served手抓饭(!) on the morning flight. took the shuttle from the airport to chini bagh hotel (triple for 180) at 5 a head. upon reaching, the driver kindly informed us that a taxi ride to the airport from the hotel should cost no more than 10. hmm, was a little disappointed that kashgar seemed to be more like a chinese city than was expected.
first order of business was to get to the travel agent at seman hotel. first place we tried was uighur but the 12 year old boy (later found out he was 16) had limited English and didn’t seem too sure about the money figures either. not too reassuring. skipped the chinese-run agency to check out the other uighur agency. the guy in charge was ali, who spoke excellent English, was knowledgeable about routes and costs and affable and humourous to boot. (uighur tour and travel centre, abdultour@yahoo.com, UTTC_ks@yahoo.com) offered 1200 for the trip to tashkurgan, 1 600km round trip. (other place offered 1200, not inclusive of gas.) having settled on tashkurgan, also took the day trip option split over the 4th and 7th. car (200) and guide for 450 total.
lunched at intizar (total 50). tried the yoghurt, 囊炒肉, noodles.
first stop was apa hoja tomb, gorgeous building with a colourful tiled exterior. explanation of funeral rites by ali. id kah mosque was next, then off to the side streets, filled with craftsmen plying their trade – in caps, in musical instruments, in golden boxes, in cradles. then the kashgar museum, which had an air of neglect about it.
old city followed. there was an outfit collecting 30 a person but this didn’t go back to the community. ali took us there bypassing the collectors (‘run if you see them’). we went into the house of a family who made hats for sale and later ended up at a wedding – ali’s friend’s son. (the friend was arken, a driver for the agency, but not the same arken who was to be our driver.) there were musicians, there was dancing, there was food and fruits, there were children, clamouring to have their photos taken, laughing and squealing with delight at seeing their own images on the lcd screens.
dinner at enjoy tea restaurant (90), another of ali’s recommendation. the cornucopia of fake fruits and dim multicoloured lighting did not bode well but the food and tea were surprisingly good. and it’s true, the further out west, the more tender the meat skewers. also had 大盘鸡, 日本豆腐, pastries.
back at chini bagh, more bathroom misadventures with cold water running out at one point. night lessons in tajik culture from ali at their chini bagh office – the headgear of the women is called the crown; how they greeted each other, danced; that the eagle was their symbol.