Uyghur Autonomous Region - Xin Jiang (新疆) (July 8-19)

Itinerary: Beijing - Urumqi - Kashgar - Markit - Kashgar - Urumqi - Altai - Burqin - Lake Kanas - Burqin - Altai - Urumqi - Turpan - Urumqi - Beijing

This might have been my last big trip through China. Although, I still have the National Holiday Week up my sleeve....again !! This journey has anew made clear to me that China hosts 53 different tribes. Uyghur Autonomous Region already counts 13 different people, whereupon some are only as small as a few thousand people. What was definitely a striking event was travelling to Kashgar. The culture, language, food, clothing, outward appearance of the Uyghurs have nothing at all in common with what I was used to know from the Han chinese. It is an oriental region, has its own language and own signs (people write from the right to the left side), Mandarin is their second language, Muslim food is served, mosques replacing the temples, long white robes protect against the intensive sun light, men showing off their mustaches....

Stay tuned for the upcoming posts fellas, Daniel