Our lamb dinner in the Turpan Bazaar.

We happened upon the scene below, when we were wandering about the bazaar in Turpan.

Two men were coating a lamb carcass in a mixture if saffron and yoghurt.

It looked so tempting we decided that we'd enjoy eating there.

My daughter-in-law  speaks Chinese, and luckily, so did these stall holders-cum-cooks. She chatted to the men.

The lamb would be ready in about 2 hours, and yes, we would be welcome to eat there.

The coated lamb goes into this large oven.

And water is added...notice the steam rising.

I am not at all sure of the relationships between the stall holders at this site, but assuming they are all related, there seemed to be a mother, 2 young men (sons?) and a young girl of about 10 or 11.

Our two granddaughters with the young girl of the family.

Our dining room....and sharing the table with a local Uighur man.

Our meal was simple, but mouth-wateringly wonderful. The lamb was tender, and simply served on a platter of flat bread. We had chopsticks, and served ourselves from the one platter. 

And the aromatic tea, which we had enjoyed in Kashgar, was poured from a bottomless teapot.  I became quite addicted to this tea.

Ready to eat the lamb, and drink our bowls of tea.

Our dinner....succulent lamb served on flat bread.

Still now, warnings are given to potential travellers about eating such "street food" in the countries they visit, but we have never had a problem with it. No food poisoning or diarrhoea. Were we lucky, or did we simply choose carefully? I don't know the answer to that question, but would recommend any traveller to try street food.

Back to the farm for a chicken update!

I shall leave Western China just for a short few minutes, and give you an update on our chicken. (Do you remember reading about our chicken way back in November?  It was the "We have a New Chicken" Blog)
I am a little hesitant to do this story because a local, who reads this Blog, and who shall remain nameless, but he knows who he is, told me that he doesn't want to hear about the chicken.....he wants more on China!!! (sorry,C.W., but others have asked about the chicken's progress.....so you can just skip this Blog, and wait for the next one, which is on China)

Over the Xmas-New Year period we spent two weeks away, in Tasmania.  (and, yes, that will initiate a few more Blogs, you can bet your bottom dollar!)

We were a little concerned that our chicken would be no  more by the time we returned to the farm. If a fox or quoll had chosen it for a tasty snack it was well nigh defenceless.

When we got home we were thrilled to see it, grown certainly, and reaching independence.
So here are a few photos to show its progress.

Our poultry family....heads down, tails up, searching for food.

It is now about 6 or 7 weeks old, and developing the characteristic black feathers on its neck and tail.
Sex??? No idea, mainly because I don't know how to sex a chicken.
I will have to wait until its comb develops.....will it be a female-type comb, or a male comb?
Patience.....I will just have to be patient!

Mother hen with her chick.

Happy families...mum,dad and offspring!

It has lost its cute fluffiness, but is still an interesting little bird.

When its sex is apparent I shall probably post another Blog to let you know. (apologies to C.W.)

Turpan. Western China. Its bazaar

Turpan, like Kashgar, is in Xinjiang Province. This relatively isolated Province can be either 
desert or grassland.
We found Turpan and its inhabitants just as fascinating as Kashgar was.

We love the bazaars, and the one in Turpan  excited us as much as the Kashgar bazaar.
I love the sights, and smells, and excitement of a bazaar.
And I think that the best way to give you a feel for the Turpan bazaar is simply to post a number of photos taken there.

 

Part of the bazaar. Turpan.

Do you need any eggs today?

Materials may be bought here.

The watermelon was sweet, and cool.

The cookware alley.

More cookware...lots more!

Brooms for sale.

The butcher, the baker, but no candlestick maker.

You can see the butcher in the foreground, and the baker just behind him.

Dried fruit.

The area around Turpan is known for its dried fruit, especially raisins. We ate lots, and they were sweet and juicy.

Seeds...sunflower seeds, and others I can't identify.

More fruit which has been sliced or diced, and dried.

Walnuts. Other types of  nuts in background.

Noodles.

...and I can't forget the chillies. Were these dried on the outskirts of Turpan?

That's all for this Blog. Of course I have lots of photos from the bazaar, but this selection will give you a good idea of what it is like.

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.

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?