Its been a hell of an adventure! after planes, trains, and automobiles i found myself in the oasis town of Turpin. Things here were strange to say the least. Undeniably unchinese, the Muslim culture here has a way about them that i have never seen before. The constant Arabic and Ulgihar language embattled by an increasing Chinese influence has a harsh, yet ancient tone.

The market bazaar is just that... bizzar!

Blood stains the streets on the outskirts of the market, piles of sheep heads, guts, hearts, feet, balls, and other parts line the sidewalks, all for sale. Further into the market men sit on piles 20 ft high of; peppers, melons, fruits, veggies, and pretty much anything one could eat. The meat market in the heart of it all steams with the sent of freshly spilled blood, animal carcases hanging from every wall. The traders look at me with intrigued eyes, welcoming the pictures i take, eversuprissed to see their faces pop up on the back of my camera. Tourists are few and far between here.

Following a few days in Turpin i decided to catch the night bus to kashgar... looking back i would not wish this ride on my worst enemy! 22 hours in a cramped musky bus, filled with people who dont look like they've showered in weeks (and dont smell like they have either). The tv in the front of the bus blaring 5 strait hours of Kazakh music videos, and ulgihars yelling at each other all through the night. It was possibly one of the worst transports i have ever been on. Yet as i arrived in kashgar the weight of that hardship lifted with delight. Even though raining and cold, the streets of kashgar are those of the exotic tales of times past. After meeting some great X-pats from beijing (Trevor and "The bullet") we decided to explore the city. Nothing can really describe my feelings as i walked through them and was repeatedly invited into homes to sit and eat bread.

However being Ramadan, i was the only one eating. Maybe tomorrow i will try to fast, however the sunday market is supposed to be incredible! From here i am not sure of my plan next, one road (unopened to tourists) may take me down to Lhasa, this is supposedly the wildest and most dangerous road in the world, however it will take me past mountains like K2 and Mnt Kilash. My original plan being to sneak past the boarder pretending to be a Chinese citizen. The rain however, and dropping temperature is beginning to nag at my better judgment. Thus i am thinking of heading back east then south into the villages of the hunan people. Im hoping to meet up with my friend Derek there, maybe together we can explore the jungles and the people who inhabit them. I have a phone i china +13520123446 but will only have it on from 12pm -2pm Beijing time (no batteries). Hope to hear from you all soon! Yu-min! Naching! Albert!