23 Jun 11: Kuqa, China

Kuqa by itself has lost its original identity if it had one. It Is the biggest city of its prefecture and therefore has its main avenue that cuts the town in two, its main square with its monument, 3 or 4 Chinese starred hotels, one big shopping mall, countless shops and apartment blocks and several brown field sites ready for more of the above. Its only remnants of a different past are its Uyghur people who populate the streets with their colourful dresses, the one or 2 streets where they sell their food products and wares. Street signs are still in Arabic and Chinese, but as we go further East, they become smaller and smaller.

We had our first lunch of dim sum but dinner was the first deception we encountered since we arrived in China. In spite of a menu selection by photo, none of the dishes looked or tasted like our picture expectations.