It’s not really a museum, but Yuz on the West Bund is a contemporary art gallery, a huge space. Today I went to see the rain room which I’d read about online. Luckily the place was quiet and there were only handful of selfie taking Chinese youngsters. The exhibit was impressive, you walked into the… Read More »
How can anyone adequately describe Kashgar, one of my favourite and without doubt one the most magical places I have ever been to. I missed the Sunday livestock market this time but just to be in Kashgar and walk around the old town, smell the smoke from the bar-b-q lamb street stalls, watch the artisans… Read More »
I’d had been wanting to go to Sheng Si Islands ever since one of my French students, showed me pictures of golden sandy beaches and rocky formations. The May public holiday looked ideal and I decided on Friday night to go the next morning as the weather looked perfect and in any case, Saturday was… Read More »
Nobody tells you how nice Kuqa old town is. Just like nobody tells you how nice Gansu is. And that’s fine because I guess if everyone knew, it would be swarming with Chinese. The inaccessible nature of XinJiang puts off most people, the security situation puts off the rest. But for those who want to… Read More »
I hadn’t planned on going to Kuqa but then all my plans went out of the window when my plane from Urumqi to Kashgar was cancelled due to bad weather. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, if not for the sandstorms, I would not have found myself in Kuqa. I searched online… Read More »
This part of China is known for the growing of grapes and other fruit which you’ll see being sold by the locals on the streets as far away as Shanghai. When the grapes are picked, they are dried in special buildings made of mud bricks. The houses are the same construction too and generally feature… Read More »
At the last minute it became apparent that I didn’t need to work for 10 days! This is exactly the same realisation I had at this time (over Qing Ming) 7 years ago and the destination I chose was the same – Kashgar in XinJiang. I quickly got online and bought a ticket for the… Read More »
It was too good an opportunity to miss. The change of travel plans due to the sandstorms in Kashgar meant that I now had the option of going through the Takla Makan desert all the way. It had been suggested by Jackson in Turpan that I stay for a few nights in Kuqa. I turned… Read More »
There have been some problems in XinJiang with separatists and the central government have cracked down on the trouble-makers. The first thing you notice when you arrive in the province is the amount of uniformed personnel, police cars and armoured vehicles and the constant scanning, having your photo taken and passport checked. Seven years ago… Read More »