Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang, China – Images by Jamie McDonald

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well, we were on the road to Rome, in Kashgar, a crucial silk road stop after and before the Taklamakan Desert.

The name of the desert in local folklore means Go in and you won’t come out, and the fierce heat and sandstorms could easily allow one to dissapear very quickly. We wanted to go for a ride into the desert by camel, so we contacted Ali at Uighur Tour and Travel Centre (mailto: silkroadguide@hotmail.com) in the hotel we were staying in (The Qinibagh Hotel.)

The tour took us to Yarkand and then into the desert where we camped under the stars, well, in a tent under the stars, and ate delicious Desert Kebabs (the best kebab I have had except for Chris Raidis’ from Raidis Estate winery in Coonawarra). At first when Ali told me that we were only going to be riding for about 3 hours per day I was dissapointed, but getting back on the camel the following morning was frightful and my rear almost forced me into getting off and walking through the desert.

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Cheers

Jamie