Jul 19.
The train ride takes longer than we expected. In the morning, we watch as the scenery changes from desert to farmland and finally to an urban landscape. Along the way, evidence of yesterday’s rain and flooding are observed; wash outs, stranded cars, heavy equipment stuck in the mud.
Our disembarkation from the train is uneventful; we are all present and accounted for, along with our lugggage. We climb back into a bus, are on our way, and greeted by our local guide, Dolqun, with a, “I’m tickled pink to be able to be your guide.” Not what any of us expected as a greeting. We share sideways glances with each other and wonder, “What is this all about?” It turns out that Dolqun is practicing his English on us by using one of a couple of hundred English colloquialisms he has compiled. He is sincerely interested in improving his English and in sharing his Uyghur and Muslem culture with us. His second exchange is sharing Nan, a flat bread, with us- delicious.
We check in to the hotel and freshen up and have lunch. Then off to Jiaohe Ruins and Emin Minaret.