Throughout our travels in Xinjiang, we took every possible opportunity to walk the streets and get a personal feel for life in the region. Kashgar teemed with young children, screaming with laughter, using squirt guns in the dusty alleyways and converting concrete ramps into makeshift slides. They adored foreigners and were especially happy to pose for photographs. Nowhere in Beijing will you find such wanton pursuit of harmless fun, and it was infectious.
Sadly, we did not capture any of the frolicking on camera, though the two photos provided with this posting show a few characteristics of Kashgari neighborhoods: first, children are an active part of the economy, but still find ways to be children even on the job; second, they manage to find joy in living conditions that otherwise are less than inspiring. Mud-brick homes lean heavily against one another, with wooden ladders leading from one ancient-looking level to the next. Only the vibrant fabrics in which Uighur women dress themselves add color to the browns everywhere else. The glee of the Uighur children transformed this ordinarily impoverished landscape into a warm, happy place, one that imparts a sense of community, security, and contentment. A stark difference from daily scenes in Beijing, we can assure you.
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