Train Travel and Karakoram Highway

After Turpan we were off to Kashgar. A short 28 hour train ride through the dessert. Here is a picture of the train, and a bit of the land ahead of us. We were one of the last cars, as there were only 3 more behind us. They don't fool around here in China, as this is one of 4 daily trains between Urumchi and Kashgar, and these are all passenger cars! They move a lot of people in this country by train!A little more dessert to see a long the way - taken from the window in our carriage.Finally a little change of scenery as we got into some more mountainous terrain.We arrived into Kashgar, and despite having had endured a long train ride only spent one night. We were coming back, but if we wanted to be back for the Sunday market AND make our way up the Karakorum Highway to Karakul lake we had to leave the next morning. So that we did, and we were rewarded with some more great views. The Karakorum Highway leads into Pakistan, but we stopped before you hit the border.The trip was done for one of many reasons, but the view along the way was reason enough.Our bus unfortunately had a flat tire, but it was actually a welcome break and allowed us to have a look and speak with some of the locals whom were living where we stopped to make the necessary repairs.Along the way... many Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgy) people living in yurts.
And finally Karakul lake. A small lake, but nestled in a beautiful snow capped mountain range at around 4000m above sea level were told (not sure how correct that is though).This was our home while at Karakul. A Yurt of our very own, right next to the lake!The view from our Yurt on the morning we left. A perfectly clear sky, so you can imagine the great star filled sky the previous night. The first and only 'starry' night we'll have in China I am sure. A village we visited on the other side of the lake.Your typical house... we actually ended up having yak milk tea inside this place with the family whom lived here.And the little boy whose parents were the proud owners of the yurt we stayed in. This little guy was cute, but had a serious attitude ~ he was cleary used to getting his way. This was also his favorite toy. He rolled this tire around and chased it all morning the day we left... And we were even given the opportunity to help build a yurt before we left. It was just dumb luck that a family was building one on a day we were there. Everyone seems to pitch in, which helps it go up pretty quick so we jumped in as well. They got a kick out of it, and it was good fun. You have to tie the roof braces to the wall, and Jillene said they watched me like a hawk when I was the one tying the knots!
We headed back to Kashgar shortly after, back down the Karakoram Highway. One of the few times you don't mind backtracking because it is such a beautiful drive.