Urumqi

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Leaving Almaty early in the morning I hitch-hiked swiftly to the border with China, where I had to board a bus to cross. There was quite a contrast between the slightly chaotic Kazakh side and the shiny Chinese border post; which looked on the inside like the check-in area of an airport. Nice detail: on the Chinese side the officials got us off the bus, lined us up next to it in two lines and then marched us into the building as school children.

I was impressed by the comfort of the bus so I decided to stay on overnight to Urumqi (the regional capital).

After arriving early in the morning to Urumqi I walked across town to a hostel, taking in the vast change in environment. This was the biggest change from one country to the next so far on my trip.
Next to my hostel is a school, which holds these daily aerobics sessions.
Another change: the choice in food is so much better here!
The sleeper bus; with actual beds. The one at the back allowed me to leave my feet dangling over the edge, and since nobody else showed up I had a 2x2m bed for the night. Great success!
When walking with three blond Western Europeans through the park this is of course bound to happen: 'we take picture with you?'.

2 thoughts on “Urumqi”

  2. Wouter,

    Leuk die charmante Chinese dametjes. Mooi wat ik lees en zie. Mag ik verder op je schouder meereizen? Grtz, Pim

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