The Little Yak 2015 Calendar
What? It’s only November and my 2015 calendars are almost ready??! Yes, gentle reader, in a rare instance of advance planning, I have managed to pick out twelve of my […]
Tag Archives: Xinjiang
Why You Should Visit Xinjiang
The adjective most commonly applied to Xinjiang* is “restive”. After a series of recent attacks attributed to the region’s Uyghur separatists, it was with some trepidation back in June that […]
The Karakoram Highway
Earlier this year I went along the Karakoram Highway for the first time. Lacking both time and a Pakistani visa, I was unable to complete the whole route from Kashgar […]
How to say ‘Hello’ in Uyghur
China ebbs away as you travel west through Xinjiang, until at some point you discover yourself on a dusty street in Kashgar, roast lamb scenting the air and the Muezzin’s […]
Great Markets of Northwest China 2: Fat-Bottomed Sheep
As she walks past, her bottom jiggling with each step, the men’s heads turn and their eyebrows rise appreciatively. A wolf whistle would not be out of place, although nobody […]
Photographic Evidence, Days 19-40
You may have already seen the photos from the first half of my trip across Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang – here’s the second batch, for your viewing pleasure. These latest […]
How to keep cool in Xinjiang
You’re 3,000 miles away from the nearest coast, it’s 10am and 38°C outside, and it’s a Muslim region so cold beer and short shorts are not an option. How on […]
A State of Suspicion
I’ve never had my bags inspected as much as I have in Xinjiang. Each bus and train station has a luggage scanner and a body scanner, and you need generally […]
The Accidental Tomb Raider
I arrived in Cherchen in the middle of a dust storm. It had been gathering since I left Golmud the previous morning, gradually erasing the mountains and blotting out the […]
Photographic Evidence, Days 1-18
Time for some photos, I think. Here’s a whirlwind look through my route so far – from Lanzhou to Khotan. Enjoy!
