″N 87°09′07.24″E

38.703408 87.152012

9: 38°41′39.98″N 87°23′32.45″E

38.694439 87.392348

10: 38°58′06.86″N 88°01′36.38″E

38.968571 88.026772

11: Ruoqiang 39°00′37.8″N 88°10′01.87″E

39.0105 88.167186

There are a number of gas stations just east of Ruoqiang

39°00′50.67″N 88°14′43.67″E

39.014074 88.245465

39°00′29.23″N 88°18′22.64″E

39.008119 88.306289

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Published on April 03, 2017 17:16

Southern Silk Road Part 03: Three Star Hotels

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Morning. Only twenty more hours driving until I’m out of Xinjiang and into Qinghai. I’m not well at the moment and its hard concentrating on the road. Something I ate? A nausea that surfaces every few minutes. I know the exhaust is blowing so maybe it’s a slight case of carbon monoxide poisoning. Hours of desert driving. There’s absolutely nothing out here so you start to notice the detail of things.

For miles at a time there are huge areas of grass that have been planted in one foot squares along the roadside. Of course being that it’s a desert and therefore without a single drop of moisture anywhere it’s all died, leaving nothing more than inch high dried brown stalks poking out of the sand. At a guess, somehow it must all come to life once a year in a spectacular display of colour. Well maybe. Even so it must seem like a strange job to do. Right, for the next two months I want you all to get out there in the desert and plant grass!

Finally I succumb to my nausea and cut today’s trip short, stopping in the tiny town of Qiemo. A mere eight hours today. Seems like I’m on holiday though exhaustion is really setting in. As previously noted in Part 2, I am now in the habit of hunting for three star hotels. Of course when the word hotel springs to mind one may naturally think of some level of comfort that other places wouldn’t provide. In this case however, years of wear and tear by thousands of guests plus zero maintenance normally means that such establishments have been relegated to a two star status long ago, hence the price.

The hotel in Qiemo is no exception. Outside the sign’s been removed and never replaced leaving a dirty blackened outline of the original characters. The smoked windows look like they’ve never been cleaned leading to a gloomy impression inside.

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No duplicating machine? Major drag!

The receptionist Feng, is really nice though can’t work out how to register my passport as it’s in English. Not thwarted by the task, she battles on with it for over an hour while I’m turning inside out with sickness. The situation is not helped by the chain smoking security guard called Wan Ke. On my last big trip around China, it was the noise levels that seemingly increased to deafening proportions before exiting the country. In the case of Xinjiang, the nicotine and high tar environment is now really getting to me. Yesterday, even the manager of the restaurant had a ciggie in his hand as he took my order.

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The whole hotel in fact stinks of cigarettes. When I finally get things sorted, it turns out my room smells like a giant ash tray. Well at least I’ve found a use for that Adidas deodorant. It’s so depressing. The windows are all cracked and the view outside is either of a brick wall or a dusty parking lot covered in rubbish. The dark, melancholy corridor gives way to an empty reception area with some foldable tables but no chairs; a half-way house between this world and hell I am sure. The cleaning staff catch a glimpse of me and slowly push the door closed in the event that I ask them to do something. And it smells so bad.

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As I take a shower I wonder how many dirty feet have been in in here, rancid in growing toe nails and the like. Thousands I guess. I mean at home the only ones to use the shower are yours truly but here, well…! Three star hotels are time capsules for the not so distant past. Evidence of previous guests is still apparent via broken light switches, lamps that stand at an angle and stains everywhere. Have you ever watched Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell? Before he dares sleep in his room, he checks it out with a blue UV light in the dark. It’s shocking the stains that are revealed and remember there are only three types, yeeech. No wonder people travel with their own travel bed-liners. It just goes to show that there’s also evidence that we can’t see with our own eyes when we’re in a hotel.

Hotel + Exhaustion + Sickness. It sure is one uncomfortable night!

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Published on April 02, 2017 23:15

Southern Silk Road, Part 02: Diversions

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Right. Monday morning! It’s still dark though the full moon illuminates the street as I load up the Land Cruiser. Things get going slowly in Xinjiang and there’s still no one around so it’s a quiet start to the first leg of the South Silk Road. That is, a merry little eight hour trip to the last major city in Xinjiang. Well that’s what it says on Maps.me though judging on its track record, I doubt it immensely.

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This is largely what the Xinjiang Southern Silk Road looks like

The beautiful morning does nothing to ease my anxiety. I slept like crap and am currently driving on a tank of adrenaline. There is a police check point immediately out of town then infuriatingly a second. This one’s a diversion though and the officer says the expressway is closed. Great start! Everything slows you down out here that’s for sure.

It’s entirely predictable really. To suddenly be on a dirt track that shakes the jeep violently behind barely visible traffic, immersed in a cloud of red dust at nine o’clock in the morning. In normal circumstances this would be fun, but the thought of the suspension giving in right now fills me with dread. It goes on and on and on, then, some distance away to the right, in a brief window of visibility, I spot what could be the expressway again.

Instinctively I gamble, make a hard turn and bring the Cruiser into full 4×4 mode ploughing down into a deep ditch. At forty five degrees it leaps back up and lands horizontally on the other side. I shout “Yeeeehaaaaa” and proceed over the desert terrain at full pelt followed by a line of vehicles that copied me. The jeep noses in and out of another ditch then amazingly slams down on to the open and totally empty expressway. Surrounded by desert it’s quite an eerie feeling but what the heck. Reeesult!

An hour later, the expressway practicably ends. The silky smooth new tarmac now replaced by a single lane potholed nightmare going through countless tiny towns that I can do without. I have to be honest here. Anyone who’d just arrived in China would be going wow at these places and taking millions of photos. To me they are now the biggest pain in the arse in the world, bristling with speed cameras, loaded with speed bumps and filled with slow moving trucks, farm machinery and motorbikes that you can’t pass. You know? All you want to do is just get there!

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Hotan. I arrive after a good twelve hours completely mullered and predictably turned away from the first three hotels. It’s the price you pay for looking for a cheap place though and I am now addicted to these ageing three star places that charge a mere 100RMB for a room. That’s around ten quid or fifteen dollars. I go to look for a place that can fix my video recorder. There’s a super crowded underground system that has hundreds of mobile phone stalls. Everyone is nuts about getting the latest Xiaomi or Huawei p9 it seems and the din is immense. Hotan. A city of three hundred thousand completely surrounded by thousands of miles of desert. An island town in the middle of nowhere. I guess many people spend their whole lives here.

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Published on April 01, 2017 15:37

Cross China Road Trip 11: Southern Silk Road, Part 01. High Anxiety.

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Kashgar. So I’m lying on the bed at the Super 8 three star hotel when it suddenly dawns on me that it’s maybe a good idea to take a look at the next phase of the journey. A wave of anxiety descends while spreading the map open across the floor as this is something that should have been addressed ages ago.

I’m taken aback at how much distance is still remaining. It’s a massive space hugging the whole bottom of the Taklamakan Desert, then south right through the Qinghai Province and across three more provinces to Beijing! What is it? It’s well over three thousand more miles. AAAAAAGH! I’d forgotten that Kashgar is only the halfway point and that the hardest part of the trip still remains.

There are a number of factors that cause me to fall back onto the bed star-fished while trying to avoid having a coronary. These are

The chilling words of Mr Li, the owner of the Land Cruiser for one “Out there we cannot help you!” Due to racial tensions in the area, Han Chinese firmly believe that it’s dangerous and therefore a definite no-go zone. It’s also too far away for him to sort any kind of break down service.
When it comes to petrol stations Maps.me just registers a vast blank after the last major city of Hotan and the Cruiser is as hungry as it gets. As far as the GPS goes, there’s nothing out there.
On top of this, over the weeks the jeep developed a number of ailments that could easily turn into something worse, especially the front left shock absorber which is leaking.
I am sick and tired of getting into arguments every time I have to go to a petrol station and this three times daily exercise of torment has become more than wearing. Throughout Xinjiang, most gas stations are surrounded by barbed wire, have a barrier and you need to swipe your Chinese ID card two times, once outside and then before you fill up. Passengers have to wait outside the perimeter and you can get your vehicle searched.

Being that I am a foreigner, this obviously means I have no ID card (shen fen zheng). The normal response is for staff to shake their heads, shout something negative and wave me on. If it’s a female petrol attendant then they’ll squawk and flap like chickens as if some major problem is going down. I then refuse to move the jeep out of the way thus holding up the queue. At times I’ll remove the keys until someone uses their own card to swipe me in. I mean without gas where the hell can I go anyway right? So far the police have been the most helpful, even lending me their cards until I’m done.

Police checkpoints. Well enough said already about this. Normally between two and four a day. Some fast and some slow. Never anything negative. Either way, the combination of this and petrol stations is now a daily way of life. Blaaagh!
I’m exhausted beyond belief and driving for 8-12 hours a day is starting to make me a bit hmmm cranky to say the least.

Despite enough Ibuprofen and Propranolol to pacify a blue whale, the night before is still a restless one as my subconscious conjures various horror stories and nightmare scenarios of what may happen.

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Published on April 01, 2017 02:31

Cross China Road Trip 10: The Dazzling Colours of Old Town, Kashgar

Talk about poles apart. Timeless: As two kids play in the sleepy back streets of the old town I can only imagine that this may be a scene from anytime in Kashgar’s history. Surreal: The giant tourist tower dominates the neighbouring space making for a somewhat uncomfortable reality.

[image error]I don’t remember too much of the modern part of the city. As a resident of China for over ten years you get used to its typical style of architecture and drive through it without giving it a second thought.

Most places are similar on a highly soporific scale and it takes a lot to shake me out of my catatonic state these days. Having driven thousands of miles, each town along the way may as well have be the same place as the previous one, lacking any unique identity. That is dust, dust and more dust followed by small shops, rubbish and a zillion low grade forms of transport chugging by.

It had been a long shout since going anywhere to write home about. I mean without encountering anything in particular and having to find new ways of propping my eyelids open. After weeks of driving plus a three times daily ordeal of blagging petrol from gas stations surrounded by barbed wire and security followed by a couple of hefty check points, I finally made it to Kashgar. Oh yes!

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click to enlarge

In terms of the wow factor, Kashgar Old Town certainly doesn’t disappoint. Vehicles are generally prohibited in the area but even so the security guard of the Super8 Hotel, Ren Yong, came through the check point and allowed me park smack bang outside. Nice one on that mate. And so I invite you to come along on a visual journey with me. As you scroll down the page I can only hope that my photos do justice to such a fabulously vibrant place. Was it all worth the effort to get there? You’re damned right it was!

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The Old Town from the outdside

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[image error]So on the first full day I roll up my sleeves to go and look for a guesthouse as mentioned in the WKTG (Well Known Travel Guide). My aim is to put up a notice in the hope of finding a travel companion for when I head down along the South Silk Road and into the Qinghai Province. Xinjiang is a slow place to wake up and it only really gets going after 10am. Now that’s what I call a proper start to the day. You cant beat that just waking up feeling around this time in Kashgar. As people open up their shops down narrow terracotta streets in the crispness of a cool and bright autumn morning, I can already feel those stiff travel aches melting away.

At last I find the guesthouse. This has to be the one as I remember seeing a picture of it on the internet some months ago so head for the open door. With no response I guess it must be busy so I let myself in.

Past a few locals sitting by the door sharing mint tea, I see no one in charge so carry on past into the most stunning of courtyards followed by a big woman in bright green headscarf and bright pink dress. The yard is filled with large shiny healthy looking plants and vines, tapestries and glass partitions. Clearly animated by my presence, after following me around in circles for some moments the penny finally drops that I’m actually in someone’s house and she shoos me out in no uncertain terms. Nice one on that mate!

Thousands of years of fame as one of the major hubs along the Silk Road has meant that tourism is massive in Kashgar. There are TWAFS everywhere, a term I coined some years ago meaning Taking (Photos) Without Asking First. Recording this phenomena has become one of my hobbies and this is the first opportunity to actually record it. Please click on the YouTube link and drop by my Max China site and show some support by subscribing. Cheers.

Don’t forget to raise the quality in the settings at the bottom of the screen.

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Hospitals don’t get any more colourful than this

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A huge portion of the Old Town has gone now and its residents moved on long ago. Its demise is sadly an ongoing process and now it seems more like an island surrounded by modern buildings

If you liked the post and fancy a bit more then please drop and watch the accompanying video I did on my Max China channel on YouTube. Once again. your subscription would be super appreciated. Happy watching. Best to all my amazing followers. Sorry I haven’t been around much lately but I’m multi tasking like crazy at the moment.

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Published on March 18, 2017 07:09

Cross China Road Trip 09: The South East Silk Road to Altai

[image error] To Visit or Not to Visit? That is the Question.

From the beauty and hospitality of the Tibetan region of southern Lanzhou, via a two day trip across the Qilian Mountains (YouTube), I finally connected with the beginning of the South-Eastern Silk Road aka The Hexi Corridor. Hand on heart though, I have to admit that the next few weeks were a mixed bag of emotion.

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click to enlarge

1: Mati Si or Horse Shoe Temple

[image error][image error]This is an hour’s drive south of the sleepy town of Zhengye back towards the Qilian Mountains (YouTube). Photos you’ll find online suggest an ancient structure way out there in the countryside, undisturbed for years with eagles circling in the thermals above. The truth of the matter is, the area is a rapidly developing tourist town. Do not expect anything authentic here. They say that the main attraction is being restored, though the work is so extensive that looks like it’s been just built from scratch. Maybe it has. I guess everything was new in the first place though so you can’t moan. In one hundred years they’ll be able to say, Mati Si was built over a century ago with the use of pneumatic drills and arc welders and so on. There are intrusive CCTV cameras everywhere, including inside the temples and a single Buddhist monk at the ticket office. There is also a row of the least spun prayer wheels in China. Be careful taking a hired car to the site. They drive really fast and I saw one head on crash where the passengers clearly had not made it. Take the bus is my advice. Countryside 10/10. Authenticity 2/10

2: Jiayunguan Fort

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The waxwork figures depicting life in the fort were pretty damned lifelike

Moving on north, Jiayu Pass known as the ‘mouth of China’ marks the beginning of the Great Wall. The Silk Road itself is a wide expanse of rocky desert with the mountain ranges far away on either side stretching on for hundreds of miles. Like most famous places brace yourself to become part of the masses. Once you’re in there are thousands of people all excitedly snapping away.

3: July 1st Glacier

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From Jiayunguan it takes around three hours back into the Qilian Mountains to visit the July 1st Glacier. I must admit that I was glad to be driving a Land Cruiser to get up there. Most of the road is in disrepair with landslides, unprotected hair pin bends and perilous drops. Once you’re there, you have to wait at the ticket office until there is a sizable crowd before they open the gates. After that you can drive for another mile or so then do a two to three hour hike to the glacier. You’re at altitude so will be mostly out of breath and in need of lots of water. Take a water bladder in your pack. The glacier itself is nothing to write home about. Well, I’m just being honest. There are a couple of guys up there to help out exhausted tourists, especially if the weather changes. The experience as a whole, especially the scenery, is just amazing though and deffo gets a 10/10. You can jump in a private minibus organised from your hotel. Just brace yourself for a whole day with a Chinese tour party though. Good luck.

4: Dunhuang
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The night market is stunning

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Home to the largest collection of Buddhist artifacts, I was really looking forward to seeing the famous Mogao Caves though by now I shouldn’t have been surprised at all when the police stopped me at a check point. They said that I should go back to the huge tourist centre, leave the Land Cruiser and join a tour group on a bus and buy a ticket. Honestly, as you may have gathered by now I absolutely can’t stand tour groups so blew it out. Aside from that, the best side of Dunhuang is the night life, particularly the dazzling display of beautiful fountains at the river and the night market. By far one of the nicest cities to visit along the way.

5: Hami: Mo Gui Cheng, The Evil City

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Moving on from the Gansu Province, Hami is the first city of note in Xinjiang. Not much going on here at all. As it was a public holiday, wifey had decided to join me for a week on the trip and booked a room right next to the train station. The hotel was heaving with ‘security’ and we’d always be sharing the lift with at least four or five uniforms towering above us. The breakfast area would be filled with black uniforms every morning, all having a whale of a time enjoying the free buffet. To cap it all, the place was decked out with purple, white and silver decorations for a wedding so bring those elements together and it sure made for a surreal start to the day. If you’ve got easy access to transport then head for a drive to the Tian Shan Mountains or the Evil City between Hami and Turpan. It’s not actually a city and certainly not evil, just some interesting weathered rock formations in the desert. Tickets to get in and lots of noisy families throwing rubbish everywhere.

6: Turpan: Ancient Jiaohe Ruins

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I was so tired from driving I can’t remember much about Turpan. In a blur, the missus wanted to go shopping in the department store on Monday morning; another surreal experience. Just out of town is the ancient ruined city of Jiao he. Quite amazing to see the original walkways and layout still intact. Buy a ticket and take a tour bus for ten minutes to get there. Don’t go at the weekends.

7: Urumqi

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The capital of Xinjiang, it’s yet another sprawling Chinese city of millions complete with shiny new high rises in the centre. Definitely worth a visit is the amazing Erdaoqiao Market. Take plenty of cash and treat yourself as you can buy anything from scarves, shoes, to medicine and musical instruments. You name it! Directly opposite the Grand Bazaar is another indoor clothes market miles better. There is an entire floor dedicated to selling leather jackets for both men and women at great prices. Haggle to your heart’s content.

8: Altai Region: Kanas Lake

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From Urumqi, heading north to Altai seems like the natural direction to be going in. I really wanted to go camping up in the seclusion having done the same in Mongolia on the other side of the mountains ten years earlier. From a comfortable stay in Altai (nice alpine feel about it) the drive takes you through the pleasant town of Buerqin and then up into the mountains. Maps.me says its 100 miles and three hours but with heavy fog, a blizzard and treacherous icy roads make it five. There is a single petrol station half way in the weird ghost town of Chonghu-er. On arrival be prepared for the largest ticket office in existence, with hundreds of coaches and tourists. You need to get on a bus as part of a group to go through or pay 1,500RMB to take your own vehicle through (that’s not a typing error btw). There are touts everywhere trying to get you to stay in their guesthouses. In the end I was so pissed off I did the whole journey back the same day, arriving at Buerqin at 9.00pm in a state of exhaustion.

Driving in Xinjiang

[image error]If you’re non-Chinese and decide to drive in Xinjiang, remember that you need a Chinese ID card to get petrol. This means either taking a Chinese passenger or like me blagging every single fill up. You need to show your card before you can go in. Passengers have to wait outside. ‘Security’ may well check your vehicle. You then need to swipe your card once you are in before you can fill up. For me this was a two or three times a day chore over three weeks that often involved altercations with the staff. Sometimes I would take the keys out of the Land Cruiser and walk away from the vehicle leaving a queue of irritated motorists behind me until they let me in. Staff usually swiped their own cards so I could fill up. The most helpful people were the police who could never see what all the fuss was about.

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Published on January 29, 2017 06:18

China’s Grim Air Quality: Testing Anti-Pollution Masks on YouTube

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Hi there all. Hope you had a brilliant Christmas. Being that the air is as heavy as mustard gas this year I thought I’d treat myself to the latest anti-pollution mask (as you do). The Mini Lung-Pro has been around for a few months so with my curiosity building as to its effectiveness and reliability I thought I’d take it for a spin.

Last year I wrote a piece on how crap the air was in sunny Beijing (click here) so in an effort to do something a bit different I did a review in two parts on my Max China channel on YouTube. I have to say that compared to other masks this one is quite ‘out there’ to say the least.

Please support my channel by clicking on the YouTube link then subscribing and giving us the thumbs up. I’d really appreciate it.

Wishing you all the best of good luck in 2017. May all your hard work in whatever projects you are doing come in to fruition and be successful. Hugs and good vibes from China.

Zhu Ni Hao Yun

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Published on January 03, 2017 20:05

For the Love of Blog: WordPress Friends Never Leave You

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I’ve had a number of revelations recently regarding blogging. After years of struggling to find what it’s all about and being blocked by the Great Firewall at every turn, things have accelerated like Road Runner after downing a super-sized coke in one go. Meep Meep!

Friends & Community

I love people visiting my website. It’s like the landline ringing or someone knocking on your door stopping by for a chat and a cup of tea.
I love visiting other people’s sites. Each place I go to has its own unique feel about it. It’s easy to appreciate the time and love that someone goes into creating their own site; the tinkering and readjusting until its right. I can now understand the time and effort that goes into a single post; the detail.
Blogging allows you to express yourself like no other medium. I have WP ‘Community’ and RSS lists. Together they contain the widest range of interests and talent you can imagine. Who said it was important to have a target audience? Poppycock! Ha! There are poets, writers, photographers, cat lovers, musicians, model makers, artists, psychic and paranormal investigators, travellers and people who describe what’s just outside their back door from places I’ve never heard of on that list. There are people that pour their heart out in a manner that allows us to at least absorb a part of what they are feeling in that moment. I can only stand back with admiration of people’s work. Unbelievable!
I am also surprised at how positive and friendly everyone is. There are no egos floating around. People like your post because they genuinely do. It sounds a strange thing to say but compare it to a like on Facebook and they’re light-years apart.
Followers never leave you, well rarely. If you’re not around they wait. For me I even wonder where people are if they haven’t posted for a while. I had to walk away from Justurnleft for months not so long back and when I returned I had virtually the same number of followers as before.
I’ve experienced a kindness as well. People are genuinely helpful, sharing links, re-blogging and offering advice. Recently I discovered that the slider on my Bromley theme changed images way too fast. I went onto the WP support and posted a request for advice only to be answered by the creator of the theme himself Binarymoon. Incredibly, he went to his desk and changed the speed of the whole theme. If you’re using Bromley and the slider has slowed down it’s my fault. Sorry!
The biggest kindness rush I’ve had though has to be undoubtedly the help that Jason AKA Opinionated Man has given me and other indie authors. I mean help and trust mixed together in the same tikka masala of the highest order. I must say that such selflessness doesn’t come about very often.

Myself

It allows me to write lists with bullet points and not worry about repeating myself, breaking the cardinal rule of all book writing. Ha!
I love the excitement of hitting the publish tab when you’ve finished a new post, to sit back with satisfaction and see it on your site and how different it now looks.
My blog is my own little world I go to like a second home. It kinda reminds me of my Dad’s garden shed. Filled with various tools and paraphernalia, he would be out there in the back garden for hours absorbed by his model building
I’ve always suffered with anxiety problems. I had a huge spike last week which rendered me useless for twenty four hours, phew! I don’t get that here among my online friends. I’m free from any such burden and it’s such a relief.
I’m inspired to go out and research. That’s an awesome one in itself.

If you like my post, I’ll drop by and check yours out as well. If I like it, it means I really do!

If you follow I’ll follow back. If you go away I’ll wait for you and wonder where you went.

If you follow don’t forget to add me to your Twitter and say hi. I always looks to see what my WP friends have been up to on Twitter and often RT. I’m @AndySmart01.

See you there and happy blogging!

Ha!

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Published on January 01, 2017 04:18

Ho Ho Ho. My Christmas Gift: The Mini Lung Pro Anti-Pollution Mask

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[image error]Hi there all. Hope you had a brilliant Christmas. Being that the air is as heavy as mustard gas this year I thought I’d treat myself to the latest anti-pollution mask (as you do). Its been around for a few months so my curiosity has been building as to its effectiveness and reliability.

Last year I wrote a piece on how crap the air was in sunny Beijing (click here) so in an effort to do something a bit different I did a review in two parts on my Max China channel on YouTube. I have to say that compared to other masks this one is quite ‘out there’ to say the least.

[image error] Click on the links below to watch the vids and please support by subscribing and giving us the thumbs up.

China’s Grim Air Quality: Testing Anti-Pollution Masks Part 1

China’s Grim Air Quality: Testing the Mini Lung Anti-Pollution Mask Part 2

Wishing you all the best of good luck in 2017. May all your hard work in whatever projects you are doing come in to fruition and be successful. Hugs and good vibes from China.

Zhu Ni Hao Yun

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Filed under: Beijing, China Tagged: Asia, blog, blogging, China, Chinese, environment, health, life, Mini Lung-Pro, Travel, travel tales, travelogue

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Published on January 01, 2017 02:05

Langmusi: The Tibetan Lady and the Pear

Third part of three: To understand the TWAF phenomenon please read Part 2 first >here<

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As the day moves on I proceed down the valley to Namo Gorge. Damn it! My super irritating habit of not buying something I need when walking past a shop has meant that I’ve no water at all, and at this altitude I’m seriously parched.

Just before the gorge is a beautiful tranquil flat grassy area with the river babbling nearby. Numerous water powered prayer wheels in stilted boxes quietly squeak away over yonder.

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Just beyond the temple is the way on to Namo Gorge and the grove

Giving myself time to decide if I want to go any further while being this thirsty, I sit against a tree in a quiet grove trying to contain my inward annoyance. Then, out of the corner of my eye I spot a woman raise her phone up and take a snap of me from the other side of the trees. TWAF at nine o’clock! Instinctively I turn, shake my head and hold my hand up flat “No! I’ve had just enough of all that today, especially when I’m trying to chill.

[image error]Unfortunately as per usual I’ve made another glaring error of judgement; she is Tibetan along with her friends who were sitting together on the grass enjoying their day. As she sits back down they all turn to me looking really hurt.

In an attempt to vindicate myself I smile, give them the thumbs up and wave but even so the woman stands up and proceeds towards me through the grove. Head bowed, her body arched over, she suddenly looks up at me with deep hazel eyes filled with sadness. She wears a pink and blue headscarf and her dark weathered face seems to magnify the depth of her expression. Shuffling closer, she mutters prayer under her breath and then takes out a pear from a small embroidered cloth bag.

[image error]Holding it out at arm’s length she continues towards me so I spring up and meet her half way accepting the gift with a big thu chi che [tɔɔdʒe] which is my best thank you in Tibetan. Having returned to her friends they all look back around with nervousness to gauge my reaction. Holding up the pear in both hands, I say thank you again with my biggest smile and to my relief it’s met with their almost joyous reaction. Phew!

Lying back against the tree I focus on the pear. I must admit that there is a terribly negative demon that lives inside of me and right now it’s telling me to put it in my bag and save it for later. Recently though some progress has been made concerning the intrusive voices and instead I take a bite.

Rather than the hard pears you can normally buy in the shops, this one’s cold, soft and it explodes with juice all over my face and hands. Indeed it’s an instant thirst quencher of the highest order and I gorge myself, slurping on it without a second thought like a pig.

Finally, as the display of unbridled indulgence grinds to a halt I am left with, for a brief moment, an empty space free from craving and I sigh in relief. Within seconds though, a cloud envelops me as a singular deep feeling of guilt reveals itself. The exchange lingers, dancing around inside my head for the rest of the day.

Make what you like of it. The more I think about it, the more twists of meaning the episode seems to have and I’ll never forget that brief exchange that happened in the grove.

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