After the Yunnan, Luoyang and Xian tour with Bea and Danny, we had to say goodbye to Bea and then I started my fantastic Xinjiang trip with Danny from 22nd to 28th April 2018. It was an amazing and unforgettable trip of my life.

2018-4-22 Xi’an-Urumqi3.5hrs flight

After a 3.5 hour flight, we arrived in Urumqi, a capital city of Xinjiang with a large Uighur minority, at the end of the Chinese part of the Silk Road. This is the first time I have come here. In fact, I was surprised by the security checks everywhere, even though I knew something about it before I came. And in the rest of the time I started to get used to the surprises and finally started to enjoy them. From here we were going to experience a completely different culture. We visited the bazaar, the old part and the new part. But I think you will like the old one much more than the new one, because you can find the real local life there.

2018-4-23  Urumqi-Turpan  1hr 20mins fast train

It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes on the fast train, then we had our first rigorous check at the exit of Turpan station. The police asked us (especially Danny) a lot of questions, like: "Where are you from? What are you doing here? How many days are you staying? Where will you be staying? Then they checked Dannys passport very carefully to see if there was anything wrong. Then another policeman came and asked the same questions, and I had to answer them again. Finally they let us go and took Dannys picture before we left.

Anyway, the check didnt affect us much because a few minutes later we were so surprised by our hotel outside the centre of Turpan. We loved the little courtyard in the middle of the grape fields. I am sure if you have been there you will love the fields and enjoy the beautiful sun.

Although people in Xinjiang use Beijing time, there is a time difference of about 2.5 hours. So when the lights are on in other parts of China, the sun is still shining here in Xinjiang. But it was so funny, I think you will like the time difference. The other very important thing is that you must try the Dapanji (big plate of chicken) cooked by the hotel, I think it is the most delicious I have ever had. We had a very nice evening here.

2018-4-24 Turpan flight to Kashgar

In the morning we visited the Jiaohe Ruins (Yar City). It is the largest, oldest and best preserved earthen architectural site in the world, the longest surviving and only city without a city wall, and also the most complete city site preserved for more than 2000 years in China, known as "the worlds most perfect ruins". If you can get here early, you will enjoy this quiet old town.

Then we visited Mazar village, the oldest Uygur village in Xinjiang. Mazar Village in the Tuyuk Valley has a history of over 2600 years and is the cradle of the ancient Cheshi (Gushi) of the Turpan Basin. At present, the village has 65 households and more than 370 people, all of whom are Uyghurs. The villagers maintain the traditional Uygur way of life. Divided into two floors, namely upper floor and lower floor with local style. Ancient dwelling of Mazar village is called Museum of Local-style Buildings of the World.

The last site we visited was Gaochang Ruins, another ruin in Turpan. If you have enough time, you can enjoy the sunset in the old town.

After a 2-hour flight, we arrived in Kashgar, where life is a little different from the rest of China. Walking through the old town, most of the signs are in Arabic and people also speak Uygur, a language that looks like a cross between Turkish and Mongolian.

2018-4-25 Kashgar-Tashkurgan, 8hours driving

It was a very hard day for us, 8 hours drive from Kashgar to Tashkurgan. So we left the hotel very early (07:00 Beijing time, actually there was a 2-2.5 hour time difference between Beijing and here). So we had to take the packed breakfast prepared by our hotel. But there was a good chance to experience the local breakfast on the way. You could enjoy it with the local people.

After 2 hours of driving, we passed the White Sand Mountain and the Brunkou reservoir, which surprised us very much.

Our next surprise was the Karakul Lake, where we planned to camp, barbecue and watch the stars. But our local agent told us that this was not allowed, especially with the foreigners. So we had to change our itinerary. However, we did not miss the beauty of the lake.

We were standing on the edge of the lake, looking at the snow-capped mountains across the lake, the glacier, the clear wind blowing in our faces, and the air was so clear. Its 4000 metres above sea level, but I didnt have a plateau reaction at all, a different person to the one in Qinghai a year ago, at 3600 metres.

Then we passed Tagharma Viewing Deck, which was only 30 minutes drive from Tashkurgan. Tagharma Plateau Wetland, located at the foot of Muztag Peak, is the largest basin and wetland in Tashkurgan County with a local area of 8000 mu and an altitude of 3050 metres. Surrounded by mountains with low terrain, countless mountain springs gather here and form the largest meadow base in Tashkurgan County. When summer approaches, the wetland becomes a paradise for birds; with Tajik myths and legends about sacred mountain and grassland, Tagharma plateau wetland is also called plateau wetland for reproduction of spiritual bouquets.

There are two major checkpoints along the way: the Gaz checkpoint, which was the first strict point we encountered, and the Qima checkpoint, just before entering the district town of Tashkurgan. Foreigners have to show their passports and be questioned; Uyghur tour guides and drivers have to show their passports and bring all the information about their travel plans. Other Chinese have to apply for border defence certificates. As a Han, I was the first to pass through the checkpoint with my identity card and Han face. Our foreign friends, accompanied by the tour guide, had to be questioned. I was able to pass through the checkpoint very quickly without stopping. Then I sat in the car and waited for them to pass the checkpoint. When we passed the Qima checkpoint, our armed policemen had never told me to get out of the car, I just sat in the car and showed them my face. Over the next few days, this happened almost every time we passed through a checkpoint.

At around 15:30 we arrived in Tashkurgan, the remote corner of western China. Then we visited the Golden Grassland, a wetland on the Pamir plateau.

Then we visited a local Tajik family. There is a very large Tajik minority in this area. The local people were so friendly. And when we said we wanted to take a photo for them, the ladies put on their wedding dress to please us.

If possible, you should try the local food in one of the Tajik restaurants near the village or perhaps in the county. Then you will find the real life here.

2018-4-26 Tashkurgan-Kashgar  7.5hrs driving

We checked out of the hotel at about 08:00, very early in the morning there because of the time difference. Another 7-8 hours drive back. But on the way we were surprised again by the different views.

It was about 15:00 when we returned to Kashgar and after lunch in the local restaurant we visited the Afak khoja mausoleum, a typical ancient Islamic building, also a mausoleum of the holy people of Islam.

What you cant miss in Kashgar is the Kashgar Bazaar and the Old Town, where we really experienced the life of the local people. The old town was completely rebuilt by the government a few years ago. If you are in Kashgar on a Sunday, you can visit the Sunday market where local farmers come together to buy and sell animals. We missed it as we were there on Thursday. We also tried a pot of "Lao Cha" (old tea) at the oldest tea house in town. You will like it.

Xinjiang uses the same time zone as Beijing. This means it stays light longer. This means that restaurants and night markets stay open longer. The other side of the coin is that daily life often starts around 9 oclock in the morning. So we enjoyed our night market there with the light.

2018-4-27 Kashgar-Hotan     12hrs drive

It was only 520km, but it took us about 12 hours because there were so many checkpoints we had to go through, and we had to spend more than 20 minutes at some of them. We were so helpless, but we had to accept it and eventually we learned to enjoy it. It was funny when we passed the last checkpoint, there was a police car in front of our car, maybe just because there was a foreigner in our car. Anyway, after 12 hours of driving, we arrived at the Rewak Temple Ruins in the desert.

In the evening, we went to experience the Hotan night food market, which is much bigger than the one in Kashgar.

2018-4-28 Flight Hotan-Urumqi, back home

After a short visit to Hotan Bazaar, which is similar to the others in the Xinjiang region, we took a flight to Urumqi and ended our tour there.

By Leena - Charmission Travel