In so many places, new and exciting foods are some of the most tangibly exotic parts of being in a new culture. Xinjiang is no exception to this, and this time around I’ve managed to photograph some of the more exciting elements. Unfortunately, I apparently failed to get a picture […]
Tag: Central Asia
Train to Kashgar
Though I normally spring for hard sleeper beds when I have a choice, occasionally train travel in China is so popular that by the time I get to the ticket window to buy a departure a day or two away, I end up with a “hard seat” ticket. For relatively […]
Kuqa: Aden
“The Chinese are all pigs. This is why we do not let them into our mosques.” Aden was mad, and understandably so. Whether justified or not, the Uigher people felt like the oppressed minority, and the riots in the capital city of Urumqi could only serve to strengthen such sentiments. […]
Pretty Little Penjikent (R)
Its very rare that regional capitals, in Central Asia at least, are anything but a transit point to get to bigger and better destinations. The city of Penjikent, though, is a wonderful little backwater. Though once easily accessible from the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand, a disagreement over hydro issues between […]
Faces of Murghab (R)
Murghab is, in one word, remote. The closest big city is in another country (Osh, Kyrgyzstan). The nearest Tajik town is, at the moment, besieged by the military in response to problems with the nearby Afghan border. The road to town was built by the Soviet Army in the 80’s, […]