| Xinjiang questions | |
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| Jun 28, 2008 00:58 |   |
 | For anyone who lives there or knows about travelling in Xinjiang, i have a few questions: 1. should i be worried about anything in particular? many have told me "Xinjiang is dangerous" but i do not believe it, compared to travelling in India, Indonesia, etc. is there any merit in this? Should I be worried about terrorism or anything? 2. I would like to take the train from Beijing to Xi'an, spend a day or two there then take the train from Xi'an to Urumqi, go to Turpan from there, and then go to Kashi. What's the best way to get tickets for these trains? Some friends of mine from China say they have never been able to get tickets on these trains to Urumqi and I'm kind of worried. Can I arrive in Beijing, and get a ticket to Xi'an right away for the next night (spending 1 night in Beijing)? and once I arrive in Xi'an can I get a ticket to Urumqi 2 days later? and what is the availability like from Urumqi to Kashi and back? Also, if I go from Urumqi to Turpan, and then Turpan to Kashi, spending only 1 day in Turpan, I feel that may not be enough to get a ticket from Turpan to Kashi. Is this true? If so, perhaps I could buy Urumqi to Turpan AND Urumqi to Kashi in Urumqi, and use my Urumqi to Kashi ticket to board the same train when in stops in Turpan (thus it is *my* train just I'm boarding at a later station)? Or is this not allowed and will I not be allowed on the platform in Turpan? 4. Can I find transportation from Hami to an eclipse viewing site like Yiwu? Also, where can I stay around Hami that I can book perhaps online or by e-mail? I'm a backpacker so looking for cheap :) I'd be interested if there's anyone else here is going for the eclipse and has tips on getting to a viewing site. 5. I'm vegetarian. How bad is Xinjiang for this? :) I eat eggs and I'm not particular if they use the same equipment. I'm only vegetarian because I really hate the *taste* of meat (and seafood too). Thanks! |
| Jun 28, 2008 08:43 | #1 |
| you can buy tickets at one place according to your plan but i am afraid you cant get ticket at beijing for next day train. better you take change from shanghai. ar ticket and train ticket have less difference and you will not feel it burdon |
| Jun 28, 2008 13:31 | #2 |
| I've lived here in Xinjiang for the past two years with my wife and haven't felt threatened in any unusual way. Of course you want to be careful in dark alleys as in every country or province, but for the most part you'll be fine for traveling. No worries. I wish I could help you out more with the actual travel aspect of your journey. I haven't heard of any troubles getting a train from Urumqi to Kashi, so don't get hung up on that. As far as being a vegetarian, I think you'll be good. Thankfully, although the minority groups here are well known for their lamb, they are equally as well-known for their noodles. Bread and noodles...mmmm. There are also other dishes that can be ordered without meat and while you're in Urumqi or Turpan note that the Chinese serve wonderful vegetable dishes. |
| Jun 29, 2008 10:58 | #3 |
| I read that loads of people are heading to Novosibirsk in Siberia, Yiwu and Barkol (Balikun) in Xinjiang, Jiuquan and Jiayuguan in Gansu (and even Xi’an is quite good) for the 2-minute total solar eclipse happening on 1 August The viewing sites in Yiwu 伊吾 are a square being built for the event and a local school. In Barkol (Balikun) 巴里坤 many organized tours head out to the Gobi desert or the grassland. Yiwu is a small town with only one hotel and a few hostels and I read all are fully booked. If you have not booked anything yet, you might have to rent a jeep with some people and try to book the student dormitory through a local agent. In Barkol probably you should stay in yurt or tent set up for the event. travel agents and car rental in Hami (from Hami tourism website) http://www.hamitour.com.cn/ http://www.hamitour.com.cn/ |
| Jul 1, 2008 00:15 | #4 |
| Just be warned that you will not likely be able to buy train tickets just one day in advance. The summer I travelled out there were had some difficulty. With the eclipse there will be extra demand. You can buy tickets in advance so try to do this as soon as you arrive in Urumuqi. Buy train tickets from Turpan to Kashi if that is the sector you wish to travel. Take the bus to Turpan it is a great trip of just four hours. Turpan to Hami is around 5/6 hours with one toilet stop midway and take food. There is nothing to buy in the desert but it is also another great ride across the Turpan/Hami Basin. There wasn't much to choose from in Turpan and not so cheap but there could be more now. One day is not nearly enough time in Turpan but if that is all you can spare, so be it. We stayed at the Electric Power Hotel in Hami which while not cheap was good value for moneyY180/240 for tripple(Can't remember). Jiayuguan was much more and not so nice for the same hotel. You could shop around a bit if you have time. Hami and this area don't see as many travellers as other cities but there is still plenty of accommodation. Check out by the railway station too. Read some of our travel reviews on what to see and do in Urumqi, Turpan and Hami and surrounding areas Don;t forget that bus travel is a good option. You can ride the bus between major centres for less than Y100 for a 5/6 hour trip and this may even be quicker although a little more costly that the train. Sleeper buses also available. Most of the roads are good and between Jiayuguan and Lanzhou is a new Highway these days. |
| Jul 1, 2008 00:24 | #5 |
| cool, thanks so much for the replies. i am thinking that i may altogether skip Urumqi and spend a little more time in Turpan instead since going westward I can catch the train to Kashi from Turpan as well. i need to see though if there is any agency or hotel or person i can contact in Turpan to book me Turpan-Kashi and other destinations earlier. i was thinking that since Hami/Yiwu may be extremely crowded for the eclipse perhaps it is best if i dart directly from Turpan to Jiayuguan, which already gets 1 minute of eclipse time. Perhaps I can watch the eclipse from the fort itself? nevertheless i haven't seen much talk about watching the eclipse from Jiayuguan so it may be easier to find accomodation there than in Hami or Yiwu. question about buses -- can any be booked in advance online, or is it safe to buy bus tickets on the day of departure? question about trains -- if a train is sold out, is 站票 (standing ticket) always available? i know, i wouldn't want to stand 26 hours on a train, but if there is nothing else available i would take it in hope that seats are free from time to time during the journey or that maybe someone doesn't show up in the sleepers. another question about trains -- are round-trip tickets purchaseable anywhere? it seems to me that some people indicate that round trips can be purchased but i think they speak of places like beijing and shanghai, not xinjiang. |
| Jul 1, 2008 02:33 | #6 |
| i have one other question -- if I want to go from Turpan to Kashi, can I stop at Kuqa along the way for a day? The timing works out great: if I take the slow train to Kuqa I get there at 8am and I can catch the following 2am departure to Kashi. However, how do I book such a ticket in advance? I cannot find any travel agents in Kuqa at all. |
| Jul 2, 2008 09:46 | #7 |
| here's my revised plan :) 19-Jul: arrive in Beijing 20-Jul: take the train Beijing-Urumqi 2nights 23-Jul: take the train Urumqi-Kashi 1night 28-Jul: take the train Kashi-Turpan 1night 31-Jul: take the train Turpan-Jiayuguan or Turpan-Hami (for the eclipse) 2-Aug: take the train Jiayuguan-Xi'an or Hami-Xi'an 5-Aug: Xi'an-Beijing overnight 6-Aug: fly out of beijing this gives me <1 day in Urumqi, 4 nights in Kashi, 2 nights in Turpan, and will put me in either Hami or Jiayuguan for the eclipse. Thing is, I haven't yet found any place to stay in Urumqi, Kashi, Turpan, Hami that can book onward train tickets for me. Does anyone have any contacts? |
| Jul 17, 2008 06:51 | #8 |
| 1) I spent 2 weeks travelling extensively in Xinjiang last July and didn't feel that it's dangerous. I'm female and look Han Chinese. 2) You should do Xi'an -- Turpan, then Urumqi -- Kashgar. Easier to get sleeper tickets this way. You'll need an agent to get you the Xi'an -- Urumqi tickets, or else be prepared to stand all the way. From lots of personal experience, it's hell trying to get any train tickets out of Xi'an, other than standing tickets. (I do have a contact in Xi'an, so let me know if you need help.) If you can't get train tickets in Xinjiang, take the sleeper buses instead. These are some of the cleanest sleeper buses I've seen anywhere in China, trust me. You might also need to get someone to help you buy Beijing -- Xi'an in advance as tickets are selling out fast due to students returning home for summer holidays. 3) Technically you could use that ticket to get yourself on the train the next day, but it's a lot of hassle and you'll lose your reserved seat/bunk, so it's not worth it. 5) Pretty bad if you need to look to always look for vegetables. You'll be ok if you don't mind relying on various local breads and fruits. |
| Jul 17, 2008 11:39 | #9 |
| I like xitang |
| Jul 17, 2008 19:37 | #10 |
| I don't think Xitang is anywhere near Xinjiang, though! |
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