The province of Xinjiang is inhabited by the Uigur, part of the extended family of Turkic people who inhabit most of Central Asia. They don't speak Chinese, but a Turkish dialect. Even after many years, they remain extremely culturally distinct from the Han Chinese. They are more stocky, have brown hair and round eyes. They are Muslim and that remains the focus of their identity. Because they can't speak Chinese, they remain uneducated and are viewed as dummies. Unfortunately, without education, they remain poor.
At the center of every Chinese capital city is a statue of Chairman Mao-
This is the tomb of Yusuf Khas Hajip who was a great scholar, thinker and philosopher, born in 1019. He wrote a 13,290 line poem about the wisdom of pleasure and happiness which influenced local politics and culture. The tomb and buildings cover 11,988 square meters and have been restored often, combining ancient and modern Uyghur styles-
This sign was above a public toilet! WTF??
Uighur women-
I want this scooter!
The Idkha Mosque is one of the largest ancient mosques in China. It was built in 1442 AD and is of the Uyghur style but has been remodelled and added on to many times.
Inside the mosque-
Outside-
Prayer mats-
How's this for propaganda!! Sure you do......
Anyone need dental work? There are numerous shops like this along the sidewalk-
Street culture-
Many underground crosswalks have shops but what's so weird is that all of the shops sell, what appears to me, identical stuff. This particular crosswalk was into personal hygiene products-
Lunch was lamb with rice pilaf-
Even Kashgars have heard about them! According to my Chinese dictionary, this says "Go Riders"!
The view from my hotel room-
Busy, horn honking traffic. One of the funniest things was hearing We Wish You a Merry Christmas and then Happy Birthday played whenever the water truck sprayed the street.
Here's last night's menu. I'll have......
chicken and vegetables please. Chicken in China means one inch pieces of neck in a sauce. There was probably 3 cups of bone and 3/4 of a cup of chicken! Salad means sliced tomato and cucumber arranged nicely on a plate! The coffee was excellent!
Everything in the hotel room is for sale and here's the price list. Check out item 41!
And here it is! 200 yuan is $33.00-
There were numerous 'mouse traps' around the hotel-
My breakfast this morning- fried eggs, fungi, turnip, cauliflower with ham, pickled carrots, cherry tomatoes.....
More funny Chinglish-
After 2 relaxing nights, we're on our way to Hoitan.
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