Entry 8

It was hard but we got through the silk road. We lost one of our members, Mike Jones. He didn't stay on the road. We had made a short pit stop so everyone could take a bathroom break one time and he got caught in some quick sand. He roamed to far of the road. At least that's the theory. We honestly don't know. There was no sign of him whatsoever. Everything, his canteen, his hat, him; they just all disappeared. It is the main point of ancient Silk Road. It is a pearl on the wonderful, astounding Silk Road... This place feels, looks like and even smells dramatically different from the rest of China. This is no great surprise really, considering that ninety percent of the population is practicing Muslims and Uigur bazaars. Tea houses and faces dominate the streets. What’s more, this is the only city in Central Asia where the women choose to veil their faces. The old streets, restaurants and markets here are great for exploring. Xinjiang food has much more of a Central Asian flavor to it than a Chinese taste. Kucha is one of the best cities in the region to sample authentic Xinjiang cuisine and there are literally thousands of tiny Uigur restaurants dotted about the place serving up local specialties. One of the most gourmet dishes of Uigur cuisine is whole roast lamb, a rare treat only found at Uigur celebrations and special occasions. Unfortunately I didn’t have any of it. Kucha has a temperate continental climate, with large periods of sunshine and little rainfall. With a short warm winter and a long cool summer, temperatures in the city are pleasant most of the year. The four seasons in Kucha are very clear. I like it here. It’s really nice. I hear it gets really arid though. The next city I’m off to is Turfan or Turpan. We're always going to remember Mike Jones.