sleeper trains

angsty rant disguised as poem

This is a poem scrawled in my journal from the upper berth of a hard sleeper carriage aboard the Kunming-Chengdu slow train on 1 February 2015. There are Times There are times when China gets all a bit much. There are times when you just need to get on a train and go 21 hours, in the oppositeContinueContinue reading “angsty rant disguised as poem”

Hanzu in a Headscarf: Travels in Xinjiang

Xinjiang شىنجاڭ‎‎ 新疆 is a mountainous, oil-rich region that forms the bulbous bump of northwest China. Bordering Tibet to the south, Mongolia to the east, Russia to the north, with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to the west, Xinjiang (lit. new frontier) has long been a vital trading hub and cultural melting pot at the heart of the Central Asian Silk Road. BuddhismContinueContinue reading “Hanzu in a Headscarf: Travels in Xinjiang”