Sunday, August 5, 2007

Turpan to Dunhuang--August 3

For some reason, travel in China seems much easier than Central Asia. Here, for a price, it's easy to find someone to scrum on your behalf for a train ticket. Turpan has no train station, that's in Daheyan, about 40 miles to the north. I have a small problem of finding a seat since the train originates back in Urumqi. That can be worked out, they say! It's arranged that a "body" will board in Urumqi and take my spot until we can make the change. For about $12, two girls from CITS (China International Travel Service) and a driver take me to Daheyan, usher me through the train station bedlam, and make the passenger swap.

I'm in soft sleeper--a 4-bed compartment, blissfully air-conditioned, and with a sparkling white duvet and pillow laid out. I'm in heaven.

There's only one other passenger in the compartment: a Chinese mining engineer on his way home from a month on the border between China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. He barely speaks English, but we manage just the same. He flips open his laptop and shows me gorgeous photos he's taken of glaciers, wild horses running in the shadow of mountains, even a bear. He next clicks on a RealPlayer icon with the title of Bathing Beauties. "Oh boy, here we go," I think to myself, imagining he's got something really perverted he wants to share. No, it's an old Esther Williams and Red Skeleton movie dubbed into Chinese. He loves Esther Williams. I tell him I know her son. He is happy beyond words. So, dim the lights, we now have a laptop cinema going, as our iron-rail Silk Road caravan glides across the desert under the stars.

About 7 am, soft bird chirping coming through the speakers overhead wakes me. This is followed by classical Chinese and Western music--Vivaldi to be exact. By about 9 am, the music intensity begins amping up, followed by Chinese comedy hour at 10--sure to get you out of bed.

We arrive in Dunhuang, and my new Chinese friend accompanies me by taxi to town, makes sure I am happy with my hotel, then runs off to catch his bus for a 14-hour ride to his home. Amazing.

Dunhuang is an easy town to deal with, and I have to say, it's the first time since Italy way back in June, that I've seen store fronts where someone has made the effort to display things attractively, as well as seeing things for sale worthy of a second look. Also, since being in China, buildings, construction, interiors, everything is finished off a 1000 times better than the Caucasus or Central Asia. A pride of workmanship best explains it. Sidewalks aren't treacherous challenges to walk on (in fairness I did sprain an ankle in Italy); wires aren't hanging down inside hotel rooms. Here it seems someone finishes the plasterwork, the painting, the stairways. Weird pipes aren't jutting out where they shouldn't; carpets look washed since installation; window panes and windshields aren't cracked; drapes aren't shabby and hang nicely. I can go on and on and on about it. There's an aesthetic with the little things here I find a welcome relief.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A duvet on a Chinese train? Who would have thought...However, I can't for the life of me figure out how you communicated/indicated that you knew Esther Williams son. We need pointers here on how to do it. Did you show him your blog pictures? It's another wonderful Pammy human interest story. tu amiga querida