Story: Braving the Torugut Pass

Few great overland journeys conjure such romantic images as the Silk Road, a 2,000 year old trading highway that stretched from China to Turkey. Nowadays little of it remains. However, should you wish to capture part of its former glory, and time is limited, there’s no way better than an overland trip from Kashgar to Kyrgyzstan.

Kashgar, located in China’s northwest Xinjiang province, is a world unto its own. What remains of the old town is a bewildering labyrinth of mini alleyways which transport you to a time long since past. You stroll past earthen-walled homes with half-opened doors which act like portals to a place that simply does not belong in China. Curious children drop whatever game they were playing to greet the latest traveler who has wandered through their neighbourhood. It has truly retained an intoxicating air of the exotic.

Two millennia of trading have brought quite an ethnic mix to Kashgar. Any amateur anthropologist’s time could be consumed simply by trying to distinguish the Uyghurs from the Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and Tajiks. Blacksmiths, carpenters and cobblers still peddle their wares on every corner. Markets abound with shimmering silks, knives and jewellery. Buyer beware!! They’ve had a lot of practice in securing their prices; prepare to bargain hard.

By far the biggest attraction in town is the Sunday market. This is a bit of a misnomer as “the Sunday Market” is actually open all week. Furthermore, there is not one market, but two. The Sunday market itself is the place to pick up everyday goods. Vendors vie for your attention in a maze of fur hats, carpets and every other conceivable good that you soon realize you simply cannot live without. The other of the two markets is the livestock market, which is arguably the better of the two. The organized chaos of farmers selling off their prized sheep, donkeys, horses, goats and even camels, is an experience not to be missed. Lean-to restaurants sell only the freshest of meat dishes to hungry merchants. Impromptu sheds can even supply you with any cattle herding paraphernalia you may be lacking. One suggestion though - don’t wear your nice shoes!

Once you’ve had your fill of Kashgar, and it’s time to move on, the real fun begins. From Kashgar into Kyrgyzstan any traveler has but two options. Choice one is to take the public bus over the Irkeshtam pass to Osh. However, for the intrepid traveler, only the Torugart pass to Naryn will do. Torugart is, simply put, the greatest overland crossing into or out of Central Asia. There is, unfortunately, one small catch. The pass itself remains a Class “2” border crossing, a remnant of Soviet times. What this means is that only local traffic, Chinese or Kyrgyz, are permitted to use it. Legally speaking, foreigners cannot cross here. Except for the fact that they can! The bewildering amount of red tape required can be made infinitely more manageable by using the services of a good tour operator. On the Chinese side John’s Information Café (johncafe@hotmail.com) seems to be the best, for both service and price. Community Based Tourism (www.cbtkyrgyzstan.kg) can help if you’re coming from Kyrgyzstan. Sadly, these services won’t come cheap. Prices were quoted anywhere from US$300 to US$800 for a car seating up to 4 people. If you’re lucky, you might find other like-minded travelers to share the expense.

Once you reach the border you’ll understand the need for the operator services. No less than 7 checks were required from China to Kyrgyzstan. And at the actual border crossing itself, perched at 3752 m, you have to walk across to your prearranged onward transportation. But it’s all worth it. Peaks of over 4,000m line the ever-meandering road. You’re even graced with the occasional Yurt (traditional Kyrgyz felt tent) and grazing yak. You convince yourself that you just passed the most beautiful scenery of your life until you coast around the next corner. Then that becomes the most spectacular view. It is an equally pleasurable and overwhelming experience. Memories of endless permits, aggressive money changers, bribe-seeking border guards and unforeseen delays melt away in your remote mountain Utopia.

Once into Kyrgyzstan the remarkable mountain scenery gradually spreads out into vast alpine meadows until your arrival into Naryn. With a population of 38,000, Naryn feels like a village. This is largely due to the fact that the town is hemmed into an elongated valley. This shapes it into a mere 2 km at its widest point but stretched out to over 15 km long. Naryn itself has little to offer, but from here an endless array of options present themselves to your further explorations along the Silk Road.