Kashgar - Oct 25, 2005 - Kashgar, Xinjiang, China

Arrived in Kashgar and back into civilisation at 9pm, jumped in cab and got dumped at the ugly Seman Hotel over in the old quarter of town. Bumped into loads of Pakistani businessman who loved to stand and chat english with us about there companies in Pakistan, all got too much and I was screwing for some Kebabs. Hit this restuarant over the road, had 7 lush Kebabs, real good lamb on these ones. Then went back to Hotel to be accosted by some more Pakistani business men, this time one was pissed out his face and demanding our numbers, managed to give him a swerve and hit the the room, which was nasty and real cold, plus next to the bog so had a lush smell wofting in all night.

Wednesday 26th October

Headed off into the old quarter of Kashgar, as with all so called Chinese cities the part they have built is crap and U G L Y. Found our way to the oldest Mosque in China, Id Kah, really Uigur land as I like to call it, but enough of me getting political. To be honest it was the first Mosque I have been in and it was well drab, just a load of carpet on the floor for the boys to do there stuff on (not like that, although if you saw the bogs in Xinjiang, you wouldnt put it passed them). So we left there sharpish and headed back into the old quarter, passed all sorts of Uigur knocking stuff up from the wicked hats they all bowl round in, to those crazy looking arabic teapot things.

From here we ended up in the Chinese part of town, we could tell not only due to the UGLY buildings knocking about and but of course the giant statue of the great man himself Chairman Mao. The Chinese love to build these things especially in parts of the country that arent really theres, this ones quite funny mind you as it looks like the old boy is hailing a taxi.

Jumped in a bus to the outskirts of town to go and see this giant tomb for some famous Uigur dude who used to rule these arts till the Chinese came along. Wondered off into the locals ghetto, and got invited into a traditional Uigur house by some old dude, I think he wanted to show us his daughter hard at work making boots, not sure if he wanted a sale out of us but they were nasty. Managed to find our way into a Uigur Cemetry, real strange place full of these eirrry domed tombs.

Found our back to the nasty Seaman hotel, where we had to endure a thirty minute english practicce session from the local college kids. Finished up the day the only way in Uigur land with a lush plate load of Kebabs and Nan, love this stuff.