Shihezi – Urumqi, China We made our way back from Shihezi to Urumqi today. Urumqi is the gateway city to and fro Xinjiang to other Chinese provinces. I was to catch a train towards Beijing the next day. Xiaoyun and Wenwen showed me around their […]
Monthly Archives: August 2012
Day 376: It’s All Peachy
Shihezi, China The whole family had been busying themselves about making sure I ate well and ate everything possible under the sun. I was stuffed! Aside from feeding me, my aunt, cousins and niece brought me around to the farmlands, the museum, and the town […]
Day 375: Lost & Found
Shihezi, China In Shihezi, I stayed at my elderly aunt’s home. She’s the wife of my mom’s elder brother. This was the first time I met her and I had only met my now deceased uncle once 15 years ago in Taiwan. My uncle was the […]
Day 374: The Boy and His Dog
Burqin – Urumqi – Shihezi, China The past few entries’ featured photos make me feel like a pedophile… Not that I’m into kids or anything, but they’re easier to take photos of. I’m hesitant to approach adults. Anyway, on the last day of the tour, […]
Day 373: Ilars the Lion
Kanas – Hemu – Burqin, China I was glad my relatives had booked me a superior package on this tour. I only had to share a 3-star hotel room with another person. Some other unlucky ones had to share 4 beds strung together among 6 […]
Day 372: The Khans and the Alps
Burqin – Kanas, China Kanas is a 24km narrow lake located in the alpine mountain of Xinjiang. Although it’s also a mountain range with pine trees, the scenery is entirely different from Huangshan. The feel is totally European. Kanas is deemed a world heritage national […]
Day 371: If I Could Stop The Sun, I Could Stop Time
Urumqi – Wucaitan – Burqin, China Originally, judging from my limited time of travel (2 months for China, Nepal and India), I decided to ditch Nepal. Besides, it’s rainy season in Nepal in August and it’s the worst for trekking. Second option is to overland […]
Day 370: Skywalker
Urumqi – Tianshan – Urumqi, China With the private car and driver, I visited Tianshan Tianchi for the day. Located high in the mountain (“Tianshan” being “Sky Mountain”), the area has an entire different feel compared to the Turpan basin. I suppose that’s what Xinjiang […]
Day 369: Journey to the West
Urumqi – Turpan – Urumqi, China Turpan is boat-shaped basin located in the southeast of Xinjiang. It is the centre of a fertile oasis and was historically a part of the Silk Road’s northern route. The weather condition is harsh, as Turpan is situated in a […]
Day 368: An Actual Solid Itinerary For the Week
Beijing – Urumqi, China Despite my constant refusal, my cousin Xiaoyun in the Xinjiang province booked me a flight ticket from Beijing to Urumqi. I’ve had wanted to visit them in Xinjiang since I’ve never met this part of my relatives before. However, I couldn’t […]
Day 366: The Wall
Beijing – Mutianyu – Beijing, China There are numerous places one can access the Great Wall. After all the Great Wall is called “Wanlizhangzhen”, meaning “Ten Thousand Li Long Wall.” One Li being 0.5 kilometer. So the Great Wall spans roughly 5000km. The popular access […]
Day 378: Vee-Eye-Pee Yo!
Urumqi – Beijing, China It would have been quite a pain, even impossible, securing the train ticket back to Beijing, had it not been a hook up by Xiaoyun’s husband, Baoming. Knowing people sure means something here. Our car was allowed to drive in a […]