In September of 1999, I took 6 weeks to follow in the footsteps of Xuanzang, the 7th century Buddhist monk who left central China to go on pilgrimage to the holy land, India. He returned 16 years later, bearing hundreds of scriptures and tales of his truly epic journey which still exist today in its factual form and a more fantastic, mystical version, known by children throughout East Asia.
Xuanzang travelled through China, Kyrgistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India before heading back. I headed west from Xian, loosely following his outgoing route and at times jumping on his return track. I spent about 4 weeks visiting places he went in China, and then about 10 days in Pakistan.
Speeding through much of this vast, unpopulated, harsh, but beautiful landscape, I was constantly amazed at the courage, determination, and devotion without which he surely could not have persevered. Many times he narrowly escaped death, yet on account of his hardships millions have shared in the fruits of his journey.
You can follow this journey as I did by clicking on the links art the bootm of the page, or you can navigate by using the map.
If you have any questions or comments, email me at nodiseos@yahoo.com