Amazing Xinjiang

My trip was fantastic! I left on July 30th, and I headed for the western part of China. Leilia, a fellow teacher, and her friend Wendy went with me. We started in Shanghai, and then we had a layover in Beijing. It was long enough to go out into the city. So, once again I went to Tiananmen and looked upon the Forbidden City. After battling the traffic and people in Beijing, we headed back to the airport, and we flew out Wulumuqi. We got in quite late, and we tried several hotels at one or two in the morning. Our taxi driver was quite helpful though. After resting in the morning, we headed back to the airport and took a flight to Kashgar. Kashgar is a famous stop along the Silk Road. This is where we really settled down for a week.

When we arrived in Kashgar, we could tell that this place was different. It wasn’t the typical Chinese city that we were use to. The airport was small, and we walked out of the plane to it. As we glanced around we could see the Arabic writing bordering the doors. We could also see the mountains around us. It was so refreshing at this airport because I believe this is the first airport I have been to in China where the taxi drivers didn’t hassle me. It was calm and serene, and it was easy to get into a van for 10 rmb, about 1.50, and get to a hostel. That was a nice welcome.

The Western part of China is fantastic. It has deserts. It has mountains, and most of all it has dry heat! That was such a welcome after sweltering in Shanghai for the last couple weeks. We rode our bikes around some of the city upon our arrival. We took in the beautiful trees that lined the streets. The adobe type styled homes, and the many people dressed in their scarves and dresses. The sky was clear and blue, and the clouds were white and puffy. The air was fresh and clean. Ahh . . .

Our first full day in Kashgar was on Sunday. So, we had the opportunity to go to the Sunday Market along with about 50,000 other people. This is about a quarter of the population of Kashgar. Everybody is there on Sunday. It is the place to be. We went to the livestock market where people were selling sheep, donkeys, cattle, and various other animals. People were leading their animals around, and the buyers were checking out every part of the animal before their purchase. Then we headed to the other part of the market, and it sold everything! I bought a special teapot, and I also purchased some homemade knives.

The second full day in Kashgar we headed to the desert. We wanted to ride camels, and see the real desert. There is a desert in Xinjiang, which stretches almost clear across it. Xinjiang is the largest province in China. So, we headed out to the edge of it with a driver who spoke no English. Well, it is wonderful to know that that wasn’t much of a problem at all. My friend and I could communicate enough to get our points across, and we could understand enough as well. How refreshing! Our driver did have to do some translating because many people there do not speak Mandarin. The desert was quite beautiful with its high sand dunes and its large horizon. We didn’t get to stay long, but it was still very enjoyable to ride a camel in the desert.

The next day we headed out to Karakul Lake. It is literally on the border of China. Our travel agent told us not to ride a horse quickly for 2 hours. If we did, we might end up in the neighboring country, and one of those countries was Afghanistan. The road we took to get to the lake leads to Pakistan, and it is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world. It did not disappoint me. It was breathtaking. I thought that it couldn’t get any more beautiful, and it kept surpassing my expectations. I truly feel this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The road wound around mountains and desert, and the sky was incredibly blue. We made it to our destination, and we got ready for our calm adventure in the countryside. We were really in the middle of nowhere! We stayed in a yurt, which is a Mongolian type home. It was completely circular and made of concrete. There was no furniture. It just had a wood stove basically and lots of blankets. This was a family’s home, and we were amazed by the simplicity of their life. The home didn’t have a bathroom either. The bathroom was literally the mountain. So, we would try to find large rocks to squat behind to be kept hidden from view. I must say at least the bathroom didn’t stink! It was surrounded by mountain fresh air. It was quite a pleasant stay, and we enjoyed our hike out in the mountains.

Sometimes I think that is what life is supposed to be about. It is suppose to be simple. A life surrounded by family working together. It sounds great. A simple life filled with people you love and a beautiful surrounding. I say this, but yet I defy my own philosophy as I travel around the world and continue to bring home more things.

We enjoyed a couple other days in Western China. Then we took our 24-hour train ride to Wulumuqi. Then the following day began the airplane rides back to Shanghai, and then the following day began the ultimate plane ride across the Pacific. It is no wonder I’m still recovering from this long journey!