More Desert...Sorta

We slept like rocks and woke up like them too!  80^ at 5:30am!  Stumbling around in the dark we broke camp, stowed our gear and hit the highway. Blazing through the sands we made great time and had put away almost 250km by daylight at 8:30am. It was windy causing a dusty haze. The mountains were mere shadows in the distance and the sun cast eerie rays of light through the din.

Breakfast was in another gravel pit along side the road and next to a drip irrigated orchard. 450km to go. A real bed and shower waiting for us at the other end.

Another 100k and there was cultivated fields as far as you could see in all directions. And, it started to rain. The temperature fell. Wow, a lot of desert land reclaimed for farmland. Good for a hungry nation.

Weaving in and out of desert and farmland we covered another 250 km before lunch.  At a police checkpoint past Korla we saw a Buddhist shrine-several trident shaped poles surrounded and wrapped with hundreds of prayer flags on string. Being a checkpoint, I couldn't take any photos. 

Heading north toward the Mongolia border we crossed a 9,000 ft range and down into the Turpan Basin.  Labeled "the hottest place on Earth," it earned its rep today. Nothing but sand and rock to the horizon. Yet to the east would be the city of Turpan in a couple of days. And it was 104^ on the temperature thingy.

We had noodles at a truck stop along with a self tour of the kitchen. Cute staff!  Good food. Ah-em, not so cute toilets!  Seems to be the norm. Restaurants (and their litchens) are close to clean and the personal facilities aren't. So strange.

Two more hours and another 150km and we arrived in Urumqi. Nice hotel, comfy bed, shower. Ah, now this is overlanding!  Tomorrow-Heavenly Valley!

Sent from Leopard's iPhone. Read my blog at www.leopard2013.blogspot.com