This lecture was of fairly large appeal, attracting an audience of 31 members and friends. They were not to be disappointed as the quality of the lecture and slides was simply stunning.
Caroline's journey started in Pakistan in 1988 when she joined a tour group following the silk route. One of the things that she made very clear was that she had to be prepared for anything. Her journey along the recently opened Karakorum highway was blocked by a landslide which forced the party to scramble on foot, dodging falling rocks, while carrying their own luggage.
On her way to Kasghar in China she took some amazing photographs of both the mountains and the local communities. In Kashgar she recorded the markets and the local traders whose practices had changed little from the heyday of the silkroute, with its carpet markets, camel markets and spice markets. A craftsman wan shown mending pottery using only a bow drill and metal staples.
The Kashgar slides also showed the former British Embassy, built in the days of the British Raj, it is now a hostel for lorry drivers. By way of contrast the Russian Embassy of the period is now a luxury hotel. In the nineteenth century Kashgar was a centre of political intrigue as it sat at the meeting place of the British, Russian and Chinese Empires.
From Kashgar Caroline went to Turfan where recent discoveries have shown that Europeans 4000 years ago had a very advanced civilisation. The audience were shown slides of the early Mediaeval mosques and temples in deserted towns which once had tens of thousands of inhabitants. The influence of Islam is still strong in this part of China and the people speak Arabic rather than Chinese.
Caroline's journey along the Chinese roads was very smooth as they were properly maintained. However, the hotels were of a lower standard. Cockroaches in the room was seen as a good sign as it meant that there was nothing else in the room large enough to eat them. An encounter with a rat emerging from the toilet was also recounted.
From Chinese Turkestan Caroline went to Sian to see the Emperor's army, and from there she went on to see the glories of Peking and the Forbidden City. Caroline made here way on into Mongolia where she was able to see the nomadic people and their lifestyle, which is in rapid decline as the region adapts to the capitalist economy. Caroline returned home via Moscow having taken the 4 day train journey from Mongolia.
David Hill gave a vote of thanks and Caroline then answered a number of questions on her journey.