One thing of note in this area is that the road signs change to Uyghur and Chinese, rather than English and Chinese.

A major disappointment for a seasoned shopper like myself was the International Bazaar.  It was very touristy and low quality.  We went back, however, to get a traditional barbeque meal.  It is a good people-watching place where we saw a slice of the life of these fascinating people that enjoy wearing bright colors and bling!

We drove a long time through the Flaming Mountain range.  It is called that because sand kicks up on the tops of the dunes and look like flames.  I saw only one “flaming,” and it was too hard to catch a photo of it from a moving bus.  Seeing this much sand and at this height is truly a remarkable experience.

We went to a rather touristy grape center.  One thing of interest is that the exhibits demonstrate how they dig underground tunnels to irrigate the grape vines.  There was also a replica of a grape drying structure, which is also used for sleeping in the summer due to the open brickwork.

BazaarBazaar 1 Grapes Grapes 1 Road signs