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Published: August 28th 2012
Id Kah Mosque
Worshippers leaving after the Friday afternoon prayer; the most important of the week.Kashgar was not the China I was expecting when I arrived there about a week ago. I was expecting the slick Urumqi that I had left nearly a month before. A multi-ethnic, have a beer at the delicious night market, clean, livable place. Kashgar, even by Chinese standards, is something completely different.
While it still has the busy night markets with delicious food (although boiled goat heads are a questionable choice), there is certainly no beer to be found in this Muslim outpost in the far west of the country. I cannot call it clean either. Again, sitting on the western edge of China also means you sit on the western edge of the Taklamakan Desert. When the wind blows, so does the dust, dirt, and sand from the east.
So what DO you see in Kashgar? Of course, as is every city in China, Kashgar is huge so you see a lot of people. What kind of people? Males. Strange ones. This was to be my first taste of a truly Muslim place and I came away with mixed reviews. My hostel was located across the street from the mosque and (thankfully it was "Xingjiang time" and not
Sunday Animal Market
The sheep and goats section "Beijing time") I was able to be woken up with the prayer call at 9am every day. I really enjoyed the calls even though the loud speakers, designed to be heard far and wide, were less than 100 feet away. The Id Kah Mosque is the largest in China and can house over 20,000 worshippers within its walls. I had a look and it is really nice. It lacked the intricate details such as stained glass, colorful paintings, and mosaics that I had seen in other religious buildings, but it definitely had its own beauty. It is clean, quiet, and most importantly, cool. There are many trees in the courtyard, the ceilings are high, and a good breeze blows through.
Kashgar is also famous for having a really nice "old town". Unlike Lijiang and Dali, this town is REALLY old. The government seems to have slowed its destruction of it and is making good efforts to preserve and restore it. It is a work in progress, but really fun to wander the streets and alleyways (one of my favorite pastimes). There are guys hammering out beautiful copper teapots, carving musical instruments, and weaving carpets by hand. Of the many
Kashgar Streets
Its not a blurry picture; its DUSTY! streets wandered in my travels, Kashgar has some of the best.
While mosques and streets are nice, the real reason to come to Kashgar is for the weekly animal market held on Sunday. Now, I've seen animal markets and they are entertaining enough but not as exciting as one might think. Kashgar, again, offers something very unique. THIS animal market is the real deal. There must be thousands of animals, buyers, and sellers from all over the region. They descend on the market grounds like flies on a piece of meat in the summertime. It is really impressive. There are moos and baas and shouts from every direction. It is not clean, but it IS organized. Well, as organized as it could be I suppose. Deal are made after a lot of number yelling, a money exchange, and a handshake. Thats the way it should be. I loved seeing the pros check out the goods. I tried to follow their lead but, of course, have no idea what makes a good sheep from a bad one. "I'll take the white one." I inquired about prices and it the asking price for a sheep was a whopping 1000RMB, a goat:
Musical Instruments Factory
They make traditional Uighur instruments here by hand 550RMB. I think one can get them for about 1/3 the price after some more yelling.
I went with a Czech guy I had helped find a hostel for (mine) and coincidentally he was in the bed below mine. We ate together at the market: some delicious handmade noodles and sheep meat. It can't all be "lamb" so what do you call sheep meat anyway? It was excellent and fresh as can be. I will not describe the surroundings of the eating area. The place where you ate was clean enough though. Back to town!
I must say I have to hand it to those whom have travelled to and enjoyed visiting muslim countries. I cannot say I was entirely comfortable during my stay in Kashgar. Really, the lack of women IS noticeable. The ones you do see are covered (some just with a headscarve, others with a full on burqa) and a lot of them do not look happy and are almost always handling children. The men on the other hand hang out in front of the mosque or at the market while smoking cigarettes and shouting things to the tourists. Kashgar has a good number of
Sunday Animal Market
Guys having a hard time getting lady cow into the truck tourists but they do not seem welcome... I am used to getting stared at in China. Usually it is the "huh, that guy is different" stare, but in Kashgar and throughout southern Xingjiang, it is the "what the hell are YOU doing here" stare. I can't say how they differ in appearance, but I do not good a good vibe from the locals. At one point I found myself surrounded by children (only three but still) that were pretending to take my picture. I didn't even have my camera with me. I laughed it off but it was uncomfortable. I guess that is how they feel a lot of the time.
Though I had seen some beautiful and undoubtably interesting things, I left Kashgar not with a good taste in my mouth. The other towns I have visited (quickly!) give off similar vibes. Now, I am at the far eastern edge of the province about to enter Qinghai (the next province over). I am far more comfortable and finally getting back into "familiar territory". I have travelled way too much in the past three days and the southern Xinjiang that does not seem to want me here sure is
A Deal is Made
A handshake and a pile of cash get you a prime specimen giving me a hard time leaving! That being said, tomorrow evening I should be on a train bound for Xining, the capital of Qinghai. From there it is comfortable, scheduled trains all the way back to Kunming. I think I have three days to go, and I am ready to sleep in my own bed and shower in my own shower. Xining will be the last sight seeing stop on my way back home and I will update from there. They promise to have some of the best food in the country and a very interesting monastary... We shall see!
Ah! Check the rest of the blogs! Pictures added!!!
Love,
Michael
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Ma
non-member comment
Holy cow...
...and a lot of them. Have never seen so many goats in one photo. The smell must have been pungent. If YOU were uncomfortable in Kashgar, it must have been quite ominous. A lack of women would certain add to the threatening feeling of the place. Sheep meat is mutton, I do believe. Will be happy to have you on scheduled, comfortable trains. Love, Ma