Xinjiang: Kashgar

We have been in Kashgar for the last two nights, and are leaving tomorrow morning for a two day trip, first to Karakul Lake high up in the mountains (supposedly it snowed there two days ago! I'm worried my clothes won't be warm enough), where we may stay in a Kazakh yurt, and then to the border town of Taskkurgan, where there is an old castle, an old town, and an mixed ethnic group of Chinese, Kazakhs, Uighurs and Pakistanis. Supposedly things are rather depressed there at the moment, as there are border problems: while you can go to Tashkurgan without any problems, the Chinese government has closed off access to the border past there for 100 km and many people who wanted to see the border have had problems. We are not going too close to the border, though.

Kashgar is really interesting. It is heavily Uighur (Han are few and far between) and is full of donkeys, bazaars, craftsmen making various tin instruments, teapots, blankets, etc., kebab restaurants, and women in headscarves. Yesterday we went to the famous Sunday market, which was fascinating. They had all sorts of handicrafts and manufactured goods, all in the prevailing local style of super colorful and gaudy: like hot pink sequined covered gauze dresses. I bought a felt rug for 160 yuan, which is actually handmade in Kazakhstan but imported. Since they cost over $300 in the US, I think it was a good deal. I am mailing it home as it's too bulky to carry around. My friend bought a handmade copper teapot.

We went today to a local market in the countryside, where they were selling cows, sheep, donkeys, washing detergent, clothes, food, knives, rakes, etc. I really wanted to buy one particular darling little donkey but thought he would not like the plane trip or Shanghai so did not. The Uighurs are all very friendly, especially when they hear I am American: they all love America and many want to move there. We also visited several mosques and tombs: Kashgar used to be an incredibly cosmopolitan and prosperous place, and has a very interesting culture (including a long literary culture).