Day 10, 7/14: Tashkurgan (11000 ft)

Today we take a real break. Sleeping on a bed was very unfamiliar, yet so comfortable that I slept more than 11 hours. Tashkurgan turned out to be even drier than basecamp. When I woke up, I feel that water had been sucked out of my body.

Oh the melons and Pepsi picture from Day 9 that I forgot. Look at these happy human beings.

We lived in a different part of town that was busier and more developed than the last time we had been here. Right across the street was a small “mall” (more like a court of shops, grocery stores and restaurant). In this area, we didn’t really see a lot of Tajik people (the locals), as all the businesses were predominantly owned by Han Chinese (our ethnic group) who are immigrants. The only Tajik people we see were mostly waiters and clerks who work for the Han.

Our hotel.

It’s really sad that the locals are losing jobs as more immigrants flooded in for profit. The Han Chinese are better at communicating with tourists and are mostly better educated than the Tajik, therefore jeopardizing and pushing out local businesses. However, no one should be blamed. There’re simply too many people in China, and everyone ought to make a living.

Street views. Although they look barred, these places are all open.

I didn’t do much in the morning, partly because I woke up very late. Returning to my sedentary lifestyle, I laid on my bed the entire morning. For lunch, we sat down at a street-food restaurant. Although the restaurant was owned by a Tajik family, the food provided, like barbecue lamb, pilaf (手抓饭，a rice dish) and Latiao (拉条，udon-like noodle), was actually Uyghur. These food represented tourists’ perception of Xinjiang cuisine. I wished I could've tasted Tajik food but never got the opportunity to do that. Be prepared for food bombing. They may not look appetizing, but they are delicious as hell.

They're actually dumplings.

Lamb again.

Forgot to take a picture of the Pilaf and the Latiao. I went on Baidu and found some.

Pilaf (手抓饭). In Chinese, the dish means "hand-picked rice." Contains peppers, carrots, lamb, grapes, and other Xinjiang fruits.

Latiao. Noodle is especially chewy.

More hotpot because why not.

The day got boring again with me resting in my bedroom for the entire afternoon. I did have a honeycomb melon-flavored popsicle which was the best popsicle I’ve ever had. For dinner, we went to another Uyghur restaurant and had some “Big Plate Chicken” (大盘鸡). We also met the the other climbing group that came one day after us, since they just got back to Tashkurgan from 2AC. They ordered a giant lamb piece, which looked delicious, but my stomach was saying no.

The famous 大盘鸡. Gotta eat with the noodles above.

More lamb. (Top two kebabs are lamb kidneys).

More lamb.

Full course.

I did go out at night though. There were a lot of stone shops in Tashkurgan, but I've always been wary of weird-colored stones. A friend of my parents' bought one of those stones from a street in Tibet and wore it everyday. Ten years later, he died of cancer at just 45. Doctors suspected that the stone's radiation might have caused the tumor.

Night at Tashkurgan. Eagle is the emblem of the Tajik.

Long night ahead.