Backstreet Urumqi...
Strange to think that in the last two days I've had enough time to post three times... part of the reason is that right next to the couch I'm sleeping on there is a laptop computer. It is owned by Tifanny, who is my gracious host here (contacted through what I think might be the greatest website in the world: www.couchsurfing.com).
The apartment is in a predominantly Kazakh area, about a forty-five minute walk from the centre of town. The walk itself is very interesting, and took me past several bazaars packed with the local Uighur people selling carpets, coats (men wearing five heavy trenchcoats - you literally buy the shirt off their back), knives (with blacksmiths beating them out in the alley behind), fruit, raisins and nuts of every variety, and nang, the flat bread that is everywhere.
I strolled around some of these places on the way back to the apartment this afternoon. The first thing today was buying a train ticket to Kashgar, which being further south will hopefully be warmer than Urumqi, which has hovered around 8 degrees today. not the 24 or so that was forecast earlier this week! I'll be leaving for kashgar at noon on sunday, arriving about noon monday. until then I will continue to wander Urumqi, which, despite (or because) of a conspicuous lack of "sights" is quite a relaxing place to unwind, ahead of what will no doubt be a long journey.
after buying my ticket, Tiffany took me to a cafe, as, being so cold, a hot coffee and heated space was at the forefront of both our minds. I had time to go through some of my chinese study material, Han Shaogong's "A dictionary of Maqiao" - it is a novel, not a dictionary. Though to read it I need a dictionary by my side in any case. Well worth tracking down the English translation, which is quite good too.
After thawing out we hit the street again, this time to find lunch. we opted for Kazakh, as down south it will all be Uighur food and I am not game to go further north to the Kazakh heartlands due to the literally Siberian temperatures. We opted for horsemeat noodle soup and salty milk tea, an interesting combination to be sure.
After strolling around via some bazaars, I made my way home, making my second stop today to buy Uighur pastries. I ended up with some almond cakes and vanilla mousse-like stuff: delicious. I think a small bag of Uighur pastries may well become my constant companion travelling through Xinjiang.
Also, the music. After getting used to (though never enjoying) the warbling Mandopop of Taiwan and China I am suddenly in a place that understands rhythm! I've heard hand-drumming in the streets, and the pop music blasting out of CD shops actually has polyrhythms and syncopation: incredible. On the whole it is obviously more attuned to the sounds of arabic and possibly indian musics, not suprising I guess, but in any case much more listenable than I'm used to. And unlike in the tibetan busses I've travelled in, there seems to have been no craze to do techno remixes of folk tunes, may Allah have mercy on us all.
this post has ballooned out somewhat, I think I'll leave it there for now. Uighur pastries are calling!
(btw. I'm having trouble with this blogger site - it is really difficult to get it to let me post photos. I'll try to post some more after.)
The apartment is in a predominantly Kazakh area, about a forty-five minute walk from the centre of town. The walk itself is very interesting, and took me past several bazaars packed with the local Uighur people selling carpets, coats (men wearing five heavy trenchcoats - you literally buy the shirt off their back), knives (with blacksmiths beating them out in the alley behind), fruit, raisins and nuts of every variety, and nang, the flat bread that is everywhere.
I strolled around some of these places on the way back to the apartment this afternoon. The first thing today was buying a train ticket to Kashgar, which being further south will hopefully be warmer than Urumqi, which has hovered around 8 degrees today. not the 24 or so that was forecast earlier this week! I'll be leaving for kashgar at noon on sunday, arriving about noon monday. until then I will continue to wander Urumqi, which, despite (or because) of a conspicuous lack of "sights" is quite a relaxing place to unwind, ahead of what will no doubt be a long journey.
after buying my ticket, Tiffany took me to a cafe, as, being so cold, a hot coffee and heated space was at the forefront of both our minds. I had time to go through some of my chinese study material, Han Shaogong's "A dictionary of Maqiao" - it is a novel, not a dictionary. Though to read it I need a dictionary by my side in any case. Well worth tracking down the English translation, which is quite good too.
After thawing out we hit the street again, this time to find lunch. we opted for Kazakh, as down south it will all be Uighur food and I am not game to go further north to the Kazakh heartlands due to the literally Siberian temperatures. We opted for horsemeat noodle soup and salty milk tea, an interesting combination to be sure.
After strolling around via some bazaars, I made my way home, making my second stop today to buy Uighur pastries. I ended up with some almond cakes and vanilla mousse-like stuff: delicious. I think a small bag of Uighur pastries may well become my constant companion travelling through Xinjiang.
Also, the music. After getting used to (though never enjoying) the warbling Mandopop of Taiwan and China I am suddenly in a place that understands rhythm! I've heard hand-drumming in the streets, and the pop music blasting out of CD shops actually has polyrhythms and syncopation: incredible. On the whole it is obviously more attuned to the sounds of arabic and possibly indian musics, not suprising I guess, but in any case much more listenable than I'm used to. And unlike in the tibetan busses I've travelled in, there seems to have been no craze to do techno remixes of folk tunes, may Allah have mercy on us all.
this post has ballooned out somewhat, I think I'll leave it there for now. Uighur pastries are calling!
(btw. I'm having trouble with this blogger site - it is really difficult to get it to let me post photos. I'll try to post some more after.)
posted by Ah-Hao at
3:20 pm
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