Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
I thought I should say a few more words about Kashgar. The thing is that, even though I hadn't read up on Kashgar before coming here and still haven't, in fact, this has been a disappointing place. It is nice to have been here but that's it.
The sights in Kashgar are the Mao statue, the mosque and the markets. The statue is... well, a statue and the mosque, in my opinion, looks better from the outside than inside. Inside there is a gray-looking garden and an old wooden building. A nice one but nothing to be blown away from. The animal market on Sundays was interesting, no doubt, and if you're into photography it could be a very good sight. But that too is a 'been there, done that' kind of place. The other market was just a place with lots of stools selling hideous stuff in a not so charming way. Of course, these are personal opinions but that is how I've experienced it.
What is interesting here in Kashgar is to see the mix between the races and the old and the new. Especially how segregated it is. On one side you have modern China with shops, flashing sounds and high music. On the other side you find the old Kashgar with the Muslim society where people are still using old donkey carts. Of course, it is not as black and white as this might give the impression of but it is possible to see the two different 'worlds' here in this part of China. In fact, some places I wouldn't even think that I was in China had it not been for the Chinese signs everywhere. Quite often you see the Arabic signs right next to it.
Tomorrow we're off to Karakol lake and I hope to get to walk around a bit. After that we are working our way to the Pakistani border. That country can be interesting, for various reasons. Just hope that we experience the right ones.
- comments