Fall Series China ?SPLENDID SILK ROAD and XIAN

 

?Fall Series China?

The vast lands of China hides many great mountains and rivers abounding in endless beauty, many a time people are stunned with the beautiful landscape captured in photos. However the journey and drive might be challenging and tiring, coupled with unclear conditions of the road ahead. This might deter many people from exploring.

Funny that with great monuments be it of natural landscape or historical ones, these tend to stand the test of times. But what has stood the test of time, cannot withstand the modern man-made damages! Many tourist attractions are damaged often due to the lack of enforcing strict prohibitions. Sometimes if that destination is found lacking in facilities and amenities, thereby reducing the number of visiting tourists which also translates to a lower probability of destroying these attractions, enabling the preservation of these vistas.

So the question is, do you want to wait until there is investment of 5-star hotels in the desert and convenience stores popping up everywhere then only will you explore? It is these times when the beauty and lustre of these preserved destinations and monuments will slowly fade and disappear all together, what remains is only the beautiful view from a postcard.

 

Silk Road
Experience Across the Ancient Silk Road

If you are not afraid of hiking through a little more challenging terrain to experience the natural historical beauty like me, you will never say no to exploring the Silk Road!

The Silk Road originated during the early days of Han Dynasty from 207 BCE – 220 CE. One of the earliest ancient trade route established from its name sake trading mainly precious silk and horses. The then capital of Chang’an was made a starting point, passing Gansu, Xinjiang, Central Asia, West Asia and onwards to the Mediterranean countries reaching as far as ancient Egypt. Besides the Silk Road there is also one other route known as the “Marine” Silk Road. The great Marco Polo traveled back to his beloved homeland by sea from Quanzhou to Iran after braving the Silk Road via Khotan to China. But of course many tourism travels are now by overland route!

Just as the traders of old who have walked the very same pathways, you will be encountering a wealth of beauty along the way during this crossing. Making stops over many towns such as Urumqi, visiting Turpan, Dunhuang, Jiuquan, ZhangYe, Lanzhou …it’s as if you are walking through a time travel, one moment you’re taking in deep fresh air with the view of lakes and mountains just like sprint time, in the next moment the colours of terrain changes to endless reddish brown desert sands akin to hot summers, all these experiences are within a few days in a single trip. It plays with your senses, seeing different things in a single trip which one might not get to experience anywhere else!

While on this route, you are able to visit two historical UNESCO World Heritage Sites located along the Silk Road. They are the Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes and the famed Terracotta Warriors in Xian. The grottoes are so well preserved you might not have believe that it is a thousand years old and one can’t stop gazing in wonder at the rows of Terracotta armies.

The best time to explore the Silk Road is from the month of May (late spring) to September (early Autumn), for winter can be extremely cold. Should you travel pass Autumn one might encounter the wind coupled with sandy season. As many of these historical attractions are outdoors and some are located in the heart of the desert. Do remember to bring a face mask as to avoid the wind blowing, if you don’t you might get a mouthful of sand!

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SPLENDID SILK ROAD + XIAN – NO SHOPPING STOP

 

asia, autumn, china, silk road