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2008 Mongolia China, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan
Tour Group Journal
2008 China
Day 11 Sunday Aug. 24, 2008 Kashgar
Submitted by Laurie Bergner drlaurieb1@verizon.net
and Vivian Weber
Pictures submitted by Laurie
Bergner drlaurieb1@verizon.net
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Today was what I consider the highlight of our time in
Xinjiang province.Kashgar is an ancient Silk Road City, and it's filled with
history and
culture and religion and color. And
underlying everything is the sense that the ancient
culture is quickly being replaced against the will of the minority Uighurs.
We saw the largest mosque in China, the Idkha Mosque, with it's beautiful
open air garden area and lovely interior. It has quite a history. Originally
built in 1442, it was added onto later. It closed its doors during the
Cultural Revolution. Since 1995, the Chinese government has taken it over,
controlling all the repairs, tearing down the ancient square
in front of it, shutting down the vendors there and
building a huge modern square in its place. Then we
visited the tomb of the Fragrant Concubine and of Abakh Khaha,
built in
1640 for Abakh Khoja's father. this was followed by the
wonderful animal market, where we saw so many cows,
sheep, donkeys and goats and actually watched the
men bargain and shake on their agreements. It was such a scene! Dusty,
filled with animals and men with the round hats, sometimes
beards. Following the lovely lunch at the former
British Embassy, we went to the famous Sunday Bazaar. Incredibly
colorful, filled with all finds of beautiful goods, it's a tourist's
delight to just wander through it. Finally, we walked through the ancient
Old Town, made of mud brick houses, very narrow streets that are totally
dark at night. You could get lost wandering through the many
narrow streets. People are all so friendly, and
they love to have their pictures taken. At night we
went to dinner at a family's house in the Old City. It was incredible to
see how the houses were inside. The outside looks old and
dusty; you'd think it was all filled with the poor.
But inside it's just beautiful, with fabrics and
colors and sparkly walls. The table was set with all kinds of fresh foods
and fruits, and the owner was adorable. You could imagine how this city
looks so much like the ancient city has always looked. But
there's a sadness to know that the Chinese
government is working hard to dilute the minority population
and its culture, insisting on speaking Chinese in the schools and planning
on tearing down the Old City in the next few years. I was glad to have
visited it now!
Vivian's journal:
August 24, 2008
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We started the day with a visit to the Abakhoja Mausoleum
built 1640 but has been repaired badly so tiles are falling off. The site has
the tomb of the Fragrant concubine. Lunch was excellent at the ex-British
consulate with lots of Chinese dishes. The next stop was the fascinating animal
market, full of bargaining, buying and selling of goats, donkeys, sheep as well
as shoeing of donkeys, barbershop and other assorted booths of wares. The next
market will be the Sunday one with handicrafts and other wares brought in by the
peoples of the area that represent the varied ethnicity of the region. We ended
the day with a walk in the winding streets of the old city to dinner in a
private home. It was lots fun sitting on a platform and table. The owner was a
widow living with her niece. Dinner consisted of lots fruit, veggies, rice,
noodles and rolls
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