Probably the last on Kashgar!

Recently, some of you have said that you are enjoying the Blogs about Western China. That's good, because I can do quite a bit more on this fascinating part of the world.

I think that I shall make this Blog a potpourri of some of the sights of this fascinating city...Kashgar.

I am probably repeating myself when I comment that you could be in Turkey, or somewhere similar, when you wander around Kashgar.  But it is true....and you will be able to judge for yourselves by the photos. Do you agree?

Preparing to bake these local rolls, covered with poppy seeds.

And the second man fixes the rolls to the side of the oven, for baking.

All this happens in the street...as you can see by the background.

Choosing some bread for a snack.

And sitting to enjoy it.

.....although not everyone looks enthusiastic!

Not far away was this shop....a mixed business! 
There is minced lamb, dumplings ready to be cooked, and whole lamb carcasses if you so need one or two!

...and he has a mobile phone to his ear.

Next to the above establishment was a street food shop, where this family was enjoying their food. (In the background you can see the previous photo's stall and owner)

A family at lunch, with the mother coping with her youngest. The elder boy is amused by us!

And if you fancy some fruit, choose pomegranates!

We decided that a cup of tea would be refreshing, and went to this establishment...supposedly the oldest tea house in Kashgar.  It was used in a few scenes in the film, "The Kite Runner"

Old tea house, Kashgar.

Another view, showing some market activity in the area.

We sat on the verandah, and enjoyed fragrant, aromatic tea, served from an ornate teapot, and drunk from small bowls. Delicious. We had our pot refilled many times that afternoon.

 

And there were three Uighur men at the next table, drinking their tea and enjoying a long, animated discussion.

They did not appear to mind our presence.

Their teapot does not look as ornate as ours. Maybe because we were visitors we were given the "special" teapot??

And sitting on the verandah, we could also see the street scenes below.

The street was a hive of activity...lots of trading and bargaining.


And then there is The Western Lake.

And as a form of entertainment, and light relief, Chinese nationals, and others, visiting the city, can boat on the Western Lake, in paddle boats, the designs of which seem to be based on the  symbols for the Chinese Zodiac.
The boat above  represents The Year of the Dragon. 

...and this...the Year of the Rabbit.

 

 

But what is this? There is the Year of the Rooster in the Zodiac, but this is NO ROOSTER!

You can choose a duck. Or is it a goose?        

And at the end of the day what better way to finish off than with an ice-cream?

The Ballandean Dump Beautification Committee

I'll leave Western China just for this Blog.

And with its title, I know that you couldn't resist opening it.

Beautifying our local dump??

At a wine-fuelled evening, our neighbour Sam suggested planting Chinese Pistachio trees around the dump.
He wanted visitors to the area to see beautiful trees (and in Autumn these have a  brilliant red foliage) as they cross Accommodation Creek.
At present the sight that greets them is the dump! Mature trees would certainly hide much of the dump.

My husband agreed to be his helper.

The planting was to begin early the next morning.....this after lots of great wine consumed the night before!

Our bare local dump.

First of all the area for the tress must be inspected.

The Beautification Committee for the Ballandean Dump check out the site.

Once the area was inspected, it was measured so that the trees would be spread evenly around the fence.

Measuring for tree placement.

Next holes have to be dug.

The area we live in is called The Granite Belt.
Yes, and there's a reason.....lots of rocks about. Granite rocks. Very hard rocks.

So digging the holes, manually, was very hard work for the committee of two!

The committee at work, digging

And when the hole was large enough, and deep enough, the tree was planted.

A Chinese pistachio Pistacia chinensis ( almost camouflaged by my amateur photography placement!!)

 And a success at last! One down, 6 to go!

The first tree is in! Hurrah.

When all the trees were planted they were mulched, and now, fingers crossed, they will all grow and beautify the Ballandean Dump!


Congratulations Sam and Adrian!

Kashgar, Western China....part (c)

This will the final Blog about Kashgar. You may be getting tired of this area. I hope not, but I won't stretch my luck!

I thought that I'd complete Kashgar with a photo montage. Does that suit?

I'll start with the bazaar.

It is open every day, and is a hive of activity.

Figs were in season, and there were numerous fig sellers outside the bazaar entrance.
6 juicy fresh figs, served to you on a bed of one huge fig leaf, for 1 Yuan (6 Yuan = $A1)   We ate lots of figs that morning. 

The fig sellers outside the bazaar.

The figs were absolutely delicious!

Inside the bazaar were myriads of stall holders, selling everything from the mundane to the unbelievable. But I must temper that statement....nothing is "mundane" in such an exotic setting as the Kashgar Bazaar.

There's a lot of chestnuts here!

Dried snake??? Probably medicinal.

..or maybe some scorpions?

Feel like sewing something? These fabrics are characteristic for the Uighurs.

And here we bought some watermelon....sweet and refreshing.

There were also bags of loose tea, and spices. The smells were wonderful.

And outside the bazaar the scenes were just as colourful.
Here a woman checks these short-handled brooms....which everyone uses. 

And people-gazing outside the bazaar was always engrossing.

These hats were very typical of the Uighur men.

And the women, too, were interesting to observe.

The older ones were often fairly heavily veiled, but not so the younger ones.

Here are two photos, taken just outside the bazaar, illustrating this.

Here is a heavily veiled woman.

....and here you can see most of the women have bare heads. One older women has a scarf and a shawl on her head.

Well, I said a the start of this Blog that it would be the last on Kashgar, but no.....too many photos left.

I shall post one more Blog, then we will leave Kashgar.

I promise!!!

Kashgar's Livestock Market

We are still in Kashgar for this Blog.

Kashgar is famous for its Livestock Market, held every Sunday, from dawn until dusk.

Traders come in from all around the area, with their livestock for sale.

A cow has arrived for the Market.

There are small herds of sheep, and cattle,and yaks, and donkeys, tied up, and standing remarkably placidly while they are inspected by potential buyers.

The sheep section...lots of them!

These have been shorn recently.

Anyone for a yak??

We only saw one horse being "road tested" while we were there, but no doubt other horses arrived and were traded later in the day.

This young man was test-riding the horse, without a saddle, and only rope for reins.

The market area is so alive with all the hustle and bustle of the animals, and the traders.
The wives, and children, often accompany their menfolk.

And there are also food stalls and butchers, to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, I imagine. They were certainly doing a brisk trade when we saw them.

It was dusty and noisy certainly, but fascinating. Not to be missed if ever you are in Kashgar.

Kashgar, Western China. (Part a)

This is one view of the old town of Kashgar.  Parts of it are in a poor condition.

 I am back with notes from our recent trip to far Western China.
After our yurt stay, and visit to Tashkurgan, we headed to Kashgar....once a very busy hub, because it was at the junction of the northern and southern Silk Roads.

Today Kashgar is still a busy market town, populated mainly by Uighurs, who are Muslims. Only a very small proportion of the population are ethnic Chinese.

The new sections of Kashgar form the bulk of the city, but parts of the old town still exist, and have Uighur people living there.

The minarets of a Mosque.

The street signs, and other signs, are in 3 languages: Arabic. Chinese. English.

A three- language sign. (Lu is Mandarin for "street")

Walking through the old town is fascinating.
The houses are made with mud bricks, and the lanes wander through them, twisting and turning.
Some streets are paved with mud-brick slabs, but most are unsealed.

This lane way was paved.

The lanes are very narrow, and this tractor had to manoeuvre many times to get through. This part of town has unpaved lanes.

There are signs on the doors in some lane ways, advertising carpets, or flat  bread, or tea to drink....all obtainable inside the houses.

Children, like children the world over, played in the streets.

A trader sat patiently in a lane with his wares, a few vegetables, for sale.

And the butcher displayed his products. Lamb and mutton are staple fare here.

And a smithy sat at his small forge making cooking implements.

Plying his trade on the street of the old town.

Others washed their clothes at a communal tap.

Washing outdoors needs help from other family members.

Nearby, quilts (or doonas) were aired.

We spent many afternoons wandering the old town.
The residents were friendly, and always gave us permission to take photos.
A very interesting place.