Finally, Huatugou

In the morning I wait at the bus stop.

Yes that does look like a toilet in the middle of nowhere, yes it is the only thing I could see from the “bus stop” except for the desert and this car.

My two days worth of travelling save me 25 Yuan (5AUD) off the ticket and I take a sleeper thinking it’s going to be a long night.

Along the way from who knows where to Huatugou.

Within five hours we’re in Huatugou. Since it’s so early in the day, I try and find a bus to Charklik, which I’m told is at 5:00pm.

The “Charklik/Ruoqiang” bus is far cheaper than it should be, because in fact it isn’t the bus, but merely the bus to the bus. This one takes me half an hour along the way to another derelict town, where another bus is waiting, the Charklik bus.

In this town, sandstorms are common and everything is covered in a thin layer of sand. The town is so small they don’t even have a pool table.

The Charklik bus driver, a Uygur who strikes a stunning resemblance to my uncle, decides he’s not driving today, not enough people or time or whatever else, asks me to hop out and invites me to stay at his place.

One of his friends shows me the Dutar, a two string guitar variant and I rock out on it, until they’ve had enough of my tunes and decide it’s bed time.