On to Kuqa
Another early wake up call, today at 5 AM to catch the flight to Kuqa at 8 AM. Cab was waiting at 6 AM and he first asked for 80 RMB for the trip. When we arrived the ride was 30 RMB I knew he was high so I countered with 50 RMB which he accepted. Arrival at the airport terminal I gave him 50 RMG and he said I owed him 80 RMB. Not to be intimidated, and with enough Chinese to argue, I told him he agreed to 50 RMB and if he did not accept I would call the police. This went back and forth for a bit and fortunately my loud voice can be very unpleasant even if my Chinese is not perfect. Finally, I offered his 10Y more as a way to conclude, for a total of 60 RMB.
Boston to Beijing - Flying
The trip to the deepest part of China, the northern Silk Road, begins with a flight from Boston to Beijing. Non-stop it is fifteen hour fifteen minutes flying 6,728 miles, 10,820 kilometers if you prefer the metric system and like the bigger number. The Silk Road, even stretching it a bit from Rome to Beijing is only 5,045 miles, 8,120 Kms for those starting out from the Euro side. We can be sure the original Silk Road travellers took a year to travers a shorter distance than we cover in a bit more than a half a day.