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kashgar
Kashgar is fabulously photogenic. The camels, architecture, food, clothes . . .
This Uyghur medicine man to the right was prescribing how to brew the medicated frog potion.
The mother and son listened intently as we snapped this one.
Kids cooling off by riding through the fountain.
Streetside barbers shaving heads
and faces.
The
livestock market was a blast. Here's a glimpse of the action.
Sheep, horses, donkeys, cows shipped in by truckloads, bought and sold, then shipped out again.
A lot of money and animals changed hands.
Donkeys and their cart parked in this area behind the Sunday market
Strings of garlic and veggies for sale. We found the outside of the Sunday market to
much more interesting than the inside, which was housed in a cemented warehouse.
Eating
fresh bread with tea next to the oven.
yarkand
We had just met Abdul who was nice enough to give
us a little tour of Yarkand, where his ancestors were from.
He spoke perfect English, so we asked him many questions
about Uyghur and Turkish culture.
It was prayer time at Altyn Mosque
Afterwards we talked with some of the worshippers as Adbul helped us translate..
We ended up talking to two young girls, about 10 years old, in Mandarin
while Abdul explain in Uyghur to the older men about us.
Afterwards, the girls cross translated to their elders, and we to Abdul.
It was a genuine cultural exhange in 3 languages.
This was the palace of the former rulers of Yarkand. We climbed up with Abdul, who took a photo of us.
Before we parted, we bought some bread. Abdul told
us that each city along the "Silk Road" (Kashgar, Kuche, Yarkand, Hotan)
make their bread differently. Likewise, men wear differently
styled skull caps depending on where they're from.
hotan
We never saw any other foreigners here, but boy, were there
a lot of donkeys and donkey carts!
Ladies in birkas or scarves, mosques at every turn,
most locals don't even speak Mandarin. However, most children
understood Mandarin since they learn it in school.
This city like the others, is along the ancient Silk Route. The local Uyghur culture was very much alive.
Susana's trying to decide which type of bread to buy.
Besides the Chinese area where the developed department stores and hotels were,
the atmosphere was completely Uyghur. We ate mutton and breads on a daily basis while in Xinjiang.
Some Uyghurs we met spoke excellent English. In fact, their Chinese had a bit of an English speaker's accent.
turpan
Turpan was as hot as Chico on a 115 degree day, which only happens a few times
a year. It heat was literally scorching.
These were taken on our way to
Turpan.
The 44 meter minaret at the Sugong Mosque.
We were at the Liaohe Ruins in
the middle of the day.
Not smart. We almost got heat strokes.
We didn't bring enough water
and were quickly dehydrated. We popped from one ruin to
another, walking only under the clouds and resting under the shade.
erlian
What's over the rainbow? Our gateway out of China! After 3 and a half months,
the racism, constant spitting, being yelled & poked at,
trapped in non ventilated, smoke-filled buses with stinky feet & b.o. & more spit and spitting,
have all sadly become part of our reality. Not knowing what to expect next, we knew that
nowhere can be worst than China and what we've been through.
We knew that over the rainbow, Mongolia, will no doubt be a better if not happier place.
We weren't sure if the rainbow was more truth than irony, but it was at the border, and hilarious.
It was hell and a whole day crossing it though. We ended up catching a ride with a bunch of Mongolian traders
to cross what seemed like a 20 km border. We didn't know you had to hire a taxi ahead of time,
and no one had room to take us. All vehicles were spilling over with Chinese goods for sale in Mongolia.
Kashgar is fabulously photogenic. The camels, architecture, food, clothes . . .
This Uyghur medicine man to the right was prescribing how to brew the medicated frog potion.
The mother and son listened intently as we snapped this one.
Unlike Chinese kids, these
Uyghur children really know how to have fun. The brother made his pet
bird sit
on his little brother's head. After a few minutes of careful torture of both the little kid
and the bird, we managed to take this photo.
on his little brother's head. After a few minutes of careful torture of both the little kid
and the bird, we managed to take this photo.
Kids cooling off by riding through the fountain.
Streetside barbers shaving heads
and faces. The
livestock market was a blast. Here's a glimpse of the action.
Sheep, horses, donkeys, cows shipped in by truckloads, bought and sold, then shipped out again.
A lot of money and animals changed hands.
Donkeys and their cart parked in this area behind the Sunday market
Strings of garlic and veggies for sale. We found the outside of the Sunday market to
much more interesting than the inside, which was housed in a cemented warehouse.
Eating
fresh bread with tea next to the oven.yarkand
We had just met Abdul who was nice enough to give
us a little tour of Yarkand, where his ancestors were from.
He spoke perfect English, so we asked him many questions
about Uyghur and Turkish culture.
It was prayer time at Altyn Mosque
Afterwards we talked with some of the worshippers as Adbul helped us translate..
We ended up talking to two young girls, about 10 years old, in Mandarin
while Abdul explain in Uyghur to the older men about us.
Afterwards, the girls cross translated to their elders, and we to Abdul.
It was a genuine cultural exhange in 3 languages.
This was the palace of the former rulers of Yarkand. We climbed up with Abdul, who took a photo of us.
Before we parted, we bought some bread. Abdul told
us that each city along the "Silk Road" (Kashgar, Kuche, Yarkand, Hotan)
make their bread differently. Likewise, men wear differently
styled skull caps depending on where they're from.
hotan
We never saw any other foreigners here, but boy, were there
a lot of donkeys and donkey carts!
Ladies in birkas or scarves, mosques at every turn,
most locals don't even speak Mandarin. However, most children
understood Mandarin since they learn it in school.
This city like the others, is along the ancient Silk Route. The local Uyghur culture was very much alive.
Susana's trying to decide which type of bread to buy.
Besides the Chinese area where the developed department stores and hotels were,
the atmosphere was completely Uyghur. We ate mutton and breads on a daily basis while in Xinjiang.
Some Uyghurs we met spoke excellent English. In fact, their Chinese had a bit of an English speaker's accent.
turpan
Turpan was as hot as Chico on a 115 degree day, which only happens a few times
a year. It heat was literally scorching.
These were taken on our way to
Turpan.The 44 meter minaret at the Sugong Mosque.
Not smart. We almost got heat strokes.
another, walking only under the clouds and resting under the shade.
erlian
What's over the rainbow? Our gateway out of China! After 3 and a half months,
the racism, constant spitting, being yelled & poked at,
trapped in non ventilated, smoke-filled buses with stinky feet & b.o. & more spit and spitting,
have all sadly become part of our reality. Not knowing what to expect next, we knew that
nowhere can be worst than China and what we've been through.
We knew that over the rainbow, Mongolia, will no doubt be a better if not happier place.
We weren't sure if the rainbow was more truth than irony, but it was at the border, and hilarious.
It was hell and a whole day crossing it though. We ended up catching a ride with a bunch of Mongolian traders
to cross what seemed like a 20 km border. We didn't know you had to hire a taxi ahead of time,
and no one had room to take us. All vehicles were spilling over with Chinese goods for sale in Mongolia.
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