We returned from our Silk Road Tour and can report that the Silk Road is still there, almost as difficult to travel as
when Marco Polo travelled through. I have gained new respect for him. The northwest of China is huge, barren, dry and
magnificent. It was such a thrill to see expected and unexpected sights.
We had a 5 and 1/2 hour flight from Guangzhou to Urumqi and just noticing the time taken will tell your how far away Xinjiang Province is.
It is the largest, hottest, driest province in China. In some ways it was like going to another country. Most of the people are not Han Chinese but Islamic Uighurs who came south during the 7th or 8th century. Another Islamic group came from the southwest and hence a mixing with the Chinese in the Western Regions. There was definitely a different gene pool working there. The people were larger and more European looking. There were many mosques and women in headscarves, although not many in the full burka.
Pronounce Uighur as "wee-gur" and you will be close.
As far as Urumqi goes, I still have not found exactly how to say it. It was in a valley with low mountains surrounding it on the north and west.
Urumqi is a large city and we were taken to the largest bazaar in the world, except for Istanbul. I was not buying that line, but I did buy a junky little hand mirror with a peacock. The area is known for its fruit and raisins. The raisins especially were impressive mounded up in huge piles in the bazaar. There were so many different kinds and colours. More on how raisins can grow in a desert later.
Dinner was good, as was the hotel in the centre of the city.
I will report on our tour daily, since no one want to read an essay all at once.
Good bye and our love,
We are missing family on this Thanksgiving weekend.
Be thankful and life will be better for us all.
Mom/ Grandma
No comments:
Post a Comment