Darling Avalon and proud Dad

Avalon with Mum, Bec and Dad, Todd

Bec  and Todd’s daughter, Avalon Lhotse Slater was born at Mornington  on 19  May 2010.

Congratulations and thank you Bec and Todd for the greatest gift of all – another precious family member and gorgeous granddaughter.

 We wish Ava all the love in the world and may she find happiness, purpose and meaning in the greatest journey of all – life.

Mr Jeremy Fisher is at it again. Sneaking out of the back pack and leaving his friends. It’s funny how some frogs never change their colour. It seems old Jeremy is too independent and finds it too restrictive being part of a team so he just has to break out.

Anyway Mr Jeremy Fisher has found what he has been dreaming of. An abundant supply of sparkling, fresh water and in what was once a desert in one of the lowest points on the globe, Turpan, in Xinjiang Province of North West China.

Jeremy was in awe of the greenery of Turpan, the grapevines and the fruit trees. This place has such an abundance of grapes that they dry them in mud brick drying houses. Jeremy decided he better do a little investigative work because he loves to gain new information.

Anyway Jeremy met a proud, old Uygur frog who gave him a rundown explaining how the clever Uyger people living here some 2,200 years ago irrigated the desert and turned it into a bountiful oasis.  The system they used is called Karez and what they did is to tap into the underground fresh spring water which drained from the beautiful snow capped mountains. Because Turpan is at the base of the  mountains these clever people created an extensive system of 1784 underground channel lines with thousand and thousand of vertical shafts tapping into this underground system.

The old frog told Jeremy that from the air the area looked a bit like a moonscape with all these lines of horizontal wells. This 2,200 year old system still provides the city’s drinking water. Jeremy had a great time jumping in and out of the clean water and nosing his way into the underground channels. The only problem was that the water moved too fast and was so cold that it was no place for a frog so Jeremy had to make his way back to the back pack and you can be sure there will be some dissent when his friends find out he has left them again. When will he ever learn?

Back to MG Urumqi to meet the press and what a turn out. We were lead into the grounds of  MG dealership to be confronted by red (of course) banners, inflated lanterns and the longest and widest red carpet I have ever seen. A fifty piece drum and cymbal ensemble was banging out a tune and organised chaos reigned. People milled around the cars and the suited salesmen took buckets of water to clean each car.

 The press was there and everyone seemed to have a camera. Dave was so excited as his dream to promote the MG marque and to be the first person to drive from MG China to MG UK in an OPEN car was almost one third mission accomplished.  It really was a blast!

An hour passed and all cars were photographed by all and sundry. We hovered around and were photographed as required. Ian B had a field day posing with the bonnet up and his cap on back to front. The TV crew loved it. Queenie tells me that Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Mr Jeremy Fisher who sat on the bonnet of our car, are becoming media stars in China as they have been photographed and filmed so often. Peter and Kerith’s yellow Tiga was also on display. Our MGs must be in the running for the most photographed cars in the northern hemisphere…..taking into account the photographs at tolls and by other authorised personnel en route.

It seemed (because everything is little ambiguous and meaning is lost in translation) that this was MG week or motor week in Urumqi. The mayor and police and other dignitaries were present. They took centre stage and after a series of speeches the most senior police officer  was presented with a plague representing the donation of a car, I believe. Drums rolled, crackers were let off and ticker tape fell from the air.

The Aussie MG team stood in the crowd and the dignitaries matched off stage. With the formal part of proceedings over we then took our place on stage. Dave said a few words and Queenie took the centre stage translating and making a great fuss introducing the two oldest members of the team. It seems age is respected and celebrated in China.

 We then went back into the showroom and sat in a semi circle with the press.  Again Queenie took the running and the press asked some general questions: what did we like about our trip so far, what was the most difficult part of the trip, how long would the trip take.  We answered with our customary politeness and lots of good humour ensued.

Mr MG then presented us with Uygur ceremonial hats. All this was pretty informal amid much handshaking, laugher and cameras clicking.  Next lunch, for them, but dinner for us as it was three thirty and at a very flash hotel. No more Sichuan cuisine with plates of steamed vegies, rice, noodles and spicy pork, beef, fish and poultry. This time it was an extensive Uygur smorgasbord, lots of cooked hot food, salads and of course, mutton, poultry and offal shasliks. Plates of prawns, in the furthest inland city from the sea in the world, seemed pretty incongruous and even Ken steered clear of them.

 It was interesting that most of the tables were occupied by “ladies who lunch”. They were smartly dressed in bright, some would say garish, western type clothing but with lots of beading. All the ladies wore vivid scarves, not chador or burqa but fashionably bound and tied at the back of the head so the material cascaded down the neck in a very flattering manner. One couldn’t help but wonder what the men were up to. It was very encouraging to observe the gusto with which these women ate. No nouvelle cuisine here but huge plates of everything and bones and discards neatly stashed next to the plate on the table cloth. And I thought I could eat! And Ian  M must think everyday is like this!

Sitting in an internet bar in Horgas on the border of China and Kazakhstan trying to download other days blog entries but the computer wont accept my English memory stick. Will download photos and entries later.

Ken and I have all the phones charged waiting to hear when Bec our daughter in law has her baby…so exciting from afar. I imagine we will be transiting into Kazakhstan when we get the news. Good luck Bec!!!!

Today is a down day after two AMAZING days. One in Urumqi experiencing Chinese hospitality and yesterday driving on unmade roads through the 200 km pass into Horgas. A rough and tough  drive but the scenery defies description. We all reckon it is the best scenery we have ever experienced…breath taking. We were at 3,599 metres surrounded by  snow capped mountains around us at 5, 5oo metres and on the roughest roads with trucks coming at us from all directions, but somehow it all just flowed and we got there.

This morning our car had trouble starting with a loose wire to the coil, and then Dave’s car had a rear engine oil seal fail so as I type Dan and Dave are  doing a big repair job. Hopefully all will be well for tomorrow ‘s border crossing and fortunately today was a down day.

One month since we left home and we are being inundated with new experiences, information and sensory responses at such a rapid pace that it is hard to compute.  It is like a movie, the reel just keeps rolling.  Today had it all.

 The first stop was to visit the 2200 year old Karez of Turpan which is said to be a construction feat that rivals the Great Wall and the Great Canal. But until today I had never heard of the Karez but Mr Jeremy Fisher will tell you more about this because he’s in to water and wells.

Turpan is the second lowest point on the globe,154 metres below sea level and to think  four days ago we were 3,800 metres above sea level; so having arrived there it was always  going to be a challenge to “get out of this great hollow called Turpan”. It is usually easier to go down than up!

 The drive from Turpan to Urumqi is an ascent through what must be the windiest tunnel on the globe. Apparently when the wind is up trains have been blown from their tracks. The area is home to the biggest wind farms in the world and we confronted a cross wind that required some serious driving. Passing all the lorries is always interesting but with   a cross wind there is a “forceful” current as you pass the vehicle. And to think Dave and Dan were out there in an open vehicle but with a very effective klaxon horn! Dave had been so sick (the old tummy troubles) the previous day he had to ride in the four drive and let Dan do the driving.  He was back at the wheel and still not 100%.  Unbelievable!    

Snow and sleet added to the challenges of the drive, with visibility down to fifty metres. Peter was heard declaring across the CB “well folks we signed on for an adventure and this is it.” Dan responded “bring it on, this is what rally car drivers do”. But Dan I am not a rally car driver. The traffic was pretty thick with no one pulling over and on we went at about 65 kms per hour. The drivers and cars performed well and fortunately the snow storm abated and the wind cleared the snow from the windscreen providing better visibility.  It was truly exhilarating once through the storm, such a sense of having made it through the snow, sleet and traffic.  And to think the previous day was dry and dusty and we were riding on donkey carts around a 2000 year mud brick city ruin. Furthermore a lot of us had sent a box of clothes home so we don’t have thermals to counter the freezing wind and cold.

On arrival at the outskirts of Urumqi, a modern, inland city of 2.2 million, we were met by Mr MG Soo the local MG distributor. He lead the convoy in his orange MG6 to the MG showrooms where a sumptuous afternoon tea awaited us. Once again the ladies sat in the showrooms and the guys went into the marbled floored workshop. The cars were hoisted up and greased and oil changed. The mechanics were in “mechanic wonderland” never having worked on such old cars with their old fittings like carburettors nor never having seen a grease gun. They needed careful supervision and they worked happily alongside each driver doing running repairs.  

Mr MG Soo’s hospitality extended to a include  lunch, gifts and a promise of another mornings entertainment when we revisited the MG showroom to meet the press today.

The day ended with us arriving at a very plush hotel with a massive marble foyer, the flautist playing and an electronic sign welcoming the MG 2010 adventurers. We looked pretty bedraggled and we determined that we would dress for the press in our MG team shirts the next day.

 Later over drinks we farewelled Madeleine who returns home to her beautiful grandchildren. Farewell Maddie

Tonight we celebrated Ian’s birthday so another birthday party complete with birthday cake. Happy Birthday  Ian.   Thank you for the cake Queenie.

All is going well and the convoy of six MGs with the Chinese tour guide and driver are making good progress through this vast, beautiful country. The 950 kms trip from Dunhang to Hami to Turpan  in North West China, is an amazing drive through  tracts of desert which in some parts  run parallel with snow capped mountains. The desert topography varies from flat open plains to rugged granite outcrops.  Stunning scenery by virtue of the contrasts.

Everywhere we stop and visit is rich in history. Hard to get one’s head around so much information but it seems the further we drive west the more diverse the people and scenery become.

 Historically the area around Jiayuguan where the most western part of the Great Wall of China is deemed to end was perceived as the boundary of the Middle Kingdom or Central China. The area beyond was not considered to be part of the highly cultured,inner Chinese realm. The vast tracts of desert are part of the reason as the land is rugged and in ancient times this would have supported the fortress mentality.

Today many  the people who inhabit this area represent some of China’s  minority groups. The faces and dress of the majority of people have changed from the fair, round face of the Han Chinese to the darker and colourfully dressed people which reflect the different waves of traders and people who crossed into this land.  Travel along the National Roadway sees all signs written in both Arabic and Chinese.

The traders who traversed the Silk Road would have encountered all types of weather from the heat, dry dust storms to incredibly low temperatures with snow and rain. The traders took refuge in many of caves along the way. Dunhuang, in the Han and Tang dynasties, was the main point of interchange between China and the rest of the world. The Mogao Caves near Dunghuang initially housed weary travellers and later became a point not only of refuge but also worship as Buddhism spread. The caves house Buddhas and the paintings are in remarkable condition.

The National Highway links to the border and trucks and lorries make up the main traffic. In one area there were  trucks which had crashed or broken down  in the last twenty four hours and it seemed they were awaiting repair or a  tow. In order to reduce speed on the highway motorists pay a toll and are given an arrival time at the next toll gate. Arrival before the prescribed time at the toll incurs a fine so that has the effect of slowing motorists down. We had to drive very slowly in order to meet the arrival time and this was a little  slow even  for the  red tortoise, but it may be one way of reducing speed and fatalities on these dangerous and busy  highways.

We took a walk around a market in Hami and met a family who resided in South Yarra, Victoria. They had returned to Hami for the mother’s brother’s wedding and the two young people studied in Melbourne. They introduced us to their Hami family. The uncle was a hat seller. The contrast between the woman and her sisters in headscarves was stark.  It was a great interaction for Peter, Kerith, Ken and I to talk with people who had made Australia their home in the hat seller’s shop. They gave us the address of a local restaurant and when we took the entire group there that night poor Peter, the fall guy, didn’t win any points because it was BBQ and no smoking or drinking.

The Turpan Basin  is 154 metres below sea level, is the lowest point in China and the second lowest depression in the world; it  must be the mud brick capital of the world:  mud houses, mud  out houses and mud  drying sheds. Mud bricks everywhere.The dry climate means that the mud bricks do not break down. We saw entire cemeteries constructed of mud brick. Tombs, headstones and mausoleums. The Gaochang Ruins was a huge  ninth century mud brick city and a major trading post on the Silk Road. The ruins are testimony to the durability of the good, old mud brick and  the importance of the  Silk Road.

Peter, too can dune surf.

Simon: like your style

How to fix an injured back!

The day began with a 5:30 am wakeup call so that we could set off to see the sunrise over the Gobi desert. A short walk we were told. Some two kms later we arrived at the entrance gate and found the officer in charge of dispensing tickets was not there. We are all on a learning journey to develop and understand the quality of PATIENCE. Fortunately he quickly materialised and twenty dollars per head later we entered the area known as the Crescent Moon Lake where the oasis meets the Gobi desert. Like every activity on this tour all is revealed at the point of contact. We were then confronted with sand dunes of 1,175 metres high. Picture card beauty. The climbed to the top; great morning exercise but the downward trip was even better. We sat on the top of the dunes and watched the sunrise, sort of!!!! A bit smoggy and overcast but still pretty inspiring.

On the way up the mountain Simon located a sand dune board so after the mandatory photos  at the top he took off dune surfing in a standing position. Very impressive until momentum overcame him and he came off the board with a sequence of forward rolls. He has spent the remainder of the day nursing his back injury.

Lots of hilarity and simple fun was had on the way down, getting in touch with the child within some would say but great for team building as we ran and rolled down. By the time we got to the bottom the world was awake and hundreds of camels and their drivers were at the foot of the dunes ready to transport the less active travellers. Don’t know where they were coming from because they weren’t in sight: maybe sunset.

True to the desert theme we ended the day sitting on the roof top of our hotel watching the dunes and  having a drink before going into the market for dinner. However that was not to be as the waiters came out  and asked us to move inside because a sand  storm was approaching. Within five minutes the hotel was in lock down with everything shut and locked and all of us wearing face masks. Quite a novelty really and a  lot can be transferrred through eye language. The sand and dust  in the air and in the hotel is thick and heavy and we are told tomorrow it will probably rain. Not rain as we know it but mud rain. Guess the cars will be thick with sand and  dust and driving though mud rain will present another new challenge. But I wouldn’t miss this for quids and it wasn’t even on my “Bucket List”

Sue and Queenie nearly at the top

Mary nearly at the top and still smiling

The MG Team

Jiayu Pass Fort: Great Wall

Simatai: Remember the liitle friends are scared of heights so they hid in Sue and Ken's bags

Overhanging Great Wall

Mr Jeremy Fisher and Friend

You know how bunnies have long, soft ears which makes which  them superb empathic listeners. They really can listen for understanding without thinking about what their next point in the conversation will be. A rare trait in humans but it abounds in rabbits.

 So first thing this morning Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit were eavesdropping on Ken’s conversation. He was telling someone that last night he received an eleven pm phone call “you want some nice girl to come to your room and give you massage” He was non plussed  and  it was his wedding anniversary but it turns out that everyone else in the group got the same call and in a four star hotel! Maybe that’s why Marco Polo stayed in Zhangye for over a year seemed to be the consensus of opinion.

Later that day  they heard Ken say that he had been checking the car engine, as he does each night after the day’s drive, and upon closer scrutiny he found a missing split  pin which connected the brake pedal to the master cylinder. Lucky find!  This could have lead to a pretty serious accident when traversing those alpine mountain passes. Talk about travel luck. One can only think it is all those good luck and safe travel petitions Susie has been making at temples along the way, the red ribbons tied to the car and Sal’s safe travel rock which Susie carries in her bag.

And to think that today Susie had taken the wheel for the first time, despite some comments that if she drove slower than her husband (which she does) she should give the driving a big miss. Doesn’t give the old  girl much confidence but the  Billy Joel provided some inspiration  as they were travelling along with his rendition of “My Life”  She thought it’s today or never! Anyway she made a pretty lame attempt at driving, second gear still a little tricky.  The convoy seemed to slow down considerably which was pretty helpful.

Anyway Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit were a bit put out when Jeremy Fisher returned  to the back pack with tales of the ride of his life in the real China. They were polite and interested but decided that today was their day and they would pay Fisher back. He’s not a team player they thought so they’d teach him. You know how sometimes friends can get narky turn on each other.  

So they were off and out at the crack of dawn. They determined that they would visit the two sites of the Great Wall around Jiayuguan. They had already seen the biggest part of the wall at Simitai out of Beijing. That part of the wall was the longest expanse ever built but there were other separate walls which were built at different times and are loosely referred to as the Great Wall of China.

Their first stop was the Jiayu Pass Forte which was considered the furthest outpost and boundary  protection for the Middle Kingdom in the Ming dynasty. It is set against the backdrop of snow capped Qilian Shan and the Hei Shan mountains. The cheeky young rabbits had a great time peering over the wall, burrowing into holes in the mud bricks and scurrying around generally drawing attention to themselves. They even tried using a sling shot from the forts parapet hoping to get a camel but soon pulled their heads in when they heard that the general who had built the fort was beheaded by the emperor because he spent too much on the forts construction. Better be a little low key cause you never who’s lurking around they thought.

Next stop was the renovated Overhanging Great Wall some six kms from the fort. And who should they meet there but Mr Jeremy Fisher. He was fishing with the help from a new friend. He was using the longest fishing pole they had ever seen. Fisher was in his element, back to his roots, doing what he knew so well, fishing. After some discussion, the three friends reconciled their differences and resolved to climb to the top of the wall.  A  pretty steep climb but it provided a magnificent view and they were the centre of attention as people posed for photographs with them and they continued to make new friends.

They spent the next hour discussing why Marco Polo stayed so long in China and trying to get a bit of an over view of the effectiveness of the Great Wall in providing protection for each dynasty. They really need to eavesdrop to get a few more facts on these matters.

You've got to have friends!

Frog’s eye view from the red car

It is freezing in Dave’s MGA

Lamb, no thanks

Mr Jeremy Fisher woke up and thought he better get out of Susie’s back pack. It was time he put on a brave face and began to explore the real China. He was a bit dehydrated as sometimes happens when you are out of your routine; you know what it is like when you are on holiday. He had been dreaming about water and wells. He couldn’t get it out of his mind that the farmers who discovered the terra cotta warriors had been digging for a well. Surely his compatriots in the frog community had known about this underground treasure for thousands of years. So far the terracotta warriors were a real highlight for Jeremy but now the team was in the real China he was sure there was more to see and he wanted to find some water. You know how frogs thrive in water.

He glanced around and decided to leave those young bunnies sleeping. He made a running jump into Dave’s MGA. An open top car would give him a superior view. No sooner had he located himself in the MGA, he realised it was a massive mistake, it was freezing. Dave was decked out in hat, gloves, goggles and four layers of clothes to keep warm in this alpine environment. What motivated that guy to drive in such conditions without the hood on, he pondered. A quick jump back and he was on the dash of red MGBGT, warm and secure. It provided an amazing drive. He could see everything from that vantage point; low to the ground but steady.

Not far out of Xining, Mr Jeremy Fisher spied a truck load of lamb, halal, of course! But onward and upwards the cars drove to the grassy plateau rising between 2,500 and 3,000 metres to some water. Eureka thought Mr Jeremy Fisher. Qinghai Hu is the largest inland lake in China some 100kms diameter. In ancient times it was known as the inland sea, but alas Jeremy found the water was too salty to drink. It was too cold and no place for a frog but the yaks, goats and woolly sheep seemed to thrive there, maybe it was the tender care they were receiving from their herders, some of whom rode small ponies and others who tended their flocks on motor bikes.

The convoy of cars continued their drive up to 3,800 metres above sea level across the Qilian Mountains. Jeremy saw a magnificent glacial-like landscape with snow capped mountains and snow drifts but the car moved so quickly he had no time to jump out to check out the water levels. He had to hang on tightly as the car negotiated the hair pin bends. It was a superlative drive.  Jeremy sighted so much on that drive: chortans with colourful Tibetan flags waving in the breeze, mud brick villages, tri wheel cars, donkeys and carts, Han, Mongol, Tibetan people working in the fields or building houses and lots of bursts of activity as the car passed through the villages.  

This was the drive of his life as the car glided along the road. At one stage the friendly police provided a 45 km rear escort for the convoy. The team didn’t have a clue what it was about but there’s real safety when the police drive with you they thought. Jeremy was convinced it was the fact he had posed on the police  car for a photo shoot at an earlier stop.  He wished someone was videoing this run so he could sit down and relive it with young Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit. He had so much to tell them and he had forgotten about is obsession with water. He was out of his comfort zone and loving it.