Where am I?

Well, I made it to Urumqi in one piece, but just barely. While the flight to Shanghai was uneventful, the flight to Urumqi was a little tense. We arrived early in Shanghai, so I tried to catch an earlier flight to Urumqi so I didn't have to sit in the airport for 8 hours. The check-in agent gave me such a hard time about changing my flight. He kept asking why I didn't know the new flight number, why I needed to go to Urumqi, why I wanted an earlier flight, why I was traveling in China and what my middle name was. I thought he wasn't going to let us board, and then he just handed us our tickets and told us to leave. It is a bit daunting to be in a totalitarian country. I feel like I have to think about and watch everything I do or say because you never know what could happen with "big brother" constantly on the watch. When we landed in Urumqi, no one could speak or read English, and we couldn't speak the mandarin dialect, so we couldn't get to our hotel. We went to three hotels before we found the right one - what a long day! Thankfully, my friend, Lier, was in the lobby to greet us when we arrived. It is so wonderful to have someone that speaks the language help you with all the arrangements and translations. It is really difficult to travel China without someone being able to translate for you. After check-in, we walked around Urumqi even though I was so tired. I wanted to stay awake, so I could adjust to the time change more smoothly. China is 12 hours ahead of NYC and, I guess, 6 hours ahead of Eastern Europe. I have no conception of time right now besides a watch. My body is out of wack because of all the rapid time changes, but I will deal. While walking the streets, it was interesting to people watch - to see all the different people living in Urumqi. My mother bought 2 silk carpets and I bought 8 pashmina shawls the first night. They were so beautiful and super cheap, but of high quality - the dollar goes so much further here. I love it!

Let me tell you a bit about Urumqi being I never heard of it before this trip and am sure some others may not have heard of it either. Urumqi is one of the major cities along China's northern silk road. Urumqi is in western China and is close to Russia, Mongolia and the Stans (Uzbekistan, Kazakistan, Pakistan, etc.), so the city is a melting pot of all those cultures. All the signage is written in Chinese and Arabic. Government signage includes English, but businesses also include Russian as well. The most interesting people are the Uygars, a minority group who do not look like the typical Chinese person. They are a blend of Chinese and the Stans, and they practice Islam, which irritates the government to no end and also puts them in the path of government persecution at certain times. The Uygurs' roots can be traced through the silk road into China, and they enhance China's heritage with a beautiful and rich culture that has adapted to Chinese civilization.

I wish I could post pics, but am unable to do so right now. Hopefully, within the next few weeks I can upload some pics, so you can see what Urumqi and China are like.