Western China, continued: Kashgar to Turpan.

After our week in Kashgar, we headed to Turpan....another city in Western China.
This too is an oasis town associated with the northern Silk Road, and its population is predominantly Uighur.
We caught the overnight train from Kashgar  to Turpan.

Ready to board our train.

We were lucky enough to book "soft" sleepers i.e. a 4 berth compartment, with doors which can be shut, and locked. These compartments are very clean, and make the trip easy.

Two bunks per side, with pink as the trimming colour of choice.

...and a large teapot/urn, in which to collect boiling water from a communal tap at the end of the carriage.

The scenery en route was interesting to us. Mostly there were mountains either side, but there were also stretches of sandy, stony desert. And then we'd see the occasional stream. It kept us watching, wide-eyed for the rest of the daylight hours.

Some of the dryer landscape seen en route.

And then a clear, sparkling stream.

I wish my knowledge of geology was better. Look at the strata in the mountains of the first photo. Layers of sedimentary rock, probably millions of years old. And the rocks in the foreground are reddish-orange. Rich in iron ore??

After a 10 hour, overnight train trip we arrived at Turpan station. This railway station is about 70 km from the town itself.  Luckily we had arranged for a driver and an English-speaking guide to collect us from the station.

And we also collected a Danish backpacker, whom we'd met on the train, and who had no way of getting to Turpan. We gave him a lift.

Outside the station, Turpan.  The young man with light trousers and black backpack is the Dane.

On our 75 minute drive into Turpan, we were again mesmerized by the landscape. It was flat, grey and stony.

Then suddenly there were swathes of bright red appearing on the grey landscape. What was this?

Our driver stopped, and we got out to check this phenomenon.

They were patches of red chillies!

Chillies are grown in the surrounding district, and when picked, truckloads are brought to this site, and emptied onto the hard stony ground where they can dry.

Great red swathes on the landscape.

I am sure that you can appreciate how this sight absolutely riveted us.

This worker holds a large rake with which he turns the chillies.

And here are the workers...happily posing for us.

Look at this last photo. You can see how arid and stony the ground is.... a perfect place for drying chillies....or anything else which needs drying for that matter.

More on our stay in Turpan in future blogs.