Kashgar (or Kashi) Far Western China
I have snatched half an hour for some recounting. We have been so busy with little spare time and tomorrow we leave China for Kyrgyrstan and living in yurts for awhile. We are in Kashgar, dominated by the Uygur ethnic group and almost living in the old ways except for mobile phones etc. We are almost leaving the Han Chinese behind and today was spent in fascinating animal markets, bazaars and mosques. The landscape over the last few days has been full of contrasts. Last night we flew relatively low over the massive Taklamakan desert and in the morning we were 2000 metres up in the Tian Shan mountains, looking over Heavenly Lake but in fact clouded in by mist and rain. We have spent the last few days in the Gobi desert, cool mornings and hot days, often exploring city ruins from 2000 years ago and investigating how these ancients (and the people today) organised the melted snow water onto their crops. There is no shortage of food here. I now have a clear sense of where the Silk Road caravans travelled and a new respect for the traders and monks who pioneered the routes. In green valleys or in oases in the middle of grey, red or yellow desert there will be Buddhist grottoes with the most magnificent painted frescoes and statues, that is if they haven’t been defaced by looters or Muslims. A highlight for me was seeing the mummies in the Urumqi museum because it was a Weekend Australian magazine article of some of these Caucasian mummies still wrapped in brightly coloured garments that got me intrigued by the idea of the Silk Road many years ago.
I have been relishing the food, having earned the reputation of taking great pleasure in food. Most others seem to eat little. I have to admit that some of the food is weird and there is often little to tempt the palate at breakfast. A few people have been sick, including Ian, Pam and David but I remain unconquered. Ian is on the mend and we have at last convinced David to take some bloody pills!
Globalisation is an amazing thing, a parallel concept to the exchange of goods, ideas and religions along the Silk Road 2000 years ago. Those Russian dolls are everywhere! The Chinese live in jeans and T shirts! Some of the Muslim women here have their faces and bodies covered but are wearing sunglasses and stilettos and carrying the latest in handbags.
We are sending the Yanks home tomorrow and have replaced then with New Zealanders. Must fly. Having a great time. No real shopping. Just looking! Every shopkeeper, stallholder as we pass by calls out ‘hello, just looking’. I wonder what they think it means.