Neil poses in his favorite new hat. We all agree it suits him to a T!

A camel in Neil's big hat.

Uighur man in Neil's big hat

Chinese man in Neil's big hat

Today was such a brilliant experience, filled with local culture and a heck of a lot of fun! Adam, Colin, and I ended up on a small bus from our hotel here in Kashgar on an hour ride out into the countryside towards a small Uighur village. It is Monday and that is their weekly day to have a local market, filled with livestock, hats, silks, shoes, food, fat-bottomed sheep, and even some camels.

When we arrived, the town was filled with people and very dusty roads, especially near where the livestock were kept. These people are the Uyrgr people, and this whole area of China, called Xinxiang, has been taken over by the Han Chinese, and the Uighurs detest the Han Chinese. China is huge, and they took this small area away from the Uighur people. In fact, in Kashgar, within the next few days, most, if not all, of the Han Chinese will leave Kashgar for the entire winter to go back to their homes in other parts of China. They only come here for the work and trade during the nicer parts of the year. Right now we are heading into their harsh winter months.

So I find myself walking around this Uighur village filled with beautiful people selling everything you can imagine. There are little girls selling bagels, old women selling apples, men repairing shoes in the dust, food vendors burning old clay ovens using local wood instead of coal, cooking delicious lakman and other local foods. Lakman is a local Uighur dish made with noodles, mutton, bell peppers, chili, tomato, onions, some leafy greens, and some other tasty spices. You can buy it on every street corner. Another ingredient that is actually the main ingredient in the local food here is the FAT-BOTTOMED SHEEP BUTTS! Yep, fat bottoms are the delicacy here, and they are pure fat. These sheep are so cute and funny looking. They walk around with their big bums swaying with every step, and the bigger the better. In fact, at the livestock part of the market, you see men and boys feeling and grabbing the sheep bottoms trying to find the fattest one. They sell for the most.

As you look around, you also see dead sheep and bulls, and all the innards hanging up. There are intestines, stomach, goat head soup, and big freshly skinned sheep bottoms ready to buy and eat. It is a bit tough to stomach at first, then you get used to it, and before you know it, you just bit into a dumpling filled with fresh sheep butts. And speaking of asses, there are plenty of donkeys pulling all the merchants and their things around town.

It really is difficult to keep this journal short, because there is so much to tell about this market. I guess you will have to come to Kashgar yourself to really experience it all. It was a bit sad to see all the goats and sheep tied up together. It is really hot here during the day and some of the goats squeal and struggle to get their head up on the back of another just for some fresh air and I know they are dying for water, poor guys.

Now the coolest part of my whole experience in this town is my HAT!!! Yesterday at the Sunday market I bought a local hat made of wool and it is a really big hat, and everywhere I go, the local people stare, smile, and laugh hysterically at me. It is great; everyone wants to wear it and touch it and trade and just make conversation. So everywhere I went all day I was meeting people nonstop and laughing and having a fun time. In fact, when the one camel came through the town during the day, there was a crowd around him, and I even managed to get the camel to wear the hat!

All the people here are genuinely friendly, and it was a really pleasant experience. We are stuck here for a week or so, and it really is a good place to be stuck, since there is interesting culture and great food everywhere.

Neil

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