Tulufan City, Xinjiang "Autonomous" Region 新疆维吾尔自治区， 吐鲁番市
On a train en route across the vast Silk Road 丝绸之路, slowly but surely escaping the visible indications of China's destruction of our planet. Here I watch a snowstorm collide with a dense cloud from the safety of my seat.
Dusk from the train platform. This was a 3 minute stop at a small town on the way to Tulufan.
Arrived! The wonderful mini-city of Tulufan with Chairman Mao 毛主席 to welcome me.
I had a day and a half to spend here before I caught my 30+ hour train to Kashgar. So I did what many travelers do in a new city with no itinerary: start walking aimlessly.
Quickly I realized this is a city known for growing grapes. Vineyards surrounded the city and although not growing at the time (it was winter), it was still a very relaxed place to mosey. Here I ran into men herding goats.
The people here are Uyghur 维吾尔族 and are traditionally Muslim. I met wonderful people and spent an evening with two local Uyghur guys. They were in their mid-twenties and told me about their lives. It was one of the best nights I had on the trip. The whole experience was unforgettable.
Uyghur kids. Love it.
As I walked around the neighborhood, I saw some large concrete walls seemingly arbitrarily set between communities. Obviously, I was compelled to jump the wall to see what is on the other side. I soon discovered a reason why the Chinese government has so much interest in Tulufan.
Nothing melts a cold heart like a good laugh. This was a great way to end my time in Tulufan. They didn't see me take this as they would have most likely confiscated my camera, but they did yell at me after seeing me visibly laugh at their ineptitude. In most cases in Xinjiang province, law enforcement are Han Chinese, hand-picked and sent by Beijing and stationed with heavy riot gear in public areas "for the safety of the people".