It’s the 13th day of our trip, and we woke up in Kashgar.
Yes, the view from the room, along with everything else about the room and the hotel, isn’t quite as nice as the big coastal cities… and we'll get Ellen's take on that soon.
Still, we both agree that making it to far Western China is well, well worth it.
Kashgar is 96% Uyghur (a Chinese Muslim ethnic minority, pronounced “wii-grrr”), closer to Baghdad than Beijing and a world away from anywhere I’ve been before. Donkey carts and homebrewed three-wheelers rumble down streets lined with craftsmen hand-beating copper and iron wares, merchants selling raw and woven wool, fatty sides of lamb hung from hooks, breads, noodle dishes, trinkets and all manner of things.
Kenny, our wonderful guide from Shanghai, was horrified to hear we’d be spending time in Kashgar. “Uyghurs, they all have knives” she said, “they’re very dangerous!”
She was half-right: our Uyghur guide, Tajiman, won’t leave the house without nail clippers, a wallet and a knife. She was half-wrong, though, as we found the Uyghurs to be warm, kind, honest and friendly.
We ventured out because the hotel breakfast was bizarre and mediocre. Stewed beans in tomato sauce, boiled cabbage, rice, crappy dumplings. So we headed to the streets for sustenance, ending up with mueslix, yoghurt and coffee at a nice, western-style café. It was the only one we saw during our time there.
All told, Our two days in Kashgar have been the highlight of the trip.
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