Kashgar – Part I (Xinjiang Province)
Our plane from Urumqi to Kashgar was filled to barely 1/3 capacity, so Kathleen grabbed the opportunity to wander around, taking photos of the spectacular scenery through the windows along both sides of the airplane. We had clear visibility throughout most of the flight which was absolutely fantastic!
After arriving in Kashgar, as the only passengers on the airport bus, our driver elected to drop us off directly in front of our home for the next few days, the Seman Hotel. After our experience in Urumqi, we felt like we had arrived in Paradise! The Seman Hotel, formerly a Soviet Consulate, features such exquisitely detailed architecture, it absolutely blew me away! Soft beds, and a hot shower (24 hrs hot water) added to our bliss! Best of all was John’s Café, where we plowed through many meals and met some fantastic travel mates from all around the world!
Our very first day in the café, we met Jane, a British woman, travelling alone through Western China, with no knowledge of Chinese, truly a brave woman! Then we met Stephanie (California), and Mathew (Ireland). After some great conversation, the group of us decided to head out and explore Kashgar’s “Old City”, a fantastic experience! We wandered through the old streets seeing firsthand the local Uigher people making bagels, naan flatbreads, selling melons, repairing shoes, shaving heads, etc.
On their handicraft street we spent time in a music shop where we learned that Jane has some musical talent. The shopkeeper introduced her to a local Uigher string instrument and then demonstrated a variety of instruments for us by playing some songs on each one. Turns out that he makes all the musical instruments in that shop, plus he can play them all – amazing! Copper cookware is another specialty but we were surprised to see that even very young boys around 9-10 years of age are involved in creating the intricate copper designs.
Kashgar’s knife shops turned out to be a big surprise to me. I mean, I have no interest in knives, or so I thought! But who would have imagined there could be so many different styles and designs of beautiful knives! I really don’t need one, but eventually decided to purchase one for my male colleague, one that he can actually use in preparing foods – he loves to cook! He has kindly let me store all my things in his apartment this summer so it’s the least I can do. NOTE: I got through two airports with this knife in my checked baggage, but at Lanzhou Airport, they confiscated my knife. People: please understand that if you purchase a knife in Kashgar, you will run the chance of not being able to bring it back home! I was terribly upset to lose that knife, believe me!
During the afternoon, many children kept running up to us, begging us to photograph them so they can see the results in our cameras’ display windows. I kept looking around, expecting to be pulled aside and told we had to cough up some money for such pictures, but no one seemed to notice, or even care. Bonus for us! Mathew decided that his ultimate souvenir would be a shave at one of the local barbershops, a steal for just 2 RMB! He came out, minus his beard, a large white space on his face surrounded by his sunburned neck and forehead – quite a sight!
Kashgar’s city streets are quite dry and dusty, so soon parched, Mathew suggested we follow him to his hostel which was located nearby, for some liquid refreshment. Entering the hostel, we found ourselves in a courtyard centered around a huge pool table! The temperature was dramatically cooler in the hostel, much more comfortable indeed. After a game, a few beers and some naan flatbread, we felt ready to head home to our soft beds at the Seman Hotel. A truly great first day in Kashgar! Urumqi is already feeling like a distant memory – we feel so safe here! Stay tuned!
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