Vendors at a checkpoint

Karakorum Highway

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August 13th 2005
Rushing through the early dawn in Kashgar, the motor-bike takes a wrong turn, doubles back and screams to a halt. The driver yells at me frantically, so I get off. Tyres screech and he is gone! Well that was a nice wake-up call... and a free ride! Right from the outset this had the makings of an interesting trip! At the bus station, I managed to scam my way onto the bus (or was I scammed?) by buyi ... read more

Asia » China » Xinjiang

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more