Forewords

I have always wanted to venture the silk road, and I supposed most avid backpackers would want to. During my younger days, I have been enjoying reading "The Journey to the West", a famous Chinese classical literature on these 4 Buddhist monks who made their arduous journey to the West, from China to India, to obtain Buddhist scrolls. And of course, along the way, they had to deal with all sorts of challenges, which made the story far more interesting than a usual travelogue!

Journey to the West

Treading the entire silk road, from China to Rome, would be a colossal task, undoubtedly! Since I only had around 3 weeks to spare, I decided to shorten my journey to the China-Pakistan border, instead of Central Asia, which might easily consume another 2-3 weeks. 

What made me decide then? Well, coincidentally 2015 was China's "Visit the Silk Road" year, yet I hadn't known that until like 3 months before my trip! Other than that, since I would be ending my gazettement as a clinical specialist, it was time to embark on another journey, as a consolation to myself for the entire 18 months on probation!

I have received a variety of reactions from my colleagues and friends the moment I broke the news bout my expedition. Enthusiasm was there, followed with worry mixed with excitement. Most were awed by the word "SILK ROAD", and many expressed their fears due to the recent ISIL incidents worldwide, and the Uighur unrest in China. Well, a backpacker has to be streetsmart, eh?

And so, here is a brief travelogue for my 21 days traversing the amazing Silk Road, from Xi'an to Kashgar.