Pat, Katie and I spent six days Xinjiang, China's Western frontier, over the May Festival. We flew into Urumqi and then took the train down to Kashgar in the province's southwest corner. Kashgar is predominantly Uigyar (a non-Han ethnic group that speak a Turkic language, practice Islam, and harbor widespread resentment against Chinese occupation). From Kashgar, we took a brief excursion into the Taklamakan Desert on camel-back.

 


Breakfast, camels; Taklamakan Desert


Into the dunes; Taklamakan Desert


Chris, camels; Taklamakan Desert


Katie and Pat through the haze


Pat and Katie in the distance


Pat and Chris rush down a dune


Post-apocolyptic Katie