we are make-believers

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the past 48-72hrs or so have been an exercise in cultivating patience and zen and inner peace haha. having been on board 2 back-to-back 24 hr train ride, the solitude and serenity that engulfs you is really...nonpareil. most unnerving of cos was sending the sms to nus to ask for my results; anws, yes so before the train rides we were in this shithole called lanzhou; bloody hell we were in the most dogdy and sleazy of guesthouses. oh anws so we abandoned the plan to fly from guangzhou to urumqi straight in favour of a cheaper more ass-punishing stratagem. us cheap charlies. fly to lanzhou. then train from there to urumqi 24hrs. train to kashgar another 24hrs. so here i am. after 4 daysof not bathing, downing maggi mee packets after another, and shabby decrepit squat toilets with shit and pee smeared all over (which more or less says 'welcome to china' haha).

so here we are in kashgar. simply put...THIS ISNT CHINA. the litany of difference btw them and the han chinese is unceasing. over here, they look russian/turk/central asian/eastern european, anything but chinese. they are/speak Uighur. ohspeaking of which!! they said i look like one of them. hahaha. so anws, yes i eat lamb everyday. wake up to the sound of the muslim prayer call, very idyllic. entirely different sound and landscape. very surreal.

kashgar is a world trapped in time, as if time stood still and refused to budge. it has not in any way dislodged from its perch, still reeking of old world charm, and disavowing conformity to the modern world. at the bazaar, people still engaged in barter trade; ferrying their livestock from the farms to the sunday market. bullock and horse carts still ply the roads alongside sporadic motorized vehicles. a not-at-all jarring cacophony of road users. this place is a suspension of belief. there is an opulent and replete history that gives kashgar this mystical nimbus. from the silk road chronicles, to marco polo's travels, and more. of cos theres the kite runner that filmed here. btw, they dont like the han chinese. its heavily policed here, very militarized and surveillanced. why? its not rocket science, really. just liquid gold the uighers are sitting on.

oh and below our guesthouse is the most enticing yard ever- a watering hole. every drinker's mecca. beer by the bottle for 3.50 yuan (70c sgd). last time we were drinking with some pakistani businessmen; talked politics, you shld hear them. bhutto, sharif, musharraf, and their abhorrence for the US. mad stuff. but then they're here doing biz in china. hahaha.

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Photos

our own darjeeling limited
joel and i after disembarking at urumqi

lost in translation
andy and the sign. our chinese already so CMI, much less decipher their native vernacular Uighur language

stud or dud
Sarah this is for you! angmoh looking chinese muslim. should be can cook also i reckon.

old school
i kid you not. the sunday market's been around since marco polo's time. defying modernity.

fear factor
our first introduction to the sunday market. indulging in a cup of local delicacy??? (im not so sure) its actually apricot drink. yes the liquid is actually melted from the ice (from god knows where) the cupsarent washed. the drink on the left is not unlike spoilt milk. sorry mum had to try it hahaha!

kopitiam?
their own rendition of it. wood-fired stoves, tented shades, happy trippers.

man vs beast
haha trust me our balls all shaking with the animals behind us unleashed. the smiles all a veneer only haha. act tough.

stud or dud II
tell me this kid is NOT CHINESE!! freaking angmoh rite????

stud or dud III
NEED I SAY MORE????

NAAN
the traditional way of making naan. i'd only ever seen in on scv channel16; so imagine how stoked i was ystd

Comments

[lipo]

'stud or dudIII' looks like shao

[barcelonista]

eh the naan must be damn shiok la cooked in the most authentic of ways! is the food good by the way? and thanks for the 'guy' ah. keep on looking, i want options. HAHA. anyways Rossi was da bomb yesterday at Mugello! You must check out his special edition helmet for the race. super retarded la. haha. alright take care - EURO in 5 DAYS =)

[uncle sam]

eh in the pic with joel is that a ciggy i see in your hands??hahahha

[tim]

1-0 joses. woo.

[Joses]

ayatollah of rock and rolla
haha timo wad one kosong?? the only kosong is prata kosong la. which i have for breakfast everyday now in pakistan. charming place. eh wait. are you in europe??? with ahem ahem hahaha. look whos talking now 1-0. yeggg prata la you. boars. shiok rite the naan sarah?? but now ive moved on to chappati and prata la. everyday eat that. plus briyani rice. with aloo aka potato. haha. but now im in gilgit. damn fraught with tension place. sunnis and shiaas dont get along. purdah still exists. i'd blog proper when i get to islamabad or lahore. here kena the internet still dial-up. damn terok. im gonna make one of those national dresses. the long slacks with the cloak thing over the body haha. and whaaaat?!??! who is this uncle sam. wha lao tricky tricky. no la wad ciggy. ur eyes playing tricks la dey! come clean ah dont play mind games haha i got weak heart. eh lipo wad soci mods to take nxt sem ah?

[tim]

shao and i know the real one kosong. nice one boarssssssss. i'm leaving for europe tmw. 5 week adventure la. eh chengwei asks you to come back for combined uni training. confirm make first team.

[barcelonista]

hi, hope ure still well and alive! anyways italy just lost 3-0 to the dutch! the first goal by nistelrooy the cheat was CLEARLY offside and the other 2 goals came from counters. poor italians la =( anyhow, today's LIFE section did a feature on Kashgar and the Silk Road route!