To further report on the Silk Road Trip, let me tell you about our second day in Turpan.
In the morning, we bused to the ancient town of Gaochang, another ancient ruins of a thriving city.
Again, since there is almost no rain in the area, the adobe ruins have been well preserved.
We could tell that it was an important economic, administrative, military, cultural and religious centre for 100's of years.
The area has been influenced by many religions as there are artifacts that represent
Buddhism, Manicheism (from Persia), Uighur Islam, and Nestorianism (a form of Christianity found in the Middle East).
Something interesting happened on the way to Gaochang. We were driven to the site in small donkey carts. They RACED down
the dirt road with 5 or 6 tourists in each. It was fun as they raced past one another. I reached the site and 3 tourists boarded my cart for the return trip. They sat on one side and as the cart turned, the whole thing and the donkey tipped over. No one was hurt, but someone could have been. It was pretty astounding. In this area of China there are no rules, no law suits, and no child labor regulations as some of the drivers were not even teenagers. Also, this is the only place where children were pestering tourists to buy booklets and "stuff."
Next time I will report on the train system and what it is like to take the soft sleeper train.
Happy Birthday to Peter. Can you believe that he has entered a new decade?
Thanks again for all the news and emails from home.
Good bye for now,
Mom/Grandma/Kathy/Kathleen
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