The final leg of my magnificent journey along the Pamir Highway began with two fried eggs and a view of winter wonderland in Sary Tash. I pondered the fate of a long day ahead, paid my tab, and bundled up. Standing at the road junction amidst a swirling blizzard, I hailed the first commercial truck to pass through, and its Uzbec driver gladly took me aboard. What a ride! It was whiteout nearly the whole way to the Chinese border, and the truck cab took to the icy ruts like a bucking pony. After six rounds of Kyrgyz military inspections, we queued up for the Chinese side, with over a hundred rigs ahead of us. Thus, I engaged my two feet and bid farewell to my trusty friend, embarking on foot for China.
which they scrutinized as if to understand English, and my Lonely Planet guide for China, which I noted as being for sale in the PRC itself.
Leaving the border behind, I hopped on a bus, and we dived into exciting Xīnjiāng scenery: contortions of corrugated desert, flaming river gorges rising into snowy ridges, and a winding river basin peppered with herds of Bactrian camels. And lots of second-hand smoke, as if to welcome me back to China. So, with that, I've arrived at last in Kashgar, to marinate for a few days and reflect on an amazing Pamiri adventure, and memories for a lifetime.
