Turpan- Ancient cities and Mummies in the Desert

One of my last days in Xinjiang, we set out for a day adventure to the nearby city of Turpan. We took the highspeed train and reached the city in roughly an hour. The temperature was vastly different from Urumqi! It was like we transported directly into the middle of summer. Maybe it something to do with the fact that its a desert.... 

First stop was food. Our driver that we met at the train station took us to a local Uyghur place that was delicious! The Polo we ordered was 100x better than the stuff we had earlier in the week in the capital- probably the best I've ever had! And we had grilled meat kebabs also.... mmm, good! It was hot in the restaurant tho! whew. 

Next we went to the city museum. Some museums are cool and others are lame, but this one was interesting. Outside of town are some ancient ruins of a former city. In these ruins, several mummies have been found. They weren't embalmed like the Egyptians used to do to their dead, but simply because of the dry heat of the desert, these bodies have been preserved. One of the first things you see in the museum is several mummified hands. Kinda of startling if you aren't expecting it. Farther in are several full mummies, some remarkably preserved. One guy even had his toenails in tact! The history was interesting to read also- all the different peoples that inhabited that region over the centuries. There were a few dinosaur skeletons also. 

Now on to the ancient city itself! We drove out of town a little ways past vineyard after vineyard. The area is known for its grapes, raisins and wine. The green of the grapevines stood in sharp contrast against the tan sand. We also drove past the Flaming Mountain- its red rock sides look like flames of fire. Being non-tourist time, there was practically nobody at the ancient ruins. We wandered through old houses, climbed walls, peered into dried up wells and created random stories about the former inhabitants. I love history and geography, so exploring ancient ruins is right up my alley. 

Nearby is a traditional Uyghur village where the inhabitants still reside in mud/clay huts. This particular town has been in that particular location for hundreds of years. Now it has been partially commercialized, but still it was neat to visualize how these people lived for generations. The view was incredible, as the village is set back against the hills. Within walking distance are some old Buddhist caves that unfortunately we didn't have time to visit. Turpan is a place I'd like to visit again, for sure! 

Native Alaskan meets HOT Texas!

Between the time I purchased my car in Denver, CO and arrived here at school in Bowie, TX, I logged almost 3000 miles on that car! Many long hours of driving, many states covered, but well worth it to see many friends and family that I hadn't seen in a long time. From Denver, I drove north to Ft. Collins area to see a friend from my days at West Coast Baptist College. Then on thru eastern Wyoming to arrive in Rapid City to see some friends I hadn't seen in 7 years! The Holders have always been a blessing and encouragement to me and still are today! I spent much time with 2 of their girls and got to see half of the family there. Also saw some dear friends in Rapid, that once lived in Alaska. 

 From there, I traveled across the state to Huron, SD - my dad's hometown. Stayed the night with my grandma on the old farm and left early the next morning. Stopped in Omaha and had lunch with my brother Luke and his wife, Sarah. Haven't seen them in 4 years. Continued driving all day until I reached Peoria, IL about 9pm that night. That was a long day! but I stayed with missionary friends, the Leutholds and Lithuanian friend. Had a wonderful 2 days with them, except I had this horrible kink in my neck. I've never had something like that before, thankfully I was able to get it taken care of before getting back on the road. 

 From Peoria, I drove another long day to Stratford, OK, where I stayed with another family. I got in later than I expected, but they were all up waiting for me. I enjoyed my time with them as well..... except the next day after leaving, I got an email from them.... seems one of the girls had lice (picked up from Vacation Bible School probably).... no big deal, except I slept in her bed the night I was with them! argh!!! :) but so far, no little bugs for me! Thank you, God! 

  I arrived in Bowie, TX Wednesday evening. I was tired.... and hot.... but I am getting settled in here. The last few days have been over 100 degrees. Its been a trial for me, but hopefully it gets cooler soon!!!