China Travel Forum

[Gerald]

My friend and I are thinking of touring there this summer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[John]

Xinjiang is enormous, you can travel by bus for a whole week... The train reaches now Kashgar, 1000 kms from Urumqi, which is 3700 kms from Peking...
What strikes one immediately is...the desolation: deserts and lofty mountains.
I highly recommend visiting TURPAN, which is 150 meters below sea level, and thus an anomaly - only three locations (to my knowledge) are located below the sea throughout the entire world: Thus it gets very hot there in summer, but also very cold in winter.
There is snow in most parts in Xinjiang in winter.
Urumqi is an ugly eyesore, but it is surrounded by idyllic alpine mountains. The city is dirty and polluted. Not much to admire.
Kashgar is a truly interesting city, typical of Central Asia. Uyghur food is tasty and prepared according to Muslim tenets, which means there is no pork, and meat is halal, which guarantees better hygienic standards (no blood in the meat!).
The Mongolians and Kazakhs are herders, and they live in yurts, which you can rent, for instance in Heavenly Lake (Tianchi).
Xinjiang is fruit country: Hami melons, raisins and grapes from Hotan and Turpan; the Silk Road passed through here, and many ancient towns are buried under sand or are in ruins.
Gulja, "Yili" is an ex-Russian town inside Xinjiang, next to the Kazakh border. Lots of traders visit it.
Xinjiang is famous for the Karakorum Highway linking Xinjiang to Pakistan.