Making walls great again

By Bea
03-05/05/2019
150km south down the Silk Road lies Jiayuguan, another important historic oasis and administrative centre along the route, famous for its Han Dynasty Fort and restored sections of the ancient Great Wall.

The scenery along the journey into Jiayuguan was impressive. This area is also known for its wind turbines. I personally have always loved these things, I think they are like pieces of art. Not as big as I have seen before but impressive because of their vast numbers.

We have mentioned previously that the trains almost rival that of Japan in their efficiency. Unfortunately comments like that have a way of biting you on the butt. We booked the late train knowing we would arrive at 11.01 plenty of time before the hostel closed at 11.30...our train unfortunately broke down about two thirds into the journey and didn’t arrive until 12.30am!! Luckily we were able to contact the Silk Road Xiongguan International Hostel from the train and they patiently waited up for us. Unfortunately this hostel has seen its better days. Let’s just say... It was “ok” and it was cheap!

We took a bus, the next morning, to the Jiayuguan Fort that was originally built in 1372 but restored in 2015. According to legend, when Jiayuguan was being planned, the official in charge asked the designer to calculate the exact number of bricks required and the designer gave him a number (99,999). The official questioned his judgment, asking him if that would be enough, so the designer added one brick. When Jiayuguan was finished, there was one brick left over, which was placed loose on one of the gates where it remains today.

Despite the designers ego it was pretty impressive. The complex also houses the Great Wall museum which, although there was little (or weird) English translations, gave us a greater understanding of the Wall.

(Pete noted that this was proof that clients should trust the Architect not bloody project managers)

Next we headed to the Overhanging Wall and after a little confusion over transportation options negotiated a rate for there and back with a pleasant cabbie who made sure that we didn’t get charged again as the ticket included both sites.
This was an incredible part of the wall.

I was pretty impressed. Obviously it has been restored, but I think they have done a great job. We could still walk along a major section that climbs up to the summit of hanging hill, hence the name over-hanging wall. At the summit is a watchtower with incredible views across the desert to the snow capped peaks of Qilian Shan and the Mazong Shan Range. And yes it is high with many steps! (I just love stairs).

When we got back to our taxi Pete asked the driver if he could also take us to Heishanhu lake. He found this a strange request, as it was not on the tourist map, but nonetheless it was a fare for him and he happily obliged.

To reach the lake was an off the road rough track, it was obvious it was not a tourist spot, when we reached the lake there were several cars around, despite the no-entry sign, so after a little hesitation our driver drove around the sign and proceeded to the lake edge. All three of us got out, and it became apparent he had never been there either when he started snapping more photos than we were.

It was a pretty turquoise green lake that felt quite out of place in the middle of a desert.

There were a few local restaurants across the road from our hostel so we tried our luck for dinner. After pointing to some photos we ordered 2 different bowls of beefy noodles. They were pretty good. The owner allowed us to bring in our bottle of wine, so another good end to the day.

With another long overnight train trip in the afternoon, we headed to the local markets the next morning to stock up on provisions. We loaded up on some freshly cooked beef, which the lady kindly sliced up for us. Some salami, sausage, breads, nuts and fruit. We weren’t going to forget any of this, this time.

Loaded up and ready, we boarded the train for Chongqing -22hours away!