Milstein

11/03
Comparing with the way from Moscow to Almaty last month, the train K9786 from Urumqi to Kashgar, the way itself is a great journey.

The process of slow change of landscape outside is a drama, and it’s hard to experience this in airplane. Train takes you more time, you might be used to, even tired of the scenery, however, after a period, maybe several hours, maybe after a coffee, or a nap, and then you look at outside again. You found it’s the other world. Where is it? When I come here? The glances at outside during this long period remind you, you realize, yeah, it’s changing, little by little, all the time, from desert to grassland, plain to valley. You experience all the process except switch from here to there.

I forgot the time, and do not know where, the train arrived an extensive valley, grass is almost full of your view, river wanders with shimmer on the surface, snow is on the distant mountain, it’s a colder place definitely, colder than Urumqi. After passing a tunnel, the train run into a graceful curve, some snow is just beside the rail. It’s melting, I guess, under the clear blue sky and genial sunshine.

I heard some men discussed where we are, some people answered: na shi ba yin bu lu ke cao yuan 那是巴音布魯克草原. (It’s Bayanbulak Grassland.)

On the railway to Kashgar, I haven’t arrived yet, but I have thought it’s right decision to go.