A world apart

Trip Start Aug 29, 2011
1
4
29
Trip End Jul 12, 2012


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Flag of China  , Xinjiang Uygur,
Monday, October 3, 2011

During this years Golden Week my buddy Wes and I took the loong trip out to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the western most region in China. This place is far apart from Shanghai, not just in distance, but in culture, landscape, religion, and the people. We started out in Urumqi (Wulumuqi in Mandarin) the capital city of Xinjiang. The city is much more cosmopolitan looking than I imagined, but it is still a far cry from Shanghai. I believe there is about 2.5 million people living here. It is dubbed as the farthest city in the world from an ocean. This is quite apparent in the surrounding landscape which is the driest place I have ever seen in my life. The only green you will find in this area is along the few rivers that are located here, or in places that are irrigated.
Urumqi itself didn't have all that much to see as far as what I am interested in, so we spent just the first day here before we headed east into the desert. We did however find a couple of nice parks in the city with great views of the skyline, and an interesting bazaar complete with a minaret....and a Carrefour and KFC. Here are some pictures
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