Taklamakan

[Somebody Else]

What with the trend towards telling all and sundry of leaves of absence; I'm off camel trekking for a coupla weeks in the desert. Should be fun, and I won't be posting very much (not that I do anyway, but hey).

I've got lots of shiny kit for the trip - camelbak, sand goggles, desert boots - half the fun is in getting dressed up for the occasion, no? Certainly been running around needlessly in a shemagh of late.

I hope it's not as hot as Havana was...

N.B. Slightly worried, the help excluded, I'm the only guy in a group of 5. Not sure I'll be able to tolerate all the girlish prattling.

[Blodrast]

sounds really cool, SE!
Congratulations - it will surely make for an interesting trip !
Now, I'm also trying quite hard to refrain from all the innuendo about the possibilities that can arise from being the only male in a group of 5 people.
However, look on the bright side - you won't have to worry about being "manly enough", 'cause there will be no competition (I know _I_ would most likely have serious problems riding a camel, having sand up my arse, etc).

But anyway, it sounds like real fun, have a good and safe trip, and let us know how it went (_all_ the details :P) !

[Big_John]

4 ladies, desert boots, sand goggles and lots of sweating? sounds like one of saturnus' romantic getaways...

[The Wizard]

Peculiar that I just read about Xinjiang, namely about its renaissance as a trade hub. That is where the Taklamakan is, right?

[Somebody Else]

In Kashgar at the moment, staying at the old Russian consulate. So far, so good...

Lots of interesting culture mixes here - Hardcore Islamists, Chinese, the odd westerner trying not to look out of place. Good news is, unlike a lot of Chinese cities, the streets don't stink... In fact, as a lot of cooking goes on outdoors, as well as all the spices about the place, it smells rather pleasant.

In reply, it is Xinjiang, and one of the girls is my sister. As for the manly enough, I know exactly who the first to bail and find some air-conditioning is...

[Somebody Else]

I'm back!

I might even post a picture or two (If I can work out how...)

The desert's pretty sandy - not as hot as I expected either (probably as it was a dry heat - far more pleasant than the mugginess here in Beijing). Camels are generally disgusting beasts. Uighers are very hospitable.