Asia 2001 Galleries

China East - Beijing, Xi'an, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang : August 2001 I arrived in Beijing for the start of a four and a half month trip. I began with a five week Intrepid tour from Beijing to Islamabad. Not all would go smoothly - we would arrive in Pakistan the day after 9-11. This section takes me as far as the Buddhist caves at Dunhuang. My trip reports, written from the road, are at www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001.

China East - Beijing, Xi'an, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang

August 2001 I arrived in Beijing for the start of a four and a half mo ...

Updated: Mar 08, 2007 3:00pm PST

China West - Turpan, Tian Chi, Hotan : From Dunhuang we continued west to the desert oasis town of Turpan, the wonderful mountain lake, Tian Chi, and then across the Taklamaklan desert from the northern branch of the Silk Road to the southern. Taklamaklan means "if you go in you won't come out", but the Chinese have built a road across. We had some problems on the road to Hotan, a much bigger town than I had expected.

China West - Turpan, Tian Chi, Hotan

From Dunhuang we continued west to the desert oasis town of Turpan, th ...

Updated: Mar 09, 2007 2:09pm PST

Kashgar : The westernmost city in China is Kashgar, fabled outpost of the Great Game between England and Russia in the 1800s. Alas, the old town is surrounded by new buildings with white tile facades, and a ferris wheel looms over it. And while the Sunday market is still a marvelous place for people watching, horses have disappeared, and sheep far outnumber camels. But I loved the place anyway.

Kashgar

The westernmost city in China is Kashgar, fabled outpost of the Great ...

Updated: Mar 12, 2007 6:55pm PST

Karakoram Highway : From Kashgar we started up the Karakoram Highway to the highest land border in the world - China meets Pakistan at 15,500 feet. After one night in yurts on the shores of Kara Kul at 12,000 feet and one in the small town of Tashkurgan, we crossed into Pakistan hours after the 9-11 attacks. With only hardly-credible rumors reaching us (no TV, radio or newspapers up here), we pushed worries aside to marvel at the scenery.

Karakoram Highway

From Kashgar we started up the Karakoram Highway to the highest land b ...

Updated: Mar 16, 2007 8:27am PST

Pakistan : For our first few days in Pakistan we had no access to news from outside, except for one tour group going north, who gave us an outline of the events of 9-11. Finally, we heard that all foreigners needed to leave the country. Much as I loved the people and scenery of the Hunza valley, I was glad to comply! I think I was on the last Cathay Pacific flight to leave Karachi for Bangkok for several months.

Pakistan

For our first few days in Pakistan we had no access to news from outsi ...

Updated: Mar 17, 2007 9:25am PST

Bhutan - Festivals : After resting up in Bangkok, I joined a Geographic Expeditions tour to Bhutan. We took in two festivals, one in Thimpu and one in the countryside at Thangbimani Lhakhang, both of which were stunning spectacles, plus a thangka raising, also in the countryside near Bumthang at Namkhai Ningpo. For a description of the trip, see www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001.

Bhutan - Festivals

After resting up in Bangkok, I joined a Geographic Expeditions tour to ...

Updated: Feb 07, 2008 8:20am PST

Bhutan - Houses : Bhutanese houses traditionally have three stories: the lower for animals, the middle for people, and the upper an open attic for storage, and to keep the shingles dry. It's now illegal to keep animals in the house, so newer houses may have fewer stories. Most houses are elaborately decorated. Images from Himalayan Buddhism are popular, as are protective symbols. Some of these photos are explicit, as the Bhutanese choice of a protective symbol is, like much about Bhutan, a little different.

Bhutan - Houses

Bhutanese houses traditionally have three stories: the lower for anima ...

Updated: Feb 03, 2008 3:15am PST

Bhutan - People and Places : My Geographic Expeditions tour started in Paro, took in the last day of a festival in Thimpu, and then headed east. for Bumthang. We returned to Thimpu via Trongsa and Punakha. For a description of the trip, see www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001.

Bhutan - People and Places

My Geographic Expeditions tour started in Paro, took in the last day o ...

Updated: Feb 07, 2008 12:06pm PST

Amritsar : I reached Amritsar, the Sikh's holy city, by train from Varanasi, one of Hinduism holiest sites. A long train ride - a full day and a night, but I thought my visit to the Golden Temple worth the trek. I didn't visit the Pakistan border nearby - the only land crossing between the two countries, but I did pay my respects at the rather neglected memorial to the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. For my travelog see www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001.

Amritsar

I reached Amritsar, the Sikh's holy city, by train from Varanasi, one ...

Updated: Jun 12, 2009 2:10pm PST

Delhi : I took another night train from Amritsar to Delhi, where I stayed with an Indian family in the suburbs.

Delhi

I took another night train from Amritsar to Delhi, where I stayed with ...

Updated: Jun 12, 2009 3:10pm PST

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Jodhpur

Updated: Jun 13, 2008 8:02pm PST

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Khajuraho

Updated: Mar 04, 2009 5:36pm PST

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Darjeeling

Updated: Feb 17, 2010 1:02pm PST

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Jaisalmer

Updated: Nov 23, 2011 8:27am PST