Anyone done Silk Road independantly?
Feb 26th, 2009, 08:50 AM
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Anyone done Silk Road independantly?
We are planning a Silk Road trip for September and was wondering if anyone has done this trip independantly and what your experience was like. We are not tour kind of people. We have travelled to Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Europe on our own. Last year, we did 3 weeks in China to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Guilin, Yangshou, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-la on our own speaking bad Mandarin.
The Silk Road has a language difference and locations are more remote with greater distances. Transportation doesn't seem to be as convenient as other well-travelled cities. Thought it might be nice to let a local tour guide plan our trip for a change - less stress and planning for each day. We have gotten quotes from 2 local tour companies which seem reasonable but are still hesitant. We also want to add Chengdu and Xian at beginning and end of trip which we will do on our own.
Any thoughts appreciated.
The Silk Road has a language difference and locations are more remote with greater distances. Transportation doesn't seem to be as convenient as other well-travelled cities. Thought it might be nice to let a local tour guide plan our trip for a change - less stress and planning for each day. We have gotten quotes from 2 local tour companies which seem reasonable but are still hesitant. We also want to add Chengdu and Xian at beginning and end of trip which we will do on our own.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Feb 26th, 2009, 09:14 AM
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You might check out this great trip report by a poster on here named thitcho.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...he-stans-1.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...he-stans-1.cfm
Feb 26th, 2009, 10:24 AM
#3
You need to be a bit clearer about what you mean by "Silk Road", since it runs (or ran) in various strands from Xi'an to the Mediterranean.
If you just mean Xi'an to Kashgar, I did it with a budget tour group, but lot's of people (admitedly more budget types) have done it alone. Now the rail lines run all the way to Kashgar it should be both simpler and more comfortable.
If you just mean Xi'an to Kashgar, I did it with a budget tour group, but lot's of people (admitedly more budget types) have done it alone. Now the rail lines run all the way to Kashgar it should be both simpler and more comfortable.
Feb 26th, 2009, 11:19 AM
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I can't see any advantage to having a tour guide for this, or having anyone plan things for you. The chances of having a guide who knows what he is talking about are nonexistent, and your costs will rise dramatically. People shuffle up and down an assortment of overland routes between China's centre and northwest all the time. I'm not sure why you think transportation is less convenient, although perhaps this would depend on which of the many variant routes you took. (There is no such thing as 'the' Silk Road. The term was only coined in the 19th century by a German geographer as 'Seidenstrasse', and referred to any route trade took between assorted empires in what is now China and the Mediterranean. Within China alone there were many trade routes.)
Most people tackle the route from Xi'an up the Hexi corridor (although this, too, has many variants), across the neck between the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts then around the top of the Taklamakan. This is well served by rail and long-distance bus services. Typical stops from Xi'an would be Tianshui (for the marvellous cave complex), Lanzhou (again caves at Bingling Si, but otherwise highly polluted, ugly, and avoidable), Jiayu Guan (rebuilt fort, muddy core of end of Ming Great Wall), Dunhuang (Mogao Caves, etc.), Turpan (ruined cities, etc.), and train from there to Kashgar. But you might want to consider stops at smaller towns such as Zhangye, Wuwei, Kuqa. The best thing is to read a decent guide book and then set out, making it up as you go along. Even on this main route there are numerous lesser parallels hardly ever visited by foreigners, but full of surprises.
The first time I travelled from Kashgar to Urumqi it took three days by bus on unmade roads, and days to recover from the shaking received. But even then fully independent travel was commonplace. These days if you want to capture a little of the original flavour of the area you need to tackle the southern route around the Taklamakan. Nuclear testing, the extraction of oil and other minerals, the building of the line from Turpan across the north side of the desert and the influx of Han it has brought has changed the character of the northern route and of Kashgar. But by stopping at smaller interim towns you can perhaps capture a little of the backwater feeling of years gone by.
For the first time ever on this site, I'll recommend one of my own books, which is long out-of-print but easily available second-hand or in libraries. On the second-hand/antiquarian on-line book dealer www.abebooks.com, it's available for as little as US$4.15. See:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...n=silk&x=0&y=0
The practical information is way out of date, but it still contains the most comprehensive list of destinations and sight reviews on an assortment of different Silk Routes, as well as much historical information on previous travellers and the history of the routes in general. Travel is certainly much easier now than when this book was researched, and you shouldn't worry about its warnings on ticket or hotel access. Choices in both areas are now legion. Don't hesitate to use it to select possible stops, and then just set out from Xi'an and wing it.
There are also more airports and more flights, but flying rather defeats the point of Silk Route travel. But you'll need three weeks to do this properly, and if you don't have that long, then flying some sections will be essential.
You can also look at the still in print Odyssey Silk Road guide, although that was written a long time ago, has been rather patchily updated, deals with far fewer destinations, and contains almost no practical information at all. It does have gorgeous images, however, to give you a visual idea of the options. I haven't seen any other Silk Road/Route books worth looking at. 'Silk Route by Rail' is full of nonsense, and to be avoided.
Peter N-H
Most people tackle the route from Xi'an up the Hexi corridor (although this, too, has many variants), across the neck between the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts then around the top of the Taklamakan. This is well served by rail and long-distance bus services. Typical stops from Xi'an would be Tianshui (for the marvellous cave complex), Lanzhou (again caves at Bingling Si, but otherwise highly polluted, ugly, and avoidable), Jiayu Guan (rebuilt fort, muddy core of end of Ming Great Wall), Dunhuang (Mogao Caves, etc.), Turpan (ruined cities, etc.), and train from there to Kashgar. But you might want to consider stops at smaller towns such as Zhangye, Wuwei, Kuqa. The best thing is to read a decent guide book and then set out, making it up as you go along. Even on this main route there are numerous lesser parallels hardly ever visited by foreigners, but full of surprises.
The first time I travelled from Kashgar to Urumqi it took three days by bus on unmade roads, and days to recover from the shaking received. But even then fully independent travel was commonplace. These days if you want to capture a little of the original flavour of the area you need to tackle the southern route around the Taklamakan. Nuclear testing, the extraction of oil and other minerals, the building of the line from Turpan across the north side of the desert and the influx of Han it has brought has changed the character of the northern route and of Kashgar. But by stopping at smaller interim towns you can perhaps capture a little of the backwater feeling of years gone by.
For the first time ever on this site, I'll recommend one of my own books, which is long out-of-print but easily available second-hand or in libraries. On the second-hand/antiquarian on-line book dealer www.abebooks.com, it's available for as little as US$4.15. See:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...n=silk&x=0&y=0
The practical information is way out of date, but it still contains the most comprehensive list of destinations and sight reviews on an assortment of different Silk Routes, as well as much historical information on previous travellers and the history of the routes in general. Travel is certainly much easier now than when this book was researched, and you shouldn't worry about its warnings on ticket or hotel access. Choices in both areas are now legion. Don't hesitate to use it to select possible stops, and then just set out from Xi'an and wing it.
There are also more airports and more flights, but flying rather defeats the point of Silk Route travel. But you'll need three weeks to do this properly, and if you don't have that long, then flying some sections will be essential.
You can also look at the still in print Odyssey Silk Road guide, although that was written a long time ago, has been rather patchily updated, deals with far fewer destinations, and contains almost no practical information at all. It does have gorgeous images, however, to give you a visual idea of the options. I haven't seen any other Silk Road/Route books worth looking at. 'Silk Route by Rail' is full of nonsense, and to be avoided.
Peter N-H
Feb 26th, 2009, 11:22 AM
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We want to stay on China side of Silk Road. Specifically, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, Kashgar and Karakorum Highway to Tashkurgan. Local tour guides add stops such as Kucha, Hotan, Niya and Taklamakan desert as a break since it's a lot of driving. Many of larger tour companies are not this comprehensive and are more expensive.
thursdays, did you use Intrepid? I looked at it but don't know if we can deal with 3 long overnight trains. Very difficult to sleep and arrive tired? How was your experience?
thursdays, did you use Intrepid? I looked at it but don't know if we can deal with 3 long overnight trains. Very difficult to sleep and arrive tired? How was your experience?
Feb 26th, 2009, 12:14 PM
#6
ducky - yes, I did use Intrepid - trip report at www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001. The same site has a trip report for Chengdu from 2004.
I am a big fan of train travel, and soft sleeper on Chinese trains is now very cushy. Hard sleeper will be noisier, but I found it quite acceptable. For info and pix see seat61.com/China.htm.
I second Peter's suggestion of traveling on the south side of the Taklamaklan - the places we stopped there were much more interesting. If you have already done three weeks in China on your own, no reason not to do this trip the same way.
In addition to the books Peter mentions, you could take a look at Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. For getting excited about the trip, I can recommend the big, coffee table book "Silk Road: Art and History" by Jonathan Tucker. Also take a look at Colin Thubron's latest, "Shadow of the Silk Road".
I am a big fan of train travel, and soft sleeper on Chinese trains is now very cushy. Hard sleeper will be noisier, but I found it quite acceptable. For info and pix see seat61.com/China.htm.
I second Peter's suggestion of traveling on the south side of the Taklamaklan - the places we stopped there were much more interesting. If you have already done three weeks in China on your own, no reason not to do this trip the same way.
In addition to the books Peter mentions, you could take a look at Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. For getting excited about the trip, I can recommend the big, coffee table book "Silk Road: Art and History" by Jonathan Tucker. Also take a look at Colin Thubron's latest, "Shadow of the Silk Road".
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