Xinjiang: Jun 13

Ulugqat

Blind Deaf Justice

Well at least Dheiu no longer has to worry about coming up short if a conversation turns to talk of pushing the Chinese deaf around.

Here's the exchange as a montage. Cue The Benny Hill Show's 'Yackety Sax' for full effect:

Xinjiang: Jun 2 - 12

KASHI

Uyghur Please

Kashi sits in the far northwest, nestled against the Taklamakan Desert in the Xingjian Uyghur Autonomous Region. In its Silk Road heyday merchants converged on this oasis city from Central Asia and China on heavily-loaded, slow-moving caravans.

Xinjiang: May 23 - Jun 1

URUMQI

Why is a Chicken Like a Chinese Train?

After a certain point it can start to feel like travel might just be about practicing your nod in different timezones.

Beijing: May 14 - 22

Beijing

Our Long March

You can't play the Good, Culturally-Sensitive Tourist all the time.

Sometimes you need to retreat from what's outside--find a backpackers' hostel and binge on Cohen Brothers' story-telling and Monopoly Deal.

Inner Mongolia: May 10 - 13

Erenhot

Under the Weather

Here's a good joke: someone cashed-up/job-free/21st Century enough to be travelling for five months pulls up to a blog and says,  I'm just not feeling it this week.

Welcome to Erenhot, where something like homesickness rode the coattails of boredom.