More road trip
Spent another whole day on the road after that. This day was mostly through deserts, with hills and mountains in the distance.
We stopped for lunch at this little truck stop town. If town is the right word. Village doesn’t even do it justice. There were about two or three restaurants (none of which was Halal, so our driver, who was from one of the Muslim minorities had to eat instant ramen), a couple REALLY sketchy looking places that you could sleep at (not even proper sketchy motels), and a gas station/ repair shop. There weren’t even other standing houses as I recall that weren’t attached to any of these businesses. This was the only sign of human habitation for over an hour drive in each direction. People talk about overpopulation in China, (and it’s real), but this is not the place they’re talking about. In talking with a guy at the restaurant (we had some very tasty rice noodles with lamb soup and baked flatbread) we learned that the town only has about 30 people living in it. However it looks like it used to have more as there are destroyed mud buildings spreading out a little ways on either side of the restaurants and truck stops. The one pictured here is the bathroom. Sort of. There was no water, no hole, and only that one full wall standing-- what remained of the others could pretty much be stepped over. We could have just as easily peed on the ground in any of the buildings in this town.
At one point we passed a camel. Just standing in the middle of the road. So we asked the driver to stop the next time he saw some. A couple hours later we came across a whole pack of ‘em. Like 20+. In this picture they’re running away from our friend, who started chasing them for his girlfriend to take a picture.
I learned how to say camel (luo4tuo) at the history museum in Xi’an. There was a woman and man with a small child (perhaps 2-3 years old) looking at some sculptures from the Tang and Song dynasties. There was one of a horse, then a couple of camels. The woman asks the child “what’s that?” while pointing at the horse.
“horse” he replies (I’m translating this here), pointing.
Then she says, pointing at the camel, “do you know what this is?”
the kid points again at the horse, “horse!”
“It’s a camel” the mother says pointing at the camel.
“horse!” the kid points again at the horse
“camel” says the mother, pointing at the camel.
“Horse” the kid points again.
“say camel” she says, “c’mon,” pointing, “what’s this?”
“horse”
“no, what’s this?” getting frustrated
“ca…” starts the dad
“camel” the kid says dejectedly, but with ease.
And they walk away.
We stopped for lunch at this little truck stop town. If town is the right word. Village doesn’t even do it justice. There were about two or three restaurants (none of which was Halal, so our driver, who was from one of the Muslim minorities had to eat instant ramen), a couple REALLY sketchy looking places that you could sleep at (not even proper sketchy motels), and a gas station/ repair shop. There weren’t even other standing houses as I recall that weren’t attached to any of these businesses. This was the only sign of human habitation for over an hour drive in each direction. People talk about overpopulation in China, (and it’s real), but this is not the place they’re talking about. In talking with a guy at the restaurant (we had some very tasty rice noodles with lamb soup and baked flatbread) we learned that the town only has about 30 people living in it. However it looks like it used to have more as there are destroyed mud buildings spreading out a little ways on either side of the restaurants and truck stops. The one pictured here is the bathroom. Sort of. There was no water, no hole, and only that one full wall standing-- what remained of the others could pretty much be stepped over. We could have just as easily peed on the ground in any of the buildings in this town.
At one point we passed a camel. Just standing in the middle of the road. So we asked the driver to stop the next time he saw some. A couple hours later we came across a whole pack of ‘em. Like 20+. In this picture they’re running away from our friend, who started chasing them for his girlfriend to take a picture.
I learned how to say camel (luo4tuo) at the history museum in Xi’an. There was a woman and man with a small child (perhaps 2-3 years old) looking at some sculptures from the Tang and Song dynasties. There was one of a horse, then a couple of camels. The woman asks the child “what’s that?” while pointing at the horse.
“horse” he replies (I’m translating this here), pointing.
Then she says, pointing at the camel, “do you know what this is?”
the kid points again at the horse, “horse!”
“It’s a camel” the mother says pointing at the camel.
“horse!” the kid points again at the horse
“camel” says the mother, pointing at the camel.
“Horse” the kid points again.
“say camel” she says, “c’mon,” pointing, “what’s this?”
“horse”
“no, what’s this?” getting frustrated
“ca…” starts the dad
“camel” the kid says dejectedly, but with ease.
And they walk away.