Kashgar

                 Kashgar is a nice town. I spent several days just walking around and taking in all of the markets and bazaars and the culture of the place. There really isn’t much to do in terms of structured activity such as museums, etc., but there is a lot of culture and sometimes it is just pleasant to sit in a place and watch the activity, especially in the evenings. I ate at the night market across from the Id Kah mosque every night I was in Kashgar, and every time it was very good. They sell bread soaked in some kind of spicy broth on a skewer and it is very good. After eating it was usually very fun to sit in the main square for a couple of minutes. During one of these times I saw a girl in a dress climb in a manhole to recover her friend’s shoe. Impressive. 

Night market

               During the day, it was pleasant to wander around the town—both the new, fake-old, and truly old parts. The government has reconstructed much of the old town, and aside from an annoying touristy veneer in parts, it is actually reasonably well done. Besides that, it represents an upgrade in living standards, according to a shop owner I talked to. The truly old section is worth a walk, with many narrow alleys and corridors with houses crammed on both sides and sometimes overhead. Everything is a tight fit and haphazard, and it truly feels like it is hundreds of years old. The kids are very friendly and they will often run up and shout “HELLO” before running away. This has happened numerous times, and they are easy to get a rise out of (shake their hand, say “hello” back, etc.).  The new old town preserves traditional culture equally well—it is populated entirely by Uighurs, and traditional businesses are everywhere. Small shops, butcher stalls (I saw a sheep get slaughtered on the sidewalk, so prepare yourself), dentists, and barbers are everywhere. There is also a good instrument shop; when I walked by there were several guys in there playing instruments.

Old Town (far)

Old Town (near)

Silk road deal, all cash (sheep purchased)

The bazaars are great as well. I went on a Sunday, which meant that the animal bazaar and the grand bazaar were in full swing. The animal bazaar was impressive, in the sense that guys were fitting half a dozen sheep onto the back of what is essentially a motorbike with a flatbed. Don’t go here if you’re an animal rights activist, though. Seeing everyone coming in from the countryside and haggling over livestock prices one-on-one was a fascinating experience and one that I think is fairly unique. The grand bazaar was also fascinating—far from being a tourist trap like the one in Urumqi, locals do a lot of shopping here. The aforementioned storekeeper buys a lot of his stock here. It is massive, and sells absolutely everything. I myself bought a handmade rug, which I haggled down to 925 from 1300. I’m sure I still overpaid vis-à-vis locals, but then again, I probably can afford to pay more.

Bazaar (left), Bucket O' Scorpions (right)

 Kashgar itself is a wonderful place—not to do checklisty-type things, or to see the sights, but rather to simply walk around, sit around, and watch the colorfully-clad and boisterous Uighur population go about their day. Everyone is extremely friendly; traditional ways of living are well preserved and after soulless city after soulless city (e.g. Urumqi) Kashgar felt like one big friendly village of several hundred thousand people. I will try not to editorialize too much, but it is a damn shame that the Chinese government treats them the way they do. For that reason, I recommend a trip to Kashgar while the local culture is as vibrant as it was when I saw it in June 2016.

Food stall at night market