新疆 2011 Excerpts - Red Hill, Urumqi

Passed through Urumqi for the second time, and this time we actually got to go sightseeing with some friends of friends who were locals there. We went to a famous park in the city called Red Hill, which is a huge bit of red rock that is located right in the heart of the city. According to websites it is over 900m above sea level. There's a park with all sorts of attractions and walkways built on and around it, so we went for a nice walk ending at the pagoda at the top of the hill and we could see the city spread out around us. The weather was beautiful, and the day we went happened to be the Chinese Valentine's day so there were a lot of young couples, old couples, and people selling roses. Super cute! 

新疆 2011 Excerpts - Taklamakan Desert

I couldn't remember much from this day --a mindless climb through fiery sand, the sun beating down relentlessly, air too hot for breathing and the uncomfortable burning sensation on my skin that refused to go away. There was sand everywhere; in my bag, in my eyes, in my hair, in my mouth, in my socks...under my nails...


Information here, because all I knew was that it was so hot that patches of sweat forming on my clothes would invariably dry themselves within five minutes, which was the only very nice thing about the weather. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert

 They had these ATVs you could rent for 150RMB and drive to the top of the hill you see in this picture and come back. We didn't do it.

 We opted to go by foot, aiming for the top of this hill (it's a different hill), somewhere I guess near the top right corner of this photo. The structures are man-made and just put there to help you get the right atmosphere ;)

The hill didn't look that tall right? Well it was. Ridiculously tall. Can you make out the structures now? Only half our group made it to the top. About halfway up I was ready to stop, but I figured since I'm not going to get many chances to go to a desert I should probably tough it out. As you can imagine, climbing a mountain of sand involves a lot of slipping and sliding and stopping to dump sand out of shoes because they are getting so full your feet hurt. The sand on the surface felt hot enough to cook on even at the early hour of the morning we were there, and although I tried to cover up most of my skin my ankles would always brush the burning surface and so it was pretty painful afterwards. I have to admit, getting to the top felt like a monumental accomplishment.

Pretending to be the happiest kid in the world.

新疆 2011 Excerpts - Emin Minaret

We did a two-day excursion to Turpan, which is an oasis in a desert with a very very low altitude. This basically means that during this time of year, it is an absolute oven where everything bakes in heat and sand. It is an area rich in tradition and culture of the local people, this being one of the most significant structures. More on Wikipedia.

 It's pretty impressive up close, with all those intricate patterns. Unfortunately we weren't able to actually go to the upper level and look out from the roof because there was some restoration happening (part of a wall blew down in a sandstorm or something).

 There is also a graveyard area at the side of the tower, and some walkways and gardens that we strolled through.

The heat was oppressive and unending; there was no place with enough air conditioning to make it better. I basically went through this day and was barely able to remember what I did.

新疆 2011 Excerpts - Grape Valley and Karez

One of the things I loved most about this place was that I had a steady supply of grapes to eat. Turpan is especially famous for its grapes because its climate makes it ideal for growing dozens of varieties of grapes, from which dozens of varieties of raisins are made. We visited the Grape Valley, where we sampled a few grapes and raisins and looked at the vines growing everywhere. We also saw some grape-drying houses which are like large clay shelters with holes in the walls to let in the dry desert are but no direct sunlight. Bunches of grapes are hung inside to produce natural, untreated raisins. Yum!

and right beside it some guy was eating off the vine...

 We also went to the exhibit for the Karez irrigation system. This is pretty much the reason why Turpan exists at all, since it is the only source of water for the desert region. Hopefully you can make out the line of holes leading through the desert to the city. They sent people to the base of the mountains where they dug a well to find water, then dug wells at regular intervals connected by an underground canal so that the water would flow down to sustain life in the valley. 

新疆 2011 Excerpts - Sayram Lake

We drove three hours from the city to the mountains to visit the famous Sayram Lake with our hosts. I actually came here last year, but I was probably on the opposite side, where there is no set tourist attraction. I even drank some of the water that time...The weather was much more gorgeous this year though =)

 After lunch we went hiking and saw some other views in the mountains. This highway was still in construction when I came last year but I think it's either done or nearing completion now.

 Cue giant grasshopper.

新疆 2011 Excerpts - Blurb

I went back to Northern China this summer, but I won't be blogging about everything I did there over the course of 3 weeks for the following reasons:


-due to the nature of my trip there are certain security precautions so I can't mention names/places
-I didn't take pictures everywhere I went
-I am too lazy/busy these days to write much in terms of details


In other words, enjoy the scenic pictures!~
Click here to start

France Day 7 - Train Ride

We drove all the way to Paris after Chambord, with the weather getting rainier, and checked into a hotel near the airport pretty late at night. This morning, we took the hotel shuttle to the airport where we were able to get tickets for the train into Paris after a lot of confusion. The trains aren’t very new, but they are fast and the seats have cushions. At some point in our ride this random lady got on with speakers and a karaoke mic sort of thing and started singing for money.

France Day 7 - City of Love?

We got out of the subway somewhere and had lunch at a McDonald’s that was conveniently close. Just getting out of the subway was a challenge since it took at least 5 minutes to find the sign for the exit we wanted, and then we followed the signs through a labyrinth of underground passages that twisted and turned and went up and down and even platforms of other trains before finally emerging at street level. Maybe I just wasn’t reading it right.

We walked for a long time in search of Tumbleweed Toy Store (google it if you don’t know what it is). On the way, we stopped at a small cathedral for a break, as well as H&M and GAP for me to browse while my dad was taking pictures on the street.

Macaroons and other confectionery!

macaroooooons <3

Froggy-looking car

the Cathedral

Mmm, cake shop

Toy Store

I got two of these [Himitsu Bako]

A store that sells foie gras and cool stuff like that

graffiti on a bridge

After the toy store, we walked down to the river and saw the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. We didn’t go inside, though, since there was a line-up that filled the whole square outside just to get to the entrance. From down below, we saw multitudes of people milling around on the terraces and towers. There were some street performers doing tricks with glass orbs, several of them with the same acts and music but standing in different spots. We even saw one practicing on the subway on our way back at night.

The garden behind
the Cathedral

One of the front doors
of the Cathedral

Stands on the street selling
ancient books

The entrance to the subway looks like the
entrance to a haunted house or scary ride

"Pokemon are everywhere"!!?

We had dinner in the Latin Quarter, where the narrow streets were lined with small restaurants that had people standing at the door trying to entice tourists. We ventured into a small dark restaurant that served various cheese dishes including fondue. I tried something cool called raclette, in which cheese is melted and then poured onto various cold meats and small potatoes.

After dinner we got back on the subway and went to see the Eiffel Tower because, after all, you can’t come to Paris and not see that. It was already dark by then, and we followed the tourists and the lights of the tower to its base. A lot of people who looked like they might be immigrants of African ethnicity were hawking little Eiffel tower souvenirs on little blankets laid out with trinkets, or walking around shaking large bunches of metal Towers. The Tower itself was lit up in an orange-yellow outline, and we walked under it to the other side where we could take pictures from further away. We were there just in time, since the lady at the toy store had told us that at 8, 9, and 10pm on the hour, the tower has a special light display for a few minutes. It was just white lights flashing that made it look like it was sparkling, like something out of a manga, but that’s alright it was slightly exciting.

As we were leaving, we saw a police cruiser pulling in near the base of the tower, and then some unknown signal must have gone out because all the hawkers were suddenly packing up and running away at full speed, hollering for each other to go faster and catcalling in the darkness. That might have been slightly more exciting.

France Day 6 - Double Staircase!

In the morning we packed up and left Tours to see the castle at Blois. Not going to lie, it was rather lame. Highlights: this one was built in sections too, and there are four distinct architectural styles present. Also there were some crazy gargoyles that they salvaged from the original building before they restored it, now on display with a bunch of other worn-away stuff in what used to be the castle kitchens. 

Panoramic view of the town from
the terraces

Small chapel in the courtyard

In the afternoon we reached Chambord, having driven there after Blois while eating more sandwiches in the car. Chambord was my favourite castle overall, since it’s considerably larger than the others and had more interesting stuff inside. In the very middle of the castle there’s a huge double staircase winding all the way up to the rooftop terraces. The staircase was possibly inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s designs and very innovative for the time. It’s made so that if two people went up the separate staircases they could see each other across the central column but never meet. So it is like this. According to the internet, it’s supposed to be so that the king and his servants wouldn’t have to use the same staircase.

Up on the terraces, you could look down on the vast expanse of the castle grounds where noblemen used to hunt wild boars. There was also a chapel of some sort, and the spires rose high up into the cloudy sky.

Pretty tree on the grounds

Witty postcard at a souvenir shop