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 for a hotel and eventually settled on the Park Hyatt which was actually nothing do with any other Park Hyatt in the world and when you get there, it has a competely different name.
I chose what they called a ‘theme room’ which was a room without a window but with a theme! I was therefore very excited to open the door and find apurple room with a round bed and round light features on the ceiling, fish all over the walls and bubbles and other ocean based artwork (cartoons!).
It made me laugh which is always good. I sat on the bed expecting it to be rock hard and found it to be satisfyingly soft. I looked in the bathroom expecting to find horrors but instead found a really nice clean functional room with no holes in the walls, no broken fittings and with only slight smell of sewerage.
I was impressed. After having paid £30 per night for something far less comfortable in Turpan, I couldn’t believe my luck. I had to check my booking to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake. No, it was indeed £18 per night. I guess that’s what happens when you go into the sticks – you get a lot more for your money.
I went out to forage for food and returned to my room with a dinner of homemade yoghurt (sheep probably), flatbread and locally produced honey. I was in seventh heaven. A humorous, comfortable, cheap room and good cheap local food. Tomorrow to look at the old town.