After returning from Kanas Lake we spent another three days in Urumqi doing nothing in particular. Urumqi is often described in travel guides as an important transport hub for travel in Xinjiang but otherwise a non-descript city of 3 million people with little in the way of top-class tourist sights. This may be so but we liked Urumqi and the longer we stayed the more it grew on us - it wouldn't be a bad place at all to live.
But on Friday night we left Urumqi on a 13-hour overnight sleeper bus to Yining (also known as Gulja), about 500km to the west and close to China's border with Kazakhstan. Along with many other buses headed for other destinations, we squeezed out of the long distance bus station shortly after 9pm and once on the outskirts of the city the driver set a course directly towards the sun that was now a large orange ball perched on the horizon. The journey was reasonably comfortable and we awoke at dawn as the bus travelled along the edge of the huge Syaram Lake about 100km from Yining. Our passage was slowed as herd after herd of sheep, goats and cattle driven by Kazakh and Uighur farmers on horseback trotted towards us and jostled past the sides of the bus.
In Yining we checked into the Youyi Binguan on Stalin Street, and in the afternoon we walked to People's Square where there were many Uighur shops plying their trade. We bought a slab of a delicious Uighur confectionery consisting of walnuts fused together with chewy toffee and topped with raisins, almonds, apricots and cherries. For dinner we had a pot of beef and potatoes spiced with chilli, cardamom and star anise, and side dishes of watercress and steamed rice. Then home for a chunk of the walnut cluster and a movie.
Today we hired a taxi to take us about 50km out of Yining to see the fruit orchards and lavender farms – both were pleasant but underwhelming. We had already arranged a two day trip starting tomorrow to visit the Narat and Bayanbulak Grasslands several hundred kilometres to the south east. But shortly after we returned to our hotel earlier today there was a knock at the door – it was the tour agent come to tell us that he could no longer take us. He said a government-issued travel permit is now required for all visits to significant tourist destinations in this region, and worse, such permits can only be obtained in Urumqi, not Yining! This means that our travel to Yining has largely been a waste of time and, disappointingly, we will now not get to see the vast Bayanbulak Grassland. Instead, we now plan to return tomorrow on an overnight bus to Urumqi and then on to Turpan in eastern Xinjiang.
But on Friday night we left Urumqi on a 13-hour overnight sleeper bus to Yining (also known as Gulja), about 500km to the west and close to China's border with Kazakhstan. Along with many other buses headed for other destinations, we squeezed out of the long distance bus station shortly after 9pm and once on the outskirts of the city the driver set a course directly towards the sun that was now a large orange ball perched on the horizon. The journey was reasonably comfortable and we awoke at dawn as the bus travelled along the edge of the huge Syaram Lake about 100km from Yining. Our passage was slowed as herd after herd of sheep, goats and cattle driven by Kazakh and Uighur farmers on horseback trotted towards us and jostled past the sides of the bus.
In Yining we checked into the Youyi Binguan on Stalin Street, and in the afternoon we walked to People's Square where there were many Uighur shops plying their trade. We bought a slab of a delicious Uighur confectionery consisting of walnuts fused together with chewy toffee and topped with raisins, almonds, apricots and cherries. For dinner we had a pot of beef and potatoes spiced with chilli, cardamom and star anise, and side dishes of watercress and steamed rice. Then home for a chunk of the walnut cluster and a movie.
Today we hired a taxi to take us about 50km out of Yining to see the fruit orchards and lavender farms – both were pleasant but underwhelming. We had already arranged a two day trip starting tomorrow to visit the Narat and Bayanbulak Grasslands several hundred kilometres to the south east. But shortly after we returned to our hotel earlier today there was a knock at the door – it was the tour agent come to tell us that he could no longer take us. He said a government-issued travel permit is now required for all visits to significant tourist destinations in this region, and worse, such permits can only be obtained in Urumqi, not Yining! This means that our travel to Yining has largely been a waste of time and, disappointingly, we will now not get to see the vast Bayanbulak Grassland. Instead, we now plan to return tomorrow on an overnight bus to Urumqi and then on to Turpan in eastern Xinjiang.
We consoled ourselves tonight with a large dinner at the excellent Chinese café where we have eaten every night in Yining. There are lakes and rivers in this area and the menu has many fish, prawn and shrimp dishes. We chose the Sichuan-style fish cooked with whole dried red chillis and spring onions, side plates of tongoh and string beans with chilli, steamed rice and beer. We like it hot and the fish dish didn't disappoint – our lips were tingling with pleasure-pain when we finally stumbled out of the café.
