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Antioch, April 22, 201, Evening. I am so proud to say that we made it all the way to the western end of the Silk Road. After losing 1 camel in the Gobi desert and having sold 30 bolts of Chang'an silk for traveling necessities, we made it. Hopefully, that will be the hardest thing I do in this life, other than having to go back. I took many notes for my emperor about everything, seeing that he didn't tell me what I had to take notes on other than where I go in the Roman empire. When we reached the Roman border, there was a moment where I thought my heart may have stopped when a Roman soldier was going through our caravan and found a book, which I though was my journal (which would have gotten me caught and killed). However, thank the Buddha, it was the Buddhist prayer book our caravan leader had told us he traded a book of Confucian lessons for in Tunhuang. When we finally entered the city, I fell to my knees and had to take a few minutes to fully take in my accomplishment. I had done what very few had by making the journey all the way from Chang'an to Antioch, undercover, without getting caught. At the beginning of our journey, I was confident that this mission would be easy, but as we moved from place to place, my confidence was banked dramatically. We kept having to sell supplies for traveling necessities, like food and water for ourselves and camels, or just new camels, food, water canteens, etc. Thankfully, I still have plenty of gold to use to get back home. And, I have silk to trade here in Antioch, for even more gold. Maybe I'll even get my self something nice. A souvenir of sorts. To see the proud and thankful look my emperor will give me when I show him my notebook full of notes and drawings will be worth all the hardships we have endured on this trip. Yes, braving the heat and sand of the Gobi desert, dealing with injured animals on the road, having to be nice to everyone in order to not be suspicious, and, of course, not falling prey to any desperate travelers on the road by being jumped or lured into buying something I didn't need, was all worth it for my emperor. I, however, am very nervous about the journey home and facing the same tasks as on the journey here.

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Marakanda Kafe, улица Карасарайская, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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Marakanda Kafe, улица Карасарайская, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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Marakanda Kafe, улица Карасарайская, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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Marakanda, September 23, 200, Afternoon. We reached Marakanda this morning and I loved it immediately. I saw many street vendors selling bright fabrics, bold and vibrant jewelry, and lots of other items made by the hardworking hands of the people of Marakanda. You could hear the vendors selling their items to their potential customers while remaining perfectly polite. And, the customers were enthralled by what the vendors had to offer and fell right into the trap they were weaving. I have never seen anything like it. And, on our way in, we saw fields full of rich soil and a variety of harvests. The trees produced the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen, stunning pinks, pale blues, and vivid reds. Not to mention, our caravan saw many different plants and fruits, but we hesitated to try them for fear that they would be poisonous. Marakanda is also a decent temperature. Far better than the conditions we were facing in the desert. I hope to never do that again, although there is no use in dreaming about that because I eventually have to come back the way I came. Enough of that. I took many notes on what I saw while traveling in and around the city, to give to my emperor, of course. They are thorough and even include drawings, which I hope he will like. I plan to look at the city more thoroughly in the following days by wandering around the streets, talking to vendors and travelers alike. Maybe after this mission for my emperor, I can return here, it is most beautiful and peaceful city I have ever seen. I think I could fit in here. We head to Antioch next, the most challenging part of this journey. My identity remains a secret now, but needs to remain that way until I can get into the Roman empire, where I will spy on what they are doing over there. Until next time, Qi Na.

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Taklamakan Desert, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

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Taklamakan Desert, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

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Taklamakan Desert, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

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Gobi Desert, June 12, 200, Midday. We are currently trekking through the Taklamakan desert, and we are struggling...The caravan leader who has braved this road 3 times already says to keep steady and focus on the task ahead instead of the awfulness of the desert. It is impossible. I have nothing to do and keeping my identity secret is getting harder as my group keeps asking me questions about my life before the Silk Road to keep all of us entertained. Slowly, the lies are growing heavy on my tongue, though I cannot stop. While taxing on my body, talking helps keep me awake and alert under the harsh rays of the sun, which fatigue me to no end. We are also running low on water. The leader of our caravan says we will reach a city soon, but I don't know anymore. I don't understand how he can even lead us in a general direction, except for the occasional camel bones or shriveled materials left behind by past travelers. When we sleep at night, it feels amazing to sit down and rest, but one wrong move and there is sand everywhere on and in your clothes, and yes, I mean everywhere... The first night we slept fitfully because no one was able to enter a deep sleep because of the howls of the winds, which some say are the howls of long passed spirits. Thinking about it made me even less eager to sleep. During the day, when the wind howls, I like to put a twist on those tales and say I hear the songs of the lost, instead of howls. It sounds much nicer. As we head to Marakanda, I am left with my own thoughts about how I will complete my mission completely and thoroughly.

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Dunhuang, June 1, 200 Evening. It has been almost two months since I last wrote in my journal. We have finally reached Dunhuang, and my identity is still secret. There was an incident, where one of the members of my caravan, a nosy little man, almost found my journal, but I caught him in the act, and he hasn't come back since. Smart man. We arrived last night and after watering and feeding ourselves and our camels, we slept like the dead. Today, we met other merchants who will be joining us on our journey on the Silk Road. They are native to Dunhuang, and need to trade their iron and bronze jewlery to make money to bring home to their families. As we sat down for dinner around a campfire, they told us stories of their homeland. I was amazed. They told our group that Dunhuang is a place of many cultures and religions, no matter how diverse. They told us about their own experiences with other travelers who were Buddhist, Hindu, and Confucianist. They learned all about the different morals and values of the different religions and adapted the parts they liked into their own lives and spread it on to others. But, the most fascinating part of their storytelling was about the caves just 10 miles outside of Dunhuang, where Buddhist shrines sat, with Hindu angels and lotus flowers. The caves were cultural meccas. Documents of many different languages are also wasted away in there. A shame we have to keep moving or else I would have liked to see them. Maybe my emperor could put something of his own in there to represent our outstanding empire. We deserve it, after all. It had me thinking that maybe the Silk Road is not so bad after all, for the spread of different cultures through the traveling merchants from a variety of places cannot be such a bad thing. Right? After dinner, we all went to rest, but I could not, for thoughts of our upcoming journey through the Gobi desert plagued me. I worry we will run out of water or if our camels will give out, leaving us stranded in the desert. But, I can not think this way or else those thoughts would consume me and I could make a fatal mistake. I will not. For my family, my emperor, I will not.

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Chang'an Western University City Shangquan, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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Chang'an Western University City Shangquan, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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Chang'an Western University City Shangquan, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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My name is Qi Na. I am 25 years old and I was born in Chang'an, China to my parents, who are Han officials. I followed in my parents' footsteps, so I am also a Han official. I am unmarried and, therefore, have no children. I will be traveling on the Silk Road to gather information on the western lands (outside of our territory) for my emperor.

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Chang'an, April 5, 200, Dawn. I am ready to head west from Chang'an. For the first leg of my journey, I will remain in Han territory, which gives me time to prepare as I blend in with a caravan leader and their group. I am pretending to be a wandering merchant, trying to sell silk and ceramics made from my home in here in Chang'an. I "need" to sell my items to make money and support my family at home. I convinced the group that I am lost and just need a group to follow, promising not to be a burden. We will pass by the Great Wall of China on the Northeast side. We are headed to Dunhuang as I write, then we continue west through the Taklimakan Desert and so forth. I need to be careful about concealing my identity, so I can get into Rome, which will be difficult, but I will manage. My group cannot read my journal, or my identity will be exposed. Despite the danger, I could not be more proud to serve my emperor in any way possible.