Entry 2: Lakes of Salt
January 8- 700 AD

After saying goodbye to Bo in the morning, I set off to continue on the Silk Road. I was beginning to think that the creator of the saddle allowed this trip to be so much more pleasant than it would have been had I had to ride directly on my horse's back. When I turned to see the fading city, the only thing clearly visible were the huge wooden columns of the Buddhist Temples in front of the caves that I somehow never noticed. My next destination was Lap Nor, a name which means “vast lake.” Bo had told me about the lakeside city called Lulan and the lake next to it called Lap Nor. I had already known about Lulan because, in the book Shiji that I had read, it referenced the close proximity between Lap Nor and Lulan. On the journey to Lulan, all I was able to do was think about how familiar Bo was, even upon meeting her for the first time. On the horizon a large body of water came into my field of view, and it was a spectacular site. There were large white mounds next to the saltwater lake and men hammering away at these salt deposits in order to harvest them. I heard footsteps of horses approaching me, but I continued towards the city of Lulan because I assumed that the men behind me were travelers or traders. I heard the horses merely feet behind me before a blunt object violently struck my skull. I fell off of my horse like a rock, and when I turned around, a man was riding away on the horse that had all of my silk and food. I picked myself up off of the ground, discouraged, and ashamed. I then had nothing. No food, no clothes, and no shelter. I asked myself many times why it had to be me who got attacked by this bunch of thieves. In this moment of anguish, it was Bo who came in just at the right time. In the distance, I watched Bo approach slowly on a camel. When she had caught up to me, she said “I heard a gang of criminals saying that they were heading this way in order to rob any trader that they may find. I knew you were traveling with a great deal of silk so I wanted to make sure you were not in danger. I brought herbal medicine that should help with the cut on your head and I have some silk from my personal silkworm farm that I brought for you to have.” Bo then took off 50 pounds of silk from her camel and handed it over to me. I thanked her but I knew that nothing could repay this act of kindness. I walked to the city of Lu-lan, traded a camel in trade for 10 pounds of silk. I traded with a tattoo covered religious woman whose camel shop was located outside of the Castle of Lulan. The castle of Lulan was a marvelous site but I left the city in fear that the thieves would return. The city of Lulan was very militaristic and the marketplace in which I purchased my camel had silk, cotton products, food, various coins, salt, pottery, sculptures, and food as well.