GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TASHKURGAN
The last town before the Pakistani border, TASHKURGAN
, lies 280km southeast of Kashgar, and about 220km north of
the Pakistani town of Sust. Its primary importance for travellers
is as a staging post between Kashgar and Sust, and all travellers
passing through, in either direction, must stay the night
here. It's a tiny place, comprising a couple of tree-lined
streets, with the bus station and a couple of budget hotels
at the western end. Chinese customs and immigration are located
a few minutes round the corner from the bus station.
The town boasts a long history as well as fantastic
mountain scenery. The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and Silk Road
traveller Xuan Zang stopped over here in the seventh century,
a time when, as now, it was the last outpost of Chinese rule.
Today, Tashkurgan has a peculiar atmosphere. The native population
is mainly Tadjik, but there are also groups of melancholy
Han Chinese, thousands of miles from home, as well as intrepid
Pakistanis setting up shop outside their country - plus, incredibly,
a minor entertainment industry involving sex and alcohol for
Pakistani tourists. Few travellers bother to stop for a day,
but you could pleasantly rest up here for 24 hours. If you
decide to linger here, there's a brown, crumbling, mud-brick
fort , at least six hundred years old, still standing on the
only hill for miles around at the edge of town, which is worth
a look, especially at sunset. To reach it, walk east from
the bus station right to the end of town, then strike off
a few hundred metres to the left
Both of Tashkurgan's foreigner-friendly budget
hotels are good values and conveniently located on Kashigale
Lu, near the bus station. The Traffic Hotel , 50 Kashigale
Lu , has a super-friendly, eager-to-help staff. All doubles
are newly renovated and feature warm, colorful comforters.
Dorms have concrete floors and exposed pipes, but are clean
and comfortable, with common bathrooms. Ice Mountain Hotel
, 77 Kashigale Lu ,is just down the street from the bus station,
on the left. This joint is a bit older and more casual than
the Traffic, but is still pretty nice. |
LOCAL
CUISINES OF TASHKURGAN
Xinjiang food has much more of a Central Asian
flavor to it than a Chinese taste. Tashkurgan is one of the
best cities in the region to sample authentic Xinjiang cuisine
and there are literally thousands of tiny Uigur restaurants
dotted about the place serving up local specialties.กก
Restaurants cluster on Kashigale Lu, just like
everything else. Tons of small and enticing Muslim establishments
abound here. The Ayiguli Restaurant across from the Traffic
Hotel, has noodles and Pakistani dishes. The restaurant on
the third floor of the Traffic Hotel serves Western-style
dishes. |
