库车
The rate for cabs within Kucha County start from 5 yuan. Costs of living here seem much lower than in Urumqi. Kucha doesn’t offer dormitory options for the regular backpacker. Most tourists will end up selecting Tianyuan International Hotel for it seemed the only option on CTrip which accepted foreigners.
Tianyuan International does indeed offer the best rooms and complimentary breakfast buffet that are value for its comparatively low price point of less than 200 yuan per person per night. However, its service was a horror story in itself. We stayed two nights there and would love to visit Kucha again but would think about an alternative accomodation.
On the way from Kucha Train Station to Tianyuan International Hotel. 0947 hr on 28 May 2019.
The streets of Kucha were relatively quieter than Urumqi’s and cab drivers were all, if not mostly Uyghurs who could speak Mandarin. We rarely saw Chinese people during our time there except at indoor malls, night markets and within Tianyuan International itself. As we were completing our check-in process over the counter, the hotel receptionist introduced us to an Uyghur man whose name was Mai Mai Ti. This was the man we should look for if we need a private car tour around the sights of Kucha. I would personally have declined this request as we already had in mind a schedule and planned to find our own transportation however with Mai Mai Ti physically standing in front of us, we politely asked for his WeChat contact. We didn’t make any promises, simply saying that we definitely do not need a car service for today and will only call him if we need his car for tomorrow.
Left image: Tianyuan International Hotel room rates. Right image: View from the window.
The only site we intended to visit today was the Kucha Grand Mosque. We’d much rather take our time to explore our surroundings and get to the Mosque progressively than to jump into a car ride and get there immediately. It was only about 1230 and we had a whole day ahead to which we decided to take a stroll along the streets outside the hotel before flagging down a cab to the Grand Mosque.
I still wondered about the availability of a local SIM card. We crossed the road from the hotel, reached the first stretch of shops and were looking at shop signages when someone seemed to call out to us.
“Hello.” a voice from behind drifted over.
“Oh! It’s you!” I exclaimed. Our surprise would soon turn into shock. Mai Mai Ti had followed us out of the hotel although we had made it clear that we wanted to explore the streets on our own for today.
“I can bring you two wherever you want to go.” Mai Mai Ti smiled.
“We only intend to walk around here.” Christine replied.
“It’s ok then, I’ll show you around.” Mai Mai Ti kept on walking.
“We have no plans yet though. We’ll call you tomorrow if we need a ride.” I said curtly.
“It’s ok, let’s just walk around first.”
It was impossible to shake him off. He spoke a little about some of the shops we were passing by, pointing out their Uighur script and translating it for us.
“Do you know if I can buy a SIM card around here?” I asked. Might as well since I needed help in that area.
“I’ll bring you.” he replied. We walked into two shops, with Mai Mai Ti speaking to the customer service officers in Uighur.
“You need an identity card.” that’s the standard reply I slowly got used to. Mai Mai Ti tried calling up his contacts who worked with the major Chinese mobile operators but to no avail. Thankful that he was sincere in helping me out, we thought we would pay for Mai Mai Ti to drive us to the Kucha Grand Mosque in town. His catch was, there was no fixed amount for his service. We were so wrong in thinking that we could get him to quote a price once we reach the Grand Mosque.
“How much is it usually to the Kucha Grand Mosque by cab?” we asked after boarding his car. Since he would not give us a quote, we could use that as an estimation although we already had an answer as we had previously asked the cab driver who drove us from the railway station to Tianyuan International the same question. I would not have climbed into a stranger’s car alone but with Christine around and having got to interact with Mai Mai Ti during the search for a SIM, I was a little less wary. “15 yuan.” he replied. Christine and I looked at each other. The cab driver who drove us from the Railway Station to Tianyuan International quoted only 7 yuan. Unimpressed by his dishonesty and yet guilt tripped by the thought that he had tried his best to help earlier and was an ordinary salaried individual earning a living like us, we decided to pay him 15 yuan each thus 30 yuan total for the ride to Kucha Grand Mosque. The idea was to pay him ‘enough’ such that we will not hear from him again for the rest of the day.
“I will wait here for you both.” he said, pulling up outside the mosque.
“No need, we want to take our time. You should go and pick up other customers.” I replied hurriedly.
“I have no customers, I can wait.” he insisted.
“We won’t want you waiting too long,” I was trying my best to hide my desperation.
“It’s ok, I have nothing on today.” he concluded.
“Please don’t wait for us. We won’t be calling you tomorrow if you keep insisting on waiting for us!” I tried to joke about the situation and handed him the 30 yuan. He seemed to relent.
“I’ll just drive around the area. If you need me, I’ll be nearby.”
Never gotten out of a car so quickly in my life. This will be the last we see of him. Or so, we thought.
Kucha’s Grand Mosque stands within an Old Town, one can easily spot it’s two minarets towering above surrounding brick and mud residences. The Mosque itself is no longer in use and we seemed to be the only tourists around. We purchased tickets for 15 yuan each from a keeper stationed at an external guardpost who unlocked the Mosque’s main gate for us to enter. Inside was a courtyard area planted with trimmed trees, stone benches and there were brooms and dustpans. Someone had been working on the maintainence of the area. We turned to enter the main prayer hall which was naturally lit with plenty of sunlight shining in from the windows. The Islamic motifs on the windows presented light in beautiful patterns on the floor of the prayer hall. It was surreal to experience the whole place to ourselves.
Kucha Grand Mosque (库车大寺). 1336 hr.
Sometime later, the keeper entered the courtyard area. He plucked some mulberries fresh from the trees for himself and us to try. At just a few centimeters long, it had to be handled delicately as it is filled with mostly natural liquid. I can’t tell if its water within but it was refreshing to taste a burst of liquid in my mouth when I popped it in. Picking them seemed to require skills for the mulberries I picked were mostly disfigured and a squashed in some areas, I had probably applied to much pressure during the picking process.
Freshly picked mulberry by the keeper. Entirely wholesome in appearance!
Directly opposite the main prayer hall were four rooms next to one another, without doors. The insides were grey and filled with debris. They seemed to be used as dormitories, for there were kettles and rusted iron bed frames within. Beside the last dormitory room, I spotted a flight of stairs leading underground. Making my way halfway down the stairs, I came upon an enclosed room where the strong rays of light above couldn’t reach. I could make out the shadows of dilaphidated furniture within, and puddles on the uneven ground. It looked like a teaching room which has been abandoned for years. There also seemed to be an open corridor at the end of that room that lead somewhere but as eager as I was to find out, I couldn’t bring myself to take a few more steps down to enter that room. Almost immediately, the keeper called out at me, he had caught on and ushered me out quickly from where I was at the stairs. Apparently, they they were storerooms and I shouldn’t be there. Soon after he left, going back to his guard post outside the Grand Mosque. As if he was suddenly fearful that we would attempt something, he entered the mosque again, this time without his previously friendly demeanor. He insisted that we had to leave. I was truly apologetic if I had intruded on religious boundaries and complied. He showed us the exit politely in a firm tone. There were a few kids from the neighbourhood playing outside the Mosque by this time. After we were out, he locked the main gates and returned to the guard post, this time his cute young daughter was inside, waiting. We stayed behind the guardhouse a little while asking the keeper for directions. Despite his sudden displeasure just now, he was in no hurry to make us leave this time and explained the sights around the neighbourhood patiently in Mandarin. From the guard post, we also kept an eye out for Mai Mai Ti.
Left image: The old neighbourhood. Right image: Uyghur Fried Rice, 10 yuan. 1526hr. The tea was complimentary.
Mai Mai Ti was nowhere to be seen, much to our relief. Across the street is the old neighbourhood itself which consisted of a maze of whitewashed mudbrick walls with wooden doors painted in a single colour. We managed to spot the entrances of the other sights recommended by the keeper after walking around aimlessly. Our walk throughout the neighbourhood was strangely accompanied by voices and songs blasting through speakers located high on electric poles. It was an ongoing broadcast of news, language greetings and music in Mandarin Chinese. No wonder all Uyghurs can speak Chinese. It was rather disturbing, seeing the few Uighurs cycling, walking around the old town with the sounds of a lady reiterating basic sentences like “How are you” in Mandarin Chinese and later translating it into Uyghur over the speaker. Our ears were straining from the loud sounds and as it was already mid afternoon, we decided to find lunch at one of the houses where it would be hopefully more peaceful. There were a few customers, and noticeably a uniformed policeman dining within. I approached him to ask about nearby sights to which he asked to see our passports. Might have been a big mistake to ask. After looking at them, he stood up and left, leaving us in fear that he was going to get someone. We tried to eat our fried rice calmly and thankfully, we didn’t see him anymore that day.
After lunch, we had no other destinations in mind. We flagged down a cab and asked the driver for recommendations. He recommended a shopping mall purportedly called La Ba Kou (喇叭口) and we arrived there from the Grand Mosque at a cost of 10 yuan. He also recommended Wu Xia Market, to which we remain unsure about the pronunciation but decided that it would be our next destination. Till today, I still am unsure if La Ba Kou refers to a district within Kucha County itself or is itself the name of the shopping plaza. This open concept plaza houses a number of retail shops, many of them empty. There were Chinese people here though, either working within or walking around like us. There are two levels within the plaza, the first floor boosts shops that sold electricity, household items and souvenirs whilst on the second floor, there were a handful of clothing stores and one salon. I decided to purchase a pair of bottoms and ended up with a pair of PVC shorts that has since been one of my favourites. The clothing store I bought from had their shops space spanning two units next to each other, the Uyghur lady was nice enough to help us unlock the second shop space and turn on its lights so that we could take a look. When I have decided on my PVC shorts, she dusted the shorts clean with her hands. With such an unexpected considerate gesture from her, I was glad I did make a purchase.
It was only 1710 and we decided to try out Wu Qia Market as recommended by the earlier cab driver. Sure enough, we had difficulty communicating our destination to the next cab driver we flagged down, we assumed he understood “Wu Xia Shi Chang) and were unsure of what the market’s name but the next place he brought us to was rather distinctive! It was a local market indeed, a far cry from La Ba Kou that was both lively and colourful!
After a fulfilling visit at the local market, we headed to the nearest Night Market which happened to be Xin Guang Ye Shi/ Xin Guang Night Market (新光夜市) by cab which cost 5 yuan. Night Markets (夜市) in Xinjiang seemed to be a little different from those in Southeast Asia. Where night markets which we were familiar with in Southeast Asia Night sell almost every item ranging from food, clothing, electronics to furniture, night markets in Xinjiang only sell food items, especially barbecue sticks which were so tasty we requested for another serving totaling a more than worthy 18.50 yuan!
Left image: A discount store near the local market. Right image: Gold and Silver bracelets for sale, something unique!
Left image: Cakes on display. Right image: Prices included.
Left image: 2157hr at Xin Guang Night Market, the sky has just begun to turn dark. Right image: Late supper BBQ, its really easy to eat into the night here but no complaints!
Nothing like Chinese Shao Kao /BBQ (烧烤). We ordered another serving! 2238hr. 28 May 2019.
Back at the Tianyuan, we decided to inquire about the availability of public transportation to the Grand Canyon for the next day “Let me check.” one of them said. We waited, she picked up the desk phone receiver. She then called out to serve two Chinese guys behind us, they were checking in. Placing back the receiver, she proceeded with their check in request. We tried our luck with another receptionist who gestured to us yet before we finished our sentence, she gestured for a Chinese couple beside us who had problems with their room card towards her and served them. As they were busy serving, we decided to patiently wait till there was someone free to help us. Five minutes has passed, they weren’t going to gesture to us we had to be proactive. Approaching one of them once more, I had not even opened my mouth too speak when I brushed off with a “Wait a moment.” That receptionist busied herself by picking up the desk phone. It seemed that we were being sidelined. Without any information from the counter, we messaged Mai Mai Ti that night. He still wouldn’t give us a quote so we gave one. We agreed that we would use his services for the whole day, he will bring us out of town to the surrounding sites of Grand Canyon, Buddha Caves and the Subash Ancient City for 320 yuan total excluding entrance tickets. During the time we explore the sites, he would have to wait outside the attraction for about 2-4 hours each time in his car. We will be paying for all of our lunch too, and specified that we would like affordable options, at about 30 yuan per person. 0830AM at the hotel lobby the next day, let’s go!
We had a comfortable night at Tianyuan, their facilities were relatively luxurious and enjoyable, somewhat making up for their strange service attitudes. Our room rate came with complimentary breakfast for our two night stay.
Complimentary buffet style breakfast at Tianyuan International. 0758hr. 29 May 2019.
Left image: Outside Kucha Country
At the Kizil Cave Temple Complex, we were instructed to drop off our belongings at storage lockers. Including my camera. I had difficulty choosing important documents to bring along and it was a relief to know that I could bring a small pouch with me. The entrance ticket was 70 Yuan but as I still had my Chinese Student ID with me from my time in Hangzhou, I managed to get a ticket at half the price.
Kizil 1000 Buddha Cave Complex. 1106hr. 29 May 2019.
The much awaited Grand Canyon was next, Christine really wanted to visit this when we were planning our Xinjiang Route. This Grand Canyon was also the main reason why we chose to stopover at Kucha on the way eastwards to Kashgar. The entrance ticket was 45 yuan, for students 17 yuan. The movie, Shen Hua (神话) starring Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun was reportedly filmed here.
The physical scale of the Grand Canyon can’t be conveyed digitally.
We took so much more time to explore the Grand Canyon that we forgot about lunch! Mai Mai Ti kept true to his promise, his recommendation was a Uyghur food store he frequents along the roadside that was en route to our last destination for the day, Subash Ancient City.
Noodles for lunch. 1628 hr.
It was nearing 1700 and we were wondering if we still had time for the last destination. Of course we do, Mai Mai Ti was already driving us there. I was expecting Mai Mai Ti to call it a day as it was nearing 1800, the supposed end of a work day but he didn’t seem to be worried about the time. Still with the Singaporean mindset, we didn’t like the idea of taking someone’s time after 1800 for our idea of booking Mai Mai Ti’s services for the whole day was 0830-1800 although it was evident that to him, it could very well be his entire day. The fact that the sun will only set four hours later at 2100 was also encouraging yet we decided that we shouldn’t take too long at the last destination.
Entrance tickets to Subash Ancient City Ruins was 25 yuan without student discount.
We only stayed about an hour there, left at 1804hr.
Most of the time, he would sleep during these intervals and I was most glad when his wife joined us in the last leg of the journey towards Subash Ancient City for it meant that he had accompaniment whilst we explored the attraction.
“Where are you both going tomorrow?” Mai Mai Ti asked as he drove us back.
“We are leaving Kucha,” was our reply. We were going to catch an overnight train to Kashgar in the evening.
“I can take you to the train station. Don’t need money. What time is your train?”
“We have not bought the train tickets yet.” I lied through my teeth. We planned to explore surrounding areas for the rest of the day. There was no need for vehicle charter.
With a ride to the train station in his car , we felt compelled to pay and would rather hail a cab. 320 yuan for a day’s tour was enough, especially for me as I had to budget for the long journey ahead. Driving back into Kucha, he kindly showed us Qiuci Ancient City which looked no different from the unkempt surroundings. It was a little difficult to imagine its scale and appearance , so little was left, time does erase all marks of perceived permanence.
Site of Qiuci Ancient City (龟兹古城). 1836hr.
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Kucha Prince Palace. 1852 hr.
Decided to head to Jin Qiao for the night, it turned out to be a worthy trip! There was a Night Market but as we could see that it was a filled with mostly food stalls, we didn’t enter. Everyone was Chinese here, it seemed as if they would appear at indoor malls. Even for the night market, the crowd of foodies were all Chinese, the night market was probably started to cater to their demand. I got a pair of white casual shoes for 50 yuan.
2108hr.
Dinner at 1843 hr.
That night, Christine received a WeChat message from Mai Mai Ti asking for our departure time. We did not reply, hoping he would understand.
Our experience with Mai Mai Ti did not end with that unresponded Wechat message. The following morning, we decided to sleep in till about 0900, have our buffet breakfast, visit the Old Town (老城) and return to to Tianyuan again to check out and deposit our bags at the front counter for us to retrieve later in the evening.
Breakfast at Tianyuan. 0916 hr. 30 May 2019.
We had been to the Old Town the day before but the Old Town was big and we only managed to visit the area surrounding the Grand Mosque. Cabbing there cost 18 yuan.
Kucha Old Town (老城) or Lu Ke Ou Er Da Cun (库车鲁克欧尔达村). 1037 hr.
1157 hr.
The cab back to Tianyuan from where we were was 14 yuan. We had to check out and deposit our bags at the front desk before going to explore Kucha one last time. With our backpacks ready, we went to the check out counters to request to leave our bags at the hotel. The domestic Chinese tourists were also checking out at the counters. Everyone seemed in a rush and the counter staff willingly served them first despite them not queueing. We were served last, as we should have expected. We handled the receptinist our room keys. The hotel receptionist immediately made a call. “They are here.” she spoke into the receiver. Alarm bells should have rang because a minute later, Mai Mai Ti appeared behind us. He did not approach us though, he simply looked down at his phone. I called out to him and was met with no response, he was still looking downwards at his phone. It was a moment of awkwardness I would never forget. I could feel that Mai Mai Ti was clearly uncomfortable but he had to do what he was doing. I suddenly understood what was going on and detested the hotel management for it, but I also felt pity for Mai Mai Ti who had to go through this. Nevertheless, we were determined not to use Mai Mai Ti’s services for the rest of our time in Kucha. They could corner us all they like and we would not give in.
“You can go with him to the train station.” the receptionist directed, referring to Mai Mai Ti.
“No, we just want to deposit our backpacks for now.” we replied the receptionist coldly.
“Oh, wait a while.” She gave a quick dismissal wave. It was intended for Mai Mai Ti.
We looked back to see Mai Mai Ti walking away back towards the hotel entrance. The receptionist had thought we were going to the train station and had called for Mai Mai Ti to pick us up. Upon hearing that we were only going to deposit our backpacks, she realized that we would not be heading to the train station at that moment and thus dismissed Mai Mai Ti. As we left the hotel luggage free for our day out, we spotted Mai Mai Ti’s car in the carpark. No wonder he came and left so quickly.
We had to think of how to get around the situation when we return to Tianyuan later in the evening to retrieve our bags. We will be heading to the train station then and we would very much prefer to depart in a cab at fixed cost. After another heart breakfast, it was time to hit the streets!
We were heading to Kucha’s Big Naan City. Entrance ticket was at 20 yuan each, with half price for students.
The Naan, a staple food of the Uighurs is a dream come true for those looking to save up. An original taste Naan sells at 5 yuan a piece and can be stored for two to three months in a dry place. Anyone on tight strings can eat count on being full from eating the enormous piece of Naan that lasts two days straight. One can eat it with their hands without fuss as the Naan is neither oily nor leaves an aftertaste. Most even eat it straight from the table, without the use of plates. I bought one to try. I finished mine in a week.
Kucha naan factory – Kumeshi 库麦西 naan made from roasting over firewood (when there’s no naan stove in the past) only found in hetian
Meiyang mini automobile, only in China! Albaik Fast Food, only in Xinjiang! 1434 hr.
Kucha Big Naan City (库车大馕城). 1522 hr.
Somewhere near Big Naan City. 1634 hr.
We tried to get a SIM card at another mobile store which was recommended by a local.It was apparently the headquarters and the customer service officer brought my hopes up high when she said it was possible for me to get one, only if I could get a government permit for it. Permit? She was referring to the long term permits which designate myself as a student or professional staying 6 months or longer in China. Although I left empty handed, I heaved a sigh of relief feeling somehow, that there will be hope in finding a SIM card.
Everything seemed more raw in Kucha. We began to pick out a ‘pattern’. Street policemen, cleaners and cab drivers tend to be Uighur whilst employees at shopping malls and delivery men tend to be Chinese. Upon leaving Kucha, a Chinese policeman at the railway station showed interest in our passports, asking more questions than necessary. I didn’t quite understand why most police in the streets were Uighur if the Chinese government didn’t trust them and decided to ask the Chinese policemen who was starting to ask personal questions. Policemen patrolling the street were a team usually led by a Chinese. That explains.
Yi Jia Shopping Centre (宜佳超市）1643 hr. Right image: 四季春奶茶, 16 yuan.
One of the Underground Shopping Alleys. 1803.
Cabbed from the underground shopping alley to China Mobile’s Local Heaquarters for 16 yuan because we were told that they will close at 2000.
China Mobile Local Headquarters (中国移动营业厅). 1921 hr.
Christine got one of the skirts she bought altered for 10 yuan.
2004 hr.
Huohuli Wholesale Centre. 2038 hr.
That evening we returned to the hotel to retrieve our backpacks. The journey back by cab was 8 yuan. We knew very well that the receptionists would call for Mai Mai Ti once they saw us. This time, we went up to the counter, firmly insisting that we had arranged our own transportation and were strictly only going to retrieve our backpacks. The receptionist nodded, picked up the white receiver and spoke those three words again: “They are here.” My travel partner couldn’t take it anymore.
“Excuse me Miss, don’t you understand Chinese? We have told you repeatedly that we have arranged our own transportation.”
“I know, I know, let me get the key to the room where your backpacks are.” the receptionist rushed away in avoidance. Probably the reason why they ousted us those three days was because they knew we were relatively easy to deal with compared to the Mainlanders. We felt thoroughly insulted. She directed us to their storeroom. “You shouldn’t be doing this.” I said. “Guests’ opinions should always come first.” She simply forced a smile, helping me with my backpack. It was no use telling her what we thought. She too, was stuck in a system where she did what she was told to do. Tianyuan International Hotel was an international brand indeed.
As expected, we spotted Mai Mai Ti in the lobby when we left the storeroom. The receptionist returned behind the counter, busying herself. We went to the toilets, which was hidden from the lobby and wondered what to do. Mai Mai Ti had not seen us yet but the receptionist will report our movements to him. Near the toilets, we chanced upon an back door. It was locked but my travel buddy had a brainwave. We heard the nearby footsteps of a janitor and she pulled the janitor in.
“Ma’am, we’d like to see the dogs outside could you open the backdoor for us?” she gushed.
“Dogs?” The janitor was confused. There were indeed dogs at the back of the hotel but they were not compelling reasons.
“We’d like to see the gardens, Ma’am. We saw a beautiful garden at the back of the hotel yesterday and would like to see it again.” I added on in a heartbeat, trying to recall what the back of the hotel looked like when we explored its grounds yesterday.
The janitor unlocked the back door. We thanked her profusely and made a mad dash around the perimeter of the hotel to the one and only entrance at the front of the hotel. Mai Mai Ti was still waiting in the lobby, presumably thinking we were still in the toilets. His car was parked in the same lot and it would be the last we saw of it. We held our breaths as we ran out of the hotel entrance with our backpacks. Everything will only be over once we get into a local cab. We easily flagged one down in the next street, exhaling with relief as our cab driver made a U turn, passing by Tianyuan in time to see Mai Mai Ti walking out of the hotel. We weren;t sure if he knew what happened to us but we never saw him again.
Our cab ride to the Railway Station came to a grand total of 12 yuan. It wasn’t about the cost, we simply wanted the chance to experience the same events and prices as locals.
Whilst Tianyuan International offered the most comfortable beds, I would skip it for better service anytime.
Kucha’s Railway Station has a charging point only at the information counter. The service lady was nice enough to offer to help me charge. Your international adaptor has to be small enough though. I trustingly left my phone with her and collected it in half an hour with my battery fully charged.
Most travellers choose the lower bunk in a sleeper train for convenience. However, the upper bunk might be better than lower bunk because for the lower bunk, if there was a passenger sleeping in it before you board, the staff have practically no time to change the sheets. These sheets will be left unchanged. For better ventilation and to ensure a clean bed ready for you, the upper bunk seems a better choice especially with its lower price.
Another night on the train, this time towards Kashgar! I bought the upper bunk ticket for more privacy whilst Christine got the lower bunk for convenience. There were two more bunk beds in the room and the other lower bunk was occupied by a male passenger who was more concerned about getting his much needed sleep throughout the journey, alighting before we woke up the next day. There was plenty of storage space at the upper bunk and one charging point per room. Christine and I were able to take turns in charging our phones whilst the male passenger politely declined when we asked if he needed to charge his phone, his battery was full whilst ours were depleted. There are also charging points along the aisle outside the room.
I remember sleeping well that night, waking up to my phone alarm when it rang about an hour before the train arrived at Kashgar City.