Well it's been almost 8 years since I was there but Urumqi (the capital) would be one place you should check out. I'm sure it's changed a lot since then but it was pretty crazy then - especially the traffic! I'll have to think about it some more, ask my parents about where we went/what we saw.
btw I just booked my plane ticket for Eastern Europe and I'm planning on being in Poland around mid-April. I appreciated your suggestions you sent me a while back! I'll be in touch w/ more. Where else in China are you planning on going?
Definitely hit me up with any other questions! I'm traveling with a friend; I'm set on Xinjiang (it's difficult for me to be focused on anything bigger than a region at a time) and he's stoked about Tibet and Yunnan. We don't have a very defined plan, but we most likely won't be spending any time in Northeast China. If you've got any suggestions, let me know!
Turpan is a nice place to go, although I'm not sure that summer is the best time. I was there in July and it was like an oven. Urumqi is a big city but there is lot to do around it. Later this spring, I am planning on going to Kashgar in the far west as I have not been there yet. It was a major stopping point on the silk road and is reputed to have an amazing Sunday market. It is much more more central Asian than Chinese.There are also many areas to explore around Kashgar. keep in mind that Xinjiang is absolutely huge so you need to consider distances...Urumqi to Kashgar is 24 hours on a bus or you can take a short flight.
kashgar and the stone city towards the pak border. hotan is cool, the drive from kashgar to hoten is long but visually amazing. kun lun mtns to your right, taklamaklan desert to your left. you can do a huge circle, head from gansu through dunhuang to urumqi and the north to the altay region, then boogie south to kash and then east through hotan all the way past lop nur lake back to dunhuang. good trip.
Joined: 05-04-07
I'm traveling around China this summer, and I've been wanting to visit Xinjiang ever since I saw a documentary about tight rope walkers (and ethnic/religious oppression) in that region last year. Any recommendations on what not to miss? Any recommendations on short term volunteer opportunities?