Urumqi (Wulumuqi)

Wulumuqi, Wulumuqi, Wulumuqi...the chinese pronounciation of Urumqi. I don't know why but I just love saying it!

After a jarring 2 hour bus ride into Liuyuan, we hopped onto a 10 hour overnight train to Urumqi, the Capital city of Xinjiang province and the city furthest away from any ocean!

The city is huge and with a population of over 2 million, it looks like any other major city in China. The only difference being the minorities which live in this province. There are 47 of China's 56 different minorities here. Some with very eastern european looks, you'd almost think you were in Europe. Amazing!

We didn't stay long here. We needed to head out west to Kashgar to renew our visas. Deeper into the Uighur areas. So far their food has been great. We tried a sweet potato and rice with lamb....sooooo good! Can't wait to try more. Kebabs are also a staple and we were able to enjoy some with a sort of cold beer in an open square.