Hitching to Motherland

This is a blog entry that tells about money saving. If you are not interested or feel bored, don’t continue to read.

Once again, I feel accomplished to have made a wise decision followed by a correct move. (I almost convinced by S for the Torugart Pass crossing if it costs $70 or less). It costs me $40 to travel from Bishkek all the way to Kashgar via Irkeshtam Pass – a figure less than I expected. A 12-hour overnight shared taxi from Bishkek to Osh costs me 1000 Som; a 4-hour shared 4WD from Osh to Sary Tash costs me 500 Som(other paid 600 Som); an overnight stay in Sary Tash costs me 400 Som including dinner(pricey!); a hitch from Sary Tash to Irkeshtam Pass in a pre-arranged minivan costs me 200 Som(damn!); a compulsory Chinese border shuttle costs me 100 Som(I can walk!); a hitch in a pre-arranged 4-hour shared taxi from Irkeshtam Pass to Kashgar costs me nothing.

Sary Tash Guesthouse

It all began when I ran into a group of five travelers in Sary Tash including the two Finnish guys whom I met and hung around with weeks ago in Osh. They were chartering a minivan from Osh to Kashgar(I already knew it beforehand but I didn’t join because it’s too pricey! I somehow learnt that everything arranged by Osh Guesthouse are always more expensive than you go and search by yourselves). I was offered a ride when they know I was trying to hitchhike to the Irkeshtam Pass. But then the Kyrgyz driver wanted an outrageous of 1000 Som for that 45-minute ride, despite the fact that that was a chartered transfer – that means if I need to pay, I should pay to the five people, not the driver. I started to doubt on Kyrgyz people as I always think that besides being relatively honest, they are the ‘least money-oriented’ people in Central Asia. I was so discouraged and almost walked away when Basha, a Turkish-American tried to talk to the driver in Turkish in which he eventually agreed to settle to 300 Som. But I told the driver I have only 200 Som and if he didn’t want, then I hitch. I know the money would eventually be going inside his own pocket. It’s extra money for him.

The view of Irkeshtam Pass from Sary Tash

The view from Sary Tash to Irkeshtam Pass was so spectacular that I don’t think I can further elaborate here. From Kyrgyz border post, everybody had to hitch a Chinese truck(driven by Uyghur people) to cross the 3 km no-man’s land to the Chinese upper check post where a 10-Yuan compulsory minibus shuttle is waiting. It was there that the first time my laptop was inspected. Luckily it was near to noon time break for the Chinese border and all the officers were quite in a rush and no suspicious thing could be found. Phew~

Once walked out from the Chinese immigration building, there were already two pre-arranged taxis waiting for the five people. I learnt from a Chinese while hitching at the border that a transfer from the pass to Kashgar is 100 Yuan flat-rate(pricey!). So with thick-skin-face, I joined back the group again in their pre-arranged shared taxis to Kashgar. Every time the Uyghur driver made a phone call, guiltiness struck me. I was quite worry if he was making contact with the person in Osh Guesthouse and realized that I’m the 6^th and there was no 6^th existed in the group. Everybody at the back seat was sleeping like pigs but I stayed alerted and tried very hard to learn whom he was speaking to and whether he spoke Kyrgyz or Uyghur on the phone. I also tried to keep him busy by chatting with him but his Mandarin wasn’t good enough.

Ermmm…perhaps I shouldn’t feel guilty because they still earned extra by taking another two locals at the Chinese border to make up 4-passenger in each car. They still earned extra! And if I really need to pay, I should pay to the group because they were the one who chartered! The same logic applies when you charter a vehicle…if the driver takes passengers along the journey, don’t you think it’s reasonable that the money they paid should go inside your pocket?

OK! I feel better now.

It was around 4pm(Xinjiang time) when we arrived in Kashgar and waved goodbye to Amin –  the Uyghur driver who always tried to make phone calls along the way. Phew~~ $40 from Bishkek to Kashgar, not bad, huh? $100-$200 by Torugart Pass? What a joke!

Note: RM 1 ≈ 15 Som

           RM 1 ≈ 2 Yuan