Heading to the Wild West

Our next stop took us 2000+ kms west of Beijing to Xinjiang, China's most isolated province and one that feels like an entirely different country to the east coast. The capital, Urumqi, is officially the furthest city in the world from an ocean- at a time when we have clocked up over 14 months without a swim in the sea, this was tough going! However, the change in culture made this a refreshingly fascintating place.

Diversity of Chinese food reached a new level in Xinjiang- huge iron pots of lamb pilaf are cooked roadside in Urumqi... we were hooked straight away ($1 for a heaped plate)

Tian Jin (Heavenly Lake), is a beautiful body of water high up in the mountains outside Urumqi