Far West China

Xinjiang Public Park (Chinese Style)

April 27 | No Comments

What the Chinese have mastered, however, is the art of enjoying a public park and it’s something that I think we as Americans can learn from.

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The Most Popular Uyghur Song in Xinjiang, China (Oynasun)

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If you’ve spent any amount of time in Xinjiang, chances are you’ve heard this song more times than you can count. It is, in my opinion, the most popular song in Xinjiang.

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Xinjiang’s High Speed Train | Traveler’s Guide

April 26 | No Comments

In December of 2014, Xinjiang’s first high speed train was opened to the public. At the time, it only reached as far as Hami, but in 2015 it connected the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi with the Gansu capital of Lanzhou. Here’s the story of this high speed train and my experience taking it. Sitting here […]

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Golf in Xinjiang, China | Elite Sport in a Poor Province

April 25 | No Comments

A short distance south of Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi there is a portion of beautiful land known as Nanshan, or “South Mountains”. For years tourist and locals have traveled away from the noisy, polluted city life seeking the peaceful scenery that Nanshan provides, but soon they will have an entirely different reason to visit: a new luxury golf course.

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Xinjiang’s Most Hated Foreigners

April 24 | No Comments

Most foreigners these days are welcomed to Xinjiang with open arms. There is, however, a list of foreigners – both past and present – who will forever be scorned in the Xinjiang history books. This is the Xinjiang Most-Wanted Foreigners List.

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How to Rent a Car in China | Traveler’s Guide

April 22 | No Comments

No tourist buses. No blazing hot sun beating down on me. No need to pay an entrance fee.

Just the pure joy of independent travel in my favorite province in China.

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My Xinjiang Story Summed up in 15 Photos

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It’s been 6 months already but a lot has happened. I believe these 15 pictures tell the story of this last half year well.

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Self-Publishing a Travel Guide: My Experience

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What does it take to self-publish a travel guide? I take a look back at my publishing experience to review what it cost me and how successful the book has been so far.

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Living Without Internet for a Year (the REAL Story)

April 21 | No Comments

My Dearest Xinhua,I want to write a personal thank-you for your recent article about the year-long internet blackout here in Xinjiang. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the tragic Urumqi riots in July 2009 that resulted in a cut of all internet access, text messaging and international phone calls for 10 straight months. If […]

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5 Beautiful Views of Urumqi, Capital of Xinjiang

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Urumqi, the capital of China’s western region of Xinjiang, is not as bad as everybody says it is. At least I don’t think so and I hope to prove that to you with these recent photos I’ve taken. Travel guides generally steer you away from Urumqi in favor of other Silk Road outposts and unfortunately […]

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