Mummies of Xinjiang and Backpacking in Upper Svaneti Region of Georgia
Preparations for the next trip were under way almost immediately upon my return to China from the US. I spent the week cleaning and packing my clothing, purchasing new backpacking equipment, and double checking our itinerary. We flew out of Shenzhen Bao'An Airport on July 27th and landed in Urumqi close to midnight. We took the airport shuttle to the Tianyuan Hotel and promptly went to sleep. With a 20hr 25min transfer we had a lot of time to spare in Urumqi. We went to the Xinjiang Museum of History and afterward we got some delicious local cuisine. Of all the Chinese food I have tasted in China, Xinjiang cuisine has the most character. It is savory and spicy with a hint of sour. Goat is a major ingredient. I have tried Cantonese dim sum, Sichuan hot-pot, Harbin dumplings, and Hainan seafood and none of them compare in terms of flavor. The highlight of the Xinjiang history museum was these mummies which had been pr...