Friday morning was supposed to be up 5am to start my 3 hour drive back to the airport in Urumqi. I was actually already up most of the night with the mouse drama and mosquitos all inside my room. When I got up to go use the public bathrooms and put my lenses on I noticed it was already daylight, and many villagers were sleeping and waking up in the open terrace overlooking the village.

Had I know many others were sleeping here I might have done it as I thought I was going to be alone being the only tourist staying overnight today. The family was still sleeping so I left a 20Y tip on the table ($3). The plan for today was to goto the drivers house, and pick up his wife who also needed to goto Urumqi for the day.

I could understand a few words as he called home and mentioned 'chai' and sure enough a fresh pot and a large bunch of grapes was waiting for me. He lived in the old neighbourhood but had some money spent on the house with an indoor bathroom and shower, a new steel roof, and more recently constructed living rooms. I was to wait in the house while he had to go to fill up the car.

His youngest son was happy to show me around and took me up the ladder onto the roof which was covered in grapes drying out into raisins. We also went to a few neighbour homes to take pics and the kavarstan (graveyard) across the road.

The wife and son came on the three hour ride to Urumqi with me and stopped in a service station, where I was able to use running water and clean up, and to buy me some breakfast which was very nice of them, although I declined and let the boy eat as I wanted to get some sleep.

The driver had actually done a very hard job these last four days. On Tuesday morning after I arrived he had to leave his home in Turpan 5am to drive 3 hours to meet us in our Urumqi hotel 8am. This was while he has fasting and had been up from earlier to start the fast and pray. Then on the three hour drive to Turpan that same evening he had to pull over at sunset to break his fast.

At the village stay he had to stay overnight so that I would have a drive to get back to Urumqi airport the next morning. Again away from his family and while he was fasting. His family that didnt know me or didnt have to was very hospitable that morning I briefly visited.

I was trying to figure out what to give as a tip for his four days work, and gave 120Y ($18) since I gave the guide 150Y ($22.50) and the driver seemed quite happy when I gave it at the airport. Urumqi airport is annoying in that there are no places to buy food or drink once you enter the departures gates. I thought it would be less crowded on the other side but there were no restaurants or vending machines. They were however selling crates of grapes.

The 2hr flight to Kashgar you once again see sand mountains stretching endlessly in the horizon. I was supposed to take a 23 hour train from Turpan to Kashgar but I couldnt survive two nites in a row not sleeping properly or showering after my night before in the village, and 23 hours is way too long. Although I'm told this is quite normal for people and I heard about 36 hour train rides people take regularly. I had wanted to do Friday Prayers but with my midday flight that wasnt possible.

My new guide met me at the airport again and spoke good english. He claimed to be studying german so I thought I'd try a few sentences as I didnt believe someone in China could be that good, but he immediately had a very high level of fluency far exceeding mine. This company also has fluent french speakers and they have groups visit from France.

The first thing I wanted to do in my hotel was have a shower and clean up from the night before. Then I was able to appreaciate my surroundings. This was a former Russian Consulate built in 1890. If you see the videos of the interior I'd like to know what kind of consulate this was and what kind of consular affairs were taking place (see later entry Xinjiang Hotels).

The interior of the room was decorated in traditional plasterwork with intricate flower patterns in large rectangular boxes. This was on all four walls but extened onto the entire ceiling as well. The corner mouldings of the walls were also elaborate craftwork. We have these in victorian homes but this was even more detailed with use of colours whereas the victorians were always plain white. There is also a coating of glitter on the paints to give it an extra shine.

This continues all thru the hallways which is a long corridor of detailed arches with similar plasterwork on the walls. This hotel was a collection of buildings like before. My building had its own lobby with interesting architecture and a wall tapestry of a mosque. The outside entrance to the building also had interesting plasterwork.

The complex has a garden in the centre with vine covered small cafe and garden sculptures. One is of a famous concubine playing some musical instrument. The main building has a very elaborate lobby, reminiscent of the taj mahal. I would describe this hotel as period bollywood movies made of the mughal dynasty era, as is some of their music and dancing.

Our hotel is situated on a roundabout with hotels on each side with european tourists. The adjacent restaurants cater to the foreign crowd but despite being upscale are very affordable. I ate meals for 15Y ($2.25). This quarter of the city also looks like a very clean version of karachi with the scooters and carts whizzing around the roundabout, although all being slow electric powered, its very safe to cross the road.

Kashgar is a frontier town with five countries : Indi-stan (as they call India), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, so is a melting pot of many cultures and sounds. Across from my hotel was a pakistani restaurant run by local uyghars. Bollywood is also quite popular here, there was a movie dubbed in uyghar playing in my hotel room. I'm told 15 years ago it was very common and music could be heard playing on the streets and much of the older generation could speak multiple languages.

First we went for a walk towards the old town, not far from the hotel. There was a food street similar to the muslim quarter in Xian. However, since it was still before the end of the daily fast at sunset we were careful not to buy and eat on the streets. Kashgar was a bit more observant than other places we had visited so far.

There was lots of naan bread of different varieties, as well as meat and onion filled samsas. Also watermelon and fresh figs were being sold, as well as grilling fresh kebabs. We walked towards the Id Kah Mosque, the most famous symbol of Xinjiang. This was a large arabic style entrance leading to a large interior which we would visit tomorrow. The outside plaza which was once the outer courtyard of the mosque is now the cities main civic square and gathering places for locals to stroll, chat, or gaze on passersby.

Video : Kashgar Id Kah Mosque Square
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hley17qU HWA

We met a friend of my guide escorting another tourist who was an canadian english teacher from beijing. They offered us a fresh fig which I had never tried before. We only know a fig as a dried fruit but a fresh one is a very juicy and mouthwatering seedless delight. They had bought a whole bag to enjoy.

Once we waited for the fast to end at sunset my guide and I want to a local restaurant. I was getting a lot of stares again but he said it was because they were villagers and just curious where I was from. There were also pakistanis walking in the bazaar obvious by their shalwars (traditional clothes). We ordered kebabs for 2Y (.30 cents) and lagman the meat noodle for 12Y ($1.80)

Video : Kashgar Old Town Bazaar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VAl9AS2 9yQ

I was also told I had overpaid for my flight to Kashgar. I had paid $250 on expedia but the local price is $120. As we dont know about local websites expedia is charging foreigners what a two hour flight would cost in the US, not what it is actually retailing for in China.

Kashgar was going to be my favourite part of the trip, I most wanted to visit, and so far it hasnt dissapointed. Tomorrow we do a full day in the old town where The Kite Runner was filmed and visit the famous Id Kah Mosque.