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Uighur Town
Tuesday, August 23, 2005-3:53 PM
Kashgar is neither backwards nor crowded. Not many cities in China as small as Kashgar can offer foreign visitors as many conveniences as Kashgar can.
But then again, comparing Kashgar to other Chinese cities might be misleading. Kashgar is a Uighur city. Visiting Kashgar is like exiting China without having to go through customs.
The Uighurs are Muslims, but perhaps not as devout as I might have expected. They don't eat pork, but according to William, my Chinese friend from the train, they drink alcohol. Some women wear veils in public. Most simply put a scarf over their head. Many don't wear anything on their head at all.
With a few extra days, a little extra money, and a travel companion I would appreciate Kashgar much more. Day trips to near by central Asian countries are available that pass through impressive mountain scenery but time and money put them out of reach for me.
My Chinese gets me as far here as Spanish might in San Diego. Moreover, there are enough foreigners here that no one goes out of there way to talk to one, but not enough to easily meet other travelers.
This morning, desperate to buy some souvenir from Kashgar that was both packable and cheap, I ended up walking away from a small souvenir shop with a cheap pillow case that, on second thought, isn't going to be worth the space it takes up in my bag.
Later, a helpful waiter at a Uighur restaurant noticed me looking for sugar for a cup of coffee. He walked over, grabbed a small jar of something, and handed it to me.
After I dumped it in my coffee, he tasted the mystery substance with his finger and made a face that suggested it might not be sugar.
I tasted my coffee to discover I had just dumped the equivalent of two cubes of salt in it.
They got me another cup of coffee.
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