After our visit to Dunhuang, we drove two hours in this bus:
. . . to catch a high speed train to our next destination: Turpan.
We had to go through airport-like security on our way into the train station. I had a bottle of water that was about 2/3 full. They had me drink some (presumably to make sure it was not acid or some kind of combustible). I thought that was quite efficient!
Bob bought a chicken drumstick for lunch at the "High iron" store at the station:
California has been trying to build a high speed train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles for years and can't seem to make any progress. Here we were in the outposts of Western China taking a high speed train from nowhere to nowhere. I had Train Envy.
We arrived in Turpan after dark. It looked like a ghost city. There were no people or cars on the street, and in fact we had to walk several blocks to get to our buses, which were behind a police barricade. They must have a curfew of some kind. We did pass by what we were sure was a casino:
. . . but which our guide told us the next day was just a hotel.
When we pulled up to the Shuang Cheng Hotel, splashed across the front in neon lights were the words "Welcome Fun for Less Tours." This was the second time we were greeted in this way. We felt so important.
Our room was very nice and had a first (for us)--condoms in the bathroom drawer. Apparently they are working hard at preventing STDs in Turpan. We had a very nice view of two nearby buildings from our window. Here is the night view:
. . . and the same view the next morning:
Dinner was what our guide called a boo-FET in an outdoor seating area, and they pulled out all the stops for us, hauling in a roast lamb on a tray and having FIVE chefs there to carve it for us:
• Turpan is in the autonomous province of Xinjiang.
• Autonomous regions have their own local government and more legislative rights.
• An autonomous region has a high concentration of an ethnic group. For example, Tibet is another autonomous region of China and is 90% Tibetan.
• Xinjiang is 46% Uyghur (pronounced "wee ghur"), a Turkic ethnic group that primarily practices Islam.
• The Xinjiang province is about 1/6 (17%) of China but has "only" 23 million people. That's less than 1.7% of the 1.379 billion people in China.
• There are 56 ethnic groups in the province, and each has its own writing. Several forms of writing are represented on the back of their money.
• The Xinjiang province is the furthest part of China from the ocean. It is bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Mongolia. That's a LOT of neighbors.
• The Xinjiang province includes the biggest desert in China, the Taklimakan Desert, as well as the highest and lowest elevations.
• In the summer it can get up to 130℉, and in the winter it has gotten as cold as -30℉.
• Turpan gets 16 mm (.63 inches) of rain per year.
• Mummies and dinosaur fossils have been discovered here.
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| We had three of these for our group |
Bob bought a chicken drumstick for lunch at the "High iron" store at the station:
I was quite impressed by the sleek, modern train that traveled at 120 mph:
We arrived in Turpan after dark. It looked like a ghost city. There were no people or cars on the street, and in fact we had to walk several blocks to get to our buses, which were behind a police barricade. They must have a curfew of some kind. We did pass by what we were sure was a casino:
When we pulled up to the Shuang Cheng Hotel, splashed across the front in neon lights were the words "Welcome Fun for Less Tours." This was the second time we were greeted in this way. We felt so important.
 |
| Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, so I had to borrow one from here. |
. . . and the same view the next morning:
Dinner was what our guide called a boo-FET in an outdoor seating area, and they pulled out all the stops for us, hauling in a roast lamb on a tray and having FIVE chefs there to carve it for us:
There was even entertainment:
The next morning we hopped on a bus (surprise), and as we rode to our first destination, we learned a few interesting things about Turpan and the Xinjiang Province.
• Turpan is in the autonomous province of Xinjiang.
• Autonomous regions have their own local government and more legislative rights.
• An autonomous region has a high concentration of an ethnic group. For example, Tibet is another autonomous region of China and is 90% Tibetan.
• Xinjiang is 46% Uyghur (pronounced "wee ghur"), a Turkic ethnic group that primarily practices Islam.
• The Xinjiang province is about 1/6 (17%) of China but has "only" 23 million people. That's less than 1.7% of the 1.379 billion people in China.
• There are 56 ethnic groups in the province, and each has its own writing. Several forms of writing are represented on the back of their money.
• The Xinjiang province is the furthest part of China from the ocean. It is bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Mongolia. That's a LOT of neighbors.
• The Xinjiang province includes the biggest desert in China, the Taklimakan Desert, as well as the highest and lowest elevations.
• In the summer it can get up to 130℉, and in the winter it has gotten as cold as -30℉.
• Turpan gets 16 mm (.63 inches) of rain per year.
• Mummies and dinosaur fossils have been discovered here.
Fun facts about Turpan and Xinjiang. You got my curiosity going, so I looked up the size of Xinjiang - 642,800 square miles. Texas is 268,597 square miles and Alaska is 663,300 square miles. That is enormously big, almost the size of Alaska and 2.4 times the size of Texas.
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