What I’m not doing
I’ve done most of the things I can do in Hotan. There were a couple that I decided against doing:
- Mazar of Imam Asim: This mausoleum lies out of town and Uyghurs used to pray here. More recent reports have suggested that the area is off-limits to foreigners.
- Yue Tu Gan Old Town: This appears to be a theme park in the style of an old town, complete with performances at night. The entrance tickets are pricey at around CNY100. I’ve done these tourist traps and don’t need another one.
Museum
That left me with a trip to the museum around midday, located in a newish large building. They had a collection of mummies of over a thousand years old, from the Song Dynasty.
Apart from that, it was the usual collection of bronze and other items. Overviews of each area was available in English but placards for each display only in Chinese and Uyghur.
Taste of home
I had seen a Marrybrown fast food outlet nearby. It’s a Malaysian chain and I was hoping to get a taste of home.
Along the way, I saw a mosque with a new façade, very much in keeping with the recreated old town. I wasn’t allowed to enter without my passport but noticed the interior was quite simple and old but not rundown.
Marrybrown had laksa which I didn’t try, since I need some protein rather than more carbs. I opted for a chicken burger and what looked like a nasi lemak.
The nasi lemak wasn’t really. It was normal rice rather than coconut rice. It had a very small dollop of chilli somewhat resembling a sambal. There were cucumber slices but no peanuts and anchovies. Additional spice was available in the form of powdered chilli enhanced with MSG and other goodies. I wasn’t disappointed at all, as I was happy to just have something different.
I retired around 2215 (2015 unofficial time) with the aid of a sleeping pill, in preparation for the early start tomorrow morning.