Blogs from Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, Asia - page 5

We left Bishkek for Almaty early in the morning by minibus and found the border crossing back into Kazakhstan refreshingly easy. We then had a day in Almaty doing some last minute Central Asian shopping before getting to Almaty station in good time for our midnight train to Urumqi. We attempted to board the train but were made to wait, the reason unclear although the gaurd was busy selling his cases of smuggled chinese beer to the Kazakhs! Kind of sums up Central Asia........ We arrived at the border the next afternoon, after we'd settled into a relaxing game of chess expecting a couple of hours either side with passport control, customs and the small matter of a track gauge change. Time seemed to stop...... Five hours later we had made it out of Kazakhstan. Then ... read more

I feel like I've just completed an epic journey, worthy of multiple references to Lord of Rings, and various other epic journeys through the wilderness. Mostly because our last few days have been filled with nerdy, geeky literary and cinematic references, and the scenery just happened to match. On Wednesday we got a ride (hired a jeep) out of Urumqi at the relatively early hour of 8 am. By 12ish, we had passed deserts, coal drilling, and highways and had turned off on a dirt road that crossed and re-crossed a river. Our guide, Harry, pointed out the valley we'd be hiking in. Armed with maps printed off of google earth, and some directions Alex had written down, Harry left us. The first few hours of the hike was along the river, but the valley looked ... read more

I just finished a really nourishing meal consisting of a piece of fried flat bread covered in sugar and bowl of milky tea that tasted like a cross between cream and beef broth. Despite the funny taste, my mouth was so happy to eat something that WASN'T Chinese food! We're in XinJiang, the most western province in China, and the people are a mix of Uighers, Kazaks (because Kazakhstan is just a bus ride away) , and Han Chinese. I was definitely expecting something a bit more desert-like, but the capital city is green and clean. We arrived on Saturday night at around 2 AM. When I came down for breakfast the next morning, who should I run into but two of our friends from Yangshuo?! Colin and Jose left Yanghuo months ago but have been ... read more

Still alive if anyone wonders:S The earthquake was near enough to feel the shake, but far enouch to do any harm. Anyway, right now I'm in Urumqi, Xinjiang provence, a place where most foreigners don't go to when they are in China and probably a wonder to alot of chinese too. Xinjiang is mixpot of chinese ethnic minorities, with uyghurs as the leading one (around 9 million of population), thus its full name "Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region". It was once an connecting dot of Silk Road, between east and west. What is unique about uygurs is that they are totally different from the Han chinese - not only are they muslims, they are also turkic people, which means that they look different and speak a totally different language too. What is fasinating to me is the ... read more

ein hallo an euch allen da draussen und nachtraeglich einen schoenen ersten advent! (die vorweihnatliche stimmung ist uns hier fremd) haben uns lange nicht gemeldet, zumindest fuer die von euch die des franzoesischen nicht maechtig sind. der grund erschliesst sich vielleicht wenn man bedenkt das wir uns seit nunmehr zwei wochen in china aufhalten, wo sich die sache mit der medialen kommunikation zeitweise schwierig gestaltet. naja, hier ein uebersichtartiges update der letzten wochen. es ist mal wieder so viel passiert, dass es nach unserer rueckkehr nicht an geschichten mangeln duerfte. bei unserem letzten richtigen eintrag hielten wir uns noch in sued-kirgistan auf, genauer in osh. von osh aus haben wir eine maschrutka in richtung sary tash genommen. sary tash ist mehr eine weggabelung denn ein ort- drei strassen die sich kreuzen und an denen sich eine ... read more

It's been a crazy week, of finding our feet on the road, working out some Mandarin, trying to decide on an itinerary (me and Tegan?? decide things?? ha!) but Xinjiang is truly spectacular. Beijing was kind of a blur. We'll have to go back if only to meet up with Andy the crazy German and learn some salsa. It was so surreal to stand in Tian'anmen Square and think about democracy protests, Falun Gong, Mao's legacy... such an amazing place. People trying to hawk postcards, little red books, long strings of kites, capitalism making a stand. And in the giant building in the centre of the Square lies "pickled Mao"... apparently the police presence is all in aid of the National holiday in the first week of October. So we took the train to Urumqi. 40 ... read more