Silk Road China, Visa, Flights and Medical.

Hi filling you in with the details of my journey on the Silk Road.

Please refer to my earlier post explaining my journey with Citt.

My departure is scheduled for the 30th August returning the 15th September

Me all I need is a Chinese Visa. Book return flights and a medical clearance from my doctor!

The visa is fairly easy for China, evidence of a return flight and in my case a travel schedule and of course $40 cash.

My preferred flight due to cost is out of the Gold Coast. I am fortunate to source a flight for $93.00. I have sourced a China Southern flight via Hong Kong to Urumqi and then onto Kashgar. I am fortunate as Citt is on the same flight from Urumqi to Kashgar so we can get an airport pickup together. The KL- China flight is 15 hours.

Returning is reasonably easy just a flight from Tianjin to KL 10 hours as again the flights are Budget via KL. KL- GC.

Medical is not so easy.

I take Clexane injections for thrombosis to allow me to fly.

My prostate cancer is controlled with hormones. The good doctor gave me a 3 month injection to allow me to travel. I must consult on my return

The travel doctor completes the picture. My card reads.

Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Polio, Cholera ETEC Diahorea, Typhoid, Rabies, Flu. Add to this lot the fact I have psoriases of the skin and use cortisone ointment.

It is not so bad I always make sure before a journey I have the necessary medical precautions. . It is just not worth the thought to leave Australia and travel without safeguards.

Yep I know you are asking, why I would bother to travel? Good question.

I enjoy the thrill of visiting out of the way places rich in history with exotic peoples and awesome scenery. Rich pickings for me and my Nikon.

"Travel the path less trodden".

Note for our friends.

Citt will depart 13th for Pyongyang in North Korea for a 9 days tour. Then she will travel onto the University of East Anglia Norwich UK to start a Masters degree in Science Climate Change on the 23rd Sept. She has taken a sabbatical from the UNU.

Kellie and Richie have a little girl Lucie Hannah and she is just beautiful. 8/5/10

Another adventure the old silk road China.

How do you categorise travel? And when does it turn into an adventure?

There is a good reason for me to ask this question of you as Pam thinks I am nuts to be doing it, my doctor calls it an adventure, a mate wants to come with me and others call it a holiday.

This is it.

Citt and I meet in a city in Western China called Kashgar or (Kashi).

It is the gate to China from Central Asia. The Chinese believed it was the Gate to Heaven as anything outside and West from this gate was unknown. Today it is still the gate to the West by road as the mountain passes over the Tian Shan Mountain range which separates China from Central Asia leads to Tajikistan and in 2007 Citt and I travelled on the other side of the mountains following the old silk road. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Shan

We did not complete the journey across China to Beijing as time run out for us then.

This time our aim is travel from Kashgar, Urumqui, then follow the great wall along the Mongolian border through the desert visiting Turpan, Shanshan, (an oasis famous for Grapes and wine) Kurmul, Visit the ancient Buddhist temples at Dunhuang. Then onto Jiuguan, Zhagye and onto Xian where the Warriors lay. This was the end of the road until the Mongol empire allowed for greater areas of trade. Xian was the ancient capital of China. However the Mongols changed the capital to Peking (Beijing) in the 12th century. The silk road then followed on to the Port of Tianjin linking China to Japan and the Phillipines.

It is a fact the Silk Road has been a trading route since Egyptian times with goods being traded from India and China to Cairo and Rome.

The logistics are very simple no one caravan traded the whole route. The junction cities of Xia, Urumqui, Kashgar in china and Tashkent, Somarkan, Bukara, and Merv in Uzbekistan were the main markets and junctions of the silk road where goods were sold and exchanged. In these cities the merchants and the financiers lived. It is fair to assume the structures in these places are grand. And so they are.

The caravans bought slaves, silks, drugs, carpets, salt, ceramics and other merchandise to trade and barter. Religion in various forms. Islam, Buddhism and Christianity came to town with the caravans. In earlier times Zoastrians lived in this region http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism.

It is no wonder that with all the mixture that there would be friction. It is still evident and flared in 2009. The chinese communists have flooded the area with Han immigrants as a means of suppressing the local Urghurs in the Western desert cities. Sort of genocide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_people

So is it an adventure or is it a holiday?

Come travel with us on the old silk road through some of the harshest deserts in China from Karchi to the port of Tianjin. Experience the wind in your hair and the thrill of seeing and meeting people in every day life. Take a look at their churches mosques and schools. Our trip is 11 days we will be travelling on local buses, trucks, trains and cars so you will need to be alert and ask a lot of questions. You will have Wikiipedia and google so pack up your bags turn on the computer get the kids involved as a geography, history, social, lesson and lets go. I will try to post as often as possible but in the meantime you can dig up information on the ancients and how old history is still current news.

"If you want to look into the future look into the past".

Note for all our friends. The cancer is under control.

I do agree with my oncologist doctor. It is an adventure traveling the old chinese silk road from Karchi to Tianjin. Pam is at home.

Indy 500 the greatest motor race on earth.

Indianapolis Indiana USA

Home of the brickyard and the fastest race in the world the Indy 500.

History of the track is interesting.

Indianapolis was the car manufacturing capitol of America and in the closing stages of the 19th century 1890s the car industry was flourishing BUT they had nowhere to test the cars.

Yes you guessed it a track was laid in the shape of an oval to test speed and endurance.

The track is 2.5 miles long a convenient length to measure endurance and mile per gallon etc.

It was an earth track for testing but as boys and their toys are.

Q.Two cars on the track what have you got?

A. A race

Why 500?

Q. Easy 200 laps sounds cool today but imagine at the old speeds of 60 mph - 100 mph in the 20-30s. 9-10 hours [one would need a big esky].

As the speeds increased something needed to be done to the surface. It was at first oiled. Then it was laid with tar. But nothing could stop the terrible dust and dirt which played hell with the cars. So the whole 2.5 mile track was laid with Bricks. So the track became known as "the Brickyard" and that name is the same today.

The track is still Oval and 2.5 length.

All that remains of the bricks is 1 yard strip denoting the start and finish line.

The cars today are high technology machines that qualify for the raceat 227 MPH which is close to 372 KPH. Just about the speed of air planes.

Today they are built and powered by similar engines, it is a Honda. This is to give standard racing. But this is not what car racing is about. The Indy track was built for research and development. The official word is. It is about to be reconverted to factory developed cars with aerodynamic innovations. Greater speeds.

For the ladies: 4 ladies drivers lined up in 2010. Danica Fisher came in 5. A great result for her. The other 3 fell out with mechanical problems.

Our Australian men; Will Power after starting on front of grid came in 8th which is not bad considering he had a drive through penalty. Briscoe did not finish.

the image. Will Powers car #12.

The track is close to centre of town and like all great races it creates Carnival and so it is with the Indy 500.

This race in 2010 drew 500,000 spectators the spectacle is one of awe. The sound of 30 high powered racers in full throttle is awesome. If that does not light up your buttons then you are not a pair of petrol heads like us!

This ends our road trip.

We fly from here to New York via Winsconsin to catch a plane to Australia.

Thank you for traveling with us from Las Vegas where we renewed our vows in front of Elvis then traversing America on old Route 66 finishing in Chicago. We motored 2240 miles on one of the worlds greatest road trips. Then out of magic Chicago on the Mega-bus to Indianapolis.

It was all exciting and fun.

"Take a tip and take the trip on route 66".

God bless America, We do love the place and the people.

"it is one of those places you are glad you are not poor".