Turpan and Ancient Ruins

From Urumqi we went by bus to Turpan and to a number of ancient ruins like JiaoHe, some 1,700—2,000 years old, areas showing an amazing underground irrigation system bringing water under the desert from the snow capped mountains to provide water for the hardy souls who lived on the edges of the Gobi. We visited a Uyghur family who raised and sold a huge variety of raisins (to us for double the price we found them in the store, we later learned!). But still we loved the little light green ones, very different than regular American raisins (which I don't like!). All along the way, we, of course, poked around in the local shops enjoying seeing and bargaining for Pashima shawls, jade pendants, and dryed peaches, aprocots, and raisins.