The PLA Couldn’t Keep Us Away
When the DH and I travel we rarely make elaborate itineraries, preferring to meander around with a few set destinations in mind. I prepare for these trips by reading travel blogs, forums and guidebooks. I get a reasonable idea of what is out there and then we just go and experience it, usually with a little help from the Internet along the way.
Our trip to Xinjiang, however, was not planned by any means. We unexpectedly had six days of holiday and the idea to get out of Linyi. First, I considered the Philippines – the country is close enough and a relaxing few days on Boracay Island seemed ideal. Then I discovered the wind is not great right now, and since the DH would want to kitesurf, I decided we should go another time. Hmmm. Just missed Typhoon Ketsana… Then I thought Laos or Vietnam would be perfect, but with only six days and a complicated transportation schedule into the countries, I decided they could wait as well. Yup, just missed the remnants of the same typhoon wreaking havoc there… Then the DH suggested Jakarta/Bali. Whew, just missed a few earthquakes… No, if you’re wondering, we never considered Samoa… I’m glad that in the end we went with the recently riot-torn Urumqi! Seems the safest choice!
The riots of July loomed pretty large in our decision to go to Xinjiang. All of our coworkers and friends in Linyi feared for our safety and advised we stay far away. They claimed the province was dangerous even before the riots. No one could really explain why, making only vague references to “bandits.” It is just so geographically far and isolated by mountains and desert, that to most Chinese it is a complete unknown, a shadowy “Wild West” kind of place. Because I had researched so little, I boarded the flight to Urumqi with very few preconceptions. I knew there would be Uygurs. I knew I’d see mosques. I knew there would be lamb kebabs. All that sounded good to me. And since most Chinese cities are clogged with tourists during Golden Week, the specter of recent violence meant that the province might not be as crazy crowded as Beijing or Shanghai.
What we found we liked. I cannot stress this enough – we loved it! However, I visited Xinjiang as a foreigner, an outsider who knows very little about life there. I do not speak Uygur nor am I fluent in Mandarin. Ethnic tensions between the Uygur and Han Chinese were not evident to me, although in Kashgar their physical division was very clear. I have no insights into the culture clash that led to the July riots, although I do have some opinions on the changes coming to Kashgar (upcoming post). All I can say is that, for us, it was safe and comfortable and I found everyone I met warm and friendly.
As expected, the Internet is non-functioning in the whole province. It was somewhat annoying because we rely so much on the Internet for travel advice, but at the same time it was nice to completely disconnect from the outside world. (Well, I say that, but we spent our three nights in Urumqi happily watching English-language television in the hotel, feeling more world-news aware than we had in months!) While just an annoyance for us travelers, I cannot imagine how the local residents are coping, especially those with businesses that have come to rely on the convenience and access the Internet provides. No one knows when it will be reconnected. Some say maybe later this month, others say maybe after Spring Festival (January-March), a few cynics say maybe never.
Of course, the one thing we did expect was an increased police presence and we were not disappointed. Minutes after leaving our hotel, we passed rows of patrolling police/soldiers in camo and riot gear, some carrying rifles. Army trucks full of police/soldiers rolled down all the major roads and sandbagged checkpoints were set up on many street corners and strategic areas like People’s Square. I don’t know quite how to explain myself, but although there were police/solders everywhere, it didn’t really feel intimidating. I wasn’t nervous. Maybe because they all looked so bored. Maybe because the only reaction we got out of these guys was just simple curiosity about the two foreigners. (Not unlike what I experience everyday in Linyi!) I keep typing police/soldiers because I am unsure whether they are actually police or soldiers… in this case I’d say there really isn’t much distinction.
In upcoming posts I will talk individually about Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar, a trip into the Pamir Mountains and, naturally, a bit about the food and the people.
Before I go, the photo we risked our SD card for: (I would have loved to snap photos of the roving patrols and checkpoints, but you know, this was risky enough!)
Army trucks roll down Renmin Xilu in Kashgar
All photos have been uploaded to my SmugMug Xinjiang Gallery, for those of you too anxious to wait for highlights.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t wait to read the rest of your posts. This is a region we’ve been long interested in visiting, but the recent riots have scared us off a little.
The photos are great! Thanks for posting them. I look forward to reading more about your trip.
The shot is mine even thu GG told me 100 times “do not take pic of the military” I HAD TO!
May be is the rebellious in me, may be was the historian in me.
But if you thinking about going, DO GO! it was great!
It’s been ages since my last drop-in, so hello! This post popped up in my RSS reader last week as I was riding the train to Keelung. I really enjoyed it and thought I’d stop in for some more travel tales this evening. I see you’ve had PLENTY since the last time I came around!
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Hi, Thanks for you post, I hope this post will help many foreigners to make their mind and feel safe to visit Xinjiang after the riot in July 2009.
As you mentioned in your post, many Chinese in mainland China have wrong perception about Xinjiang and Uyghur people. Many foreigners who works in mainland China told me before when they came to visit Xinjiang that they had same advice when they asked advice about traveling to Xinjiang from their Chinese colleague. I hope this will help many others to make their mind.
Cheers