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Published: August 1st 2013
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J’ai beaucoup aimé la ville de Kashgar. J’ai passé la plupart de mon temps dans la vieille ville a coté de la grande mosquée, a déguster (en cachette car c’est le ramadan en ce moment) des pains a la viande de mouton, des pastèques et melons sucrés, et a observer les Ouighours dans leur train-train quotidien. Les hommes portent un petit chapeau carré, brodé, sur le haut de la tète. Les hommes plus âgés ont pour la plupart une longue barbe blanche et ils ont tous les yeux perçants. Les femmes portent des robes et foulards ultra colorés. A Kashgar en été, les jours sont très longs. Le soleil se lève vers 8h et se couche après 22h : longues journées pour faire le ramadan.
On dirait que le vieux quartier a été plus ou moins rasé et reconstruit. Le gouvernement chinois a fait la même chose dans la plupart des villes du pays. Je suppose que tout est bien différent comparé à 10 ans de cela. Mais les allées sont toujours charmantes. Les femmes s’assoient devant leurs maisons pour discuter. Les enfants, en vacances, jouent a cache-cache, font du vélo et crient jusqu'à tard dans la nuit. Ils me
jettent des « hello » et de grands sourires.
Le soir, tout le monde sort pour manger au marché. On y trouve de tout et plus particulièrement de la viande en tout genre : tète de chèvre, abats, brochettes, kebabs, riz frit au mouton, yaourt et glace au miel. Et puis le matin au petit déjeuner, je me régale de gâteau aux dates, de tartes aux raisins et noix. Plutôt pas mal comme endroit pour se reposer et reprendre des forces avant d’attaquer les montagnes du Tadjikistan. J’espère que vous apprécierez les photos. Ciao !
I really enjoyed the city of Kashgar (Kashi). I pretty much spent a week there, relaxing after the long ride through the mountains and the desert from Urumuqi. I spent most of my days around the old town, eating sweet watermelons and cantaloupes (discreetly as it is Ramadan right now for the Muslims), delicious breads filled with sliced up mutton. For breakfast I would go to the bakeries and indulge on cakes (raisins, dates) and honey raisins tarts… hmmm! Delicious! The night market was also a fascinating place to hang out: the Uyghur were cooking goats’ heads, all kinds of kebabs, barbecued lamb
in the old city
young boy at work. This piece of art costs about 4000 RMB (and fat!), but also intestine, giblets, testicules… you name it, they eat it!
It seems like most of the old quarter has been torn down and rebuilt in the last few years. They are actually still working on most of the houses around the main mosque. However, walking through the area is still very pleasant. First of all, the building are beautiful and the architecture very special. Windows are surrounded by the nicest carvings and vine is growing on the brick walls. Women sit in the shade outside their homes to talk to neighbors. Children ride their bikes and play games in the streets until late at night. In the summer in Xinjiang the sun rises around 7am and goes down after 10pm… A long day to be fasting, right?
I met some tourists from all around the world at the guesthouse: a lot of Americans, few Europeans and Israelis, and of course lots of Chinese. Some people come to study Uyghur music in Kashgar. Others are writing books about Chinese food. Most are backpacking and everyone (but the Chinese) are moving on to Kyrgyzstan next, probably because we have all heard that the scenery there is stunning
and we don’t need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan.
I hope you enjoy my pics! I am going back to the dorm to pack. Tomorrow I should cross the border. Good bye Xinjiang! I will miss you.
- the bread smell in the street
- the expressive faces of the older Uyghur men with their beards and wrinkles
- the meat + the fruit + the pastries. Food in Xinjiang has been a treat
- the Uyghur music
- talking about football stars with local teenagers (who support Paris Saint Germain!)
- the peaceful and charming alleys of the old city
- the laid-back atmosphere in the old city: almost no cars around. Time unfolds slowly.
- the smiles when I tell them I am French in Uyghur (Ben Fransız'ım.)
- kids screaming “hello” from the top of their lungs in the street
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Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey
Yummy...!
The best bits are the eyeballs.