Huiyuan Hotel Urumqi

... just pockets of muslim areas within the metropolis as well as several groups of people in the park dancing to traditional music.



Our second afternoon and evening included a trip to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum, followed by dinner in the square and an earlyish night. The museum was great, a lot of interesting information on the history and peoples of the region and we came away wishing we had seen this ...

... Next on the list was drinking slushies and beer in the park, then KTV. We figured an hour of KTV would probably do the trick, but ended up yowling away for about 3 instead. Finally, after noodles and beer we parted company. I was extremely happy to have met Ma Jun and sad to see him go. The next day, LX and his uncle took me to the airport. I was already out of sorts in the morning. I had had a fantastic time in Xinjiang. I had met so many lovely people ...

Finally it was time to go back to Changji. We stopped at a couple of shops (including a farm for deer antlers, boo hiss) on the way back, but arrived a lot earlier than I expected. The tour to Kanas was fun, I'm glad I went on it. Not only was the scenery spectacular, but I was forced to speak in Chinese for the whole time and I learnt how to split melon and pumpkin seeds fairly quickly, thanks to the auntie sitting across the aisle from Lirong and I who kept showering us in the damn ...

... he was supposed to burn for extra luck. When he got outside he was told he needed to burn 60RMB worth of incense, which he declined using the excuse that he was there with his teacher who was a heathen atheist and disapproved of such things. Chuh. He should have been thankful. Another woman was told she needed to burn incense worth 198RMB!!! The priest was not game to lecture me, or flog off expensive incense in my presence. He just looked at my hands and wished happiness to me and ...

... us went off to play pool. I was plagued by dizziness the whole day. I had had this once before in Jinan, but never so serious. Dizziness, blurred vision and a blocked ear. LX was worried it was because I had knocked my head and nose on the bars in the taxi the night before, but I thought otherwise. I've had lowish blood pressure for the past five years or so. I've fainted a few times and get dizzy if I stand up too quick. Since I ...

... This threw LX a bit, who was struck by what would happen to the both of us if I was thought to be a spy of some sort. Actually, other than a car ahead of us driving like a loony and braking too quickly, causing me to hit my forehead and nose against the bars of the cab (lots of cabs in China have cage-like bars down the middle), the trip to the hotel was uneventful. Well, considering the nightmare-like gangs dragging people from cars and bashing them to death by the sides of ...

... femmes europeennes ont une mauvaise presse dans pas mal de pays ( en tout cas Turquie, Russie et Chine). Je pense qu ils confondent ce qu ils voeint sur MTV et la pauvre voyageuse qui ne demande rien a personne. Je me demande comment font les femmes qui voyagent seules. Les seules que l on ai rencontre ont les cheveux courts et la quarantaine passee. Par exemple sur un train de nuit en Russie j etais obligee de m assoir a cote d un vieil homme et j avais ...

It's been a little over a week since I finished volunteering at the Gobi March 2006. I am not going to describe every day, you can check out the details plus photos and videos at the racing the planet web site. In addition, if you want to read a competotor's perspevtive, go to Terri Schneider's web site. I know Terri from Big Bear mountain bike races and I was not surprised to see her at the Gobi March, she is a tough woman and an inspiration for all ...

... said no. I tried to walk away and they made I'm-going-to-find-my-big-brothers-and-t hey-are-gonna-beat-the-****-out-of-you threats followed by throat-slitting motions. These are cute, previously innocent-looking, 8-10 year old boys mind you! I got up and gave the first boy 20Y as they continued their threats. (I was completely scared stiff at this point). I didn't know where his big brothers were and if this threat ...

... seem to make me sick). Then we sat up above and ate mini-nectarines in the shade while they tried to entice us with wine samples. The hard life of a dedicated backpacker. We (well, at least M & I) even had a spot of entertainment, with Abdulla's not exactly unsubtle attempts at wooing Tiffany "take this bottle of Karez water to remember me". Shakespeare never uttered finer words. Then we headed back to town for some lunch, accompanied by Abdulla of ...