"One of the shady back roads in Turpan.
 
Because of its unique setting and colourful people, Turpan seemed to have become a mecca for travelling types like myself, and it came as a pleasant surprise to find the hotel busy with other travellers, the first I had met since leaving Hohhot. 
 
For me, one of the extra pleasures of being in Turpan was being able to enjoy the company of other travellers, especially sitting in the small cafe in the hotel courtyard, in the cool of the evening, drinking beer and talking with the interesting assortment of international travellers. Many of them had made the journey over the mountains from Pakistan and through Kashgar. It made me feel that my trip, so far, had been quite tame. Though travelling the way I do can be interesting, it is often quite tiring, and a far cry from what a lot of people would think of as a holiday. The five days I spent in Turpan was really like a holiday, and gave me the much needed chance to relax and recharge my batteries before embarking on what was to be a muchmore exhausting journey than I had expected.
 
On one of my days in Turpan I joined 9 other travellers to visit two abandoned cities, some Buddhist caves, and  one of the strangest sights I had seen in a long time. This was a tomb. As my eyes got accustomed to the dim light of the attendant's torch, I could see two dried up bodies lying on a bed. According to my guide book, they had been there for at least 1500 years. Because of the almost total lack of moisture in the tomb they were preserved in a remarkable condition. It was all quite eerie. At the end of the tour our bus driver invited us to his house to meet his mother and sister. On our return to the hotel, we all went for a meal at a small nearby restaurant, completing what had been a perfect day." - MH