This scene report may be a thousand years too late, but this is the action in Jiaohe right now… Said to be the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world, the remains of the ancient city of Jiaohe are incorporated into an island in the middle of the confluence of two rivers near … Continue reading
Found deep within a canyon in the Flaming Mountains, the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are a complex of Buddhist niches and caves that date back to the 5th century… Long-time readers will, I believe, find that the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves remind them very much of the Buddhist caves (and former site of the giant … Continue reading
It gets hot out here… Situated on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert near Turpan, the Flaming Mountains are well named, if nothing else, for how hot it gets here… In the summer temperatures are routinely over 122 F (50 C). Supposedly, the optical illusion of shimmering light created by the heat rising off the … Continue reading
Located on the outskirts of Turpan, the Emin Minaret and Mosque were constructed in 1777 to honor a military general from Turpan, Emin Khoja (which is where the name derives from). Designed by a Uighur architect, it was constructed using the local materials available at the time – brick and wood. The textured bricks were … Continue reading
A shot from one of our Italian correspondents… Continue reading
Elephants Walking Through Grass, Amboseli 2008. Leading Matriarch Killed By Poachers, 2009. Continue reading
Turpan is… Well, it is an ugly city with low quality construction thrown up by the Chinese government: But the people are lively and fun… And I’m laying the groundwork for a broader discussion of the region. For that effort to make sense, it will help to understand the people and how things look in … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 