Xinjiang Part II

...once again, i apologize for the very late Xinjiang part 2 update update on my blog (i started on November 19th but finished it today on December 15). The trend right now seems to be an update once a month -- i will try my best to change this habit! In any case, this is a massive picture entry!

Day 5 (10/3) Touring of Kashgar: Kashgar, by far my favorite city in Xinjiang, is truly a place with a lot of character. When you come here, you can see how fast the city is modernizing, yet you can feel a strong presence of the past. Visiting places such as the Old City of Kashgar made me feel like I was in a different era. Kashgar's history is a cultural blend between Chinese, Middle-Eastern, and Islamic influences and this is clearly evident in its architecture, remaining cultural relics, and the lifestyle its residents lead today.

Xiangfei Tomb -- tomb of a Qing dynasty emperor's concubine. She was a Xinjiang native and a favorite among the emperor's concubines. supposedly she smelled very nice...hence received the name "xiangfei"

Old City of Kashgar

these kids are so cute and friendly! they love getting their pictures taken and saying hello to strangers. i do however question the hygiene of these kids....

Mosque in Kashgar after prayer time

Two kids on a scooter bike without seat belts? Enough said.

Day 6 (10/4) Turpan -- is the deepest and hottest depression in China. But we came at the right time -- the temperature was perfect!

Original Xinjiang dance made my night!


Huge Mao statue in Turpan. Clearly living in China has turned certain people into communists.... jk :P


Day 7 (10/5) Turpan: This was a busy day. First, we went to a Uygher village first, which happened to have the most wonderful raisins ever. We also hiked on a route that led us to an ancient buddha cave. Unfortunately much of the buddha cave paintings were destroyed when Islam took over Turpan in the 13th century. But still, it was quite a sight!

2nd destination: "Flaming Mountains" of Turpan.... which was really not quite flaming that day....

Camels! and in the background, the crown/ monkey wand of Sun wu kong... the monkey king in the famous novel, Journey to the West



3rd destination: Biking to the Minaret -- absolutely gorgeous

....What followed afterwards was an awful 1.5 hr biking experience, which entails us getting lost and biking through a horrible dust storm. Needless to say, it sucked.

But that didn't stop us from going to our next destination....

4th destination: The Jiaohe ruins -- this city of ruins is definitely worth seeing. You would be amazed with how intricate city planning is back in the days.



Day 8 (10/6) Hiking around Heaven's Pool -- Tianchi. The last nature spot we hit up before going back to polluted Beijing. Nothing beats hiking on a brisk day!

my contemplative pose


Day 9 (10/7) We spent the last day in Urumqi, going to a british couple's mooncake party and looking at mummies in the provincial museum. All in all, it has been a wonderful trip and I would love to go back to Xinjiang again. Clear blue skies, sand dunes, and breath-taking lakes , who wouldn't go back? :)

Next on the trip list:

- Hainan Island

- Yunnan and Sichuan

- Tibet

- SE Asia

What can I say, this is the best year off of my life!