On leaving China

Expletives abounded in my head as I sat in the waiting area after clearing Chinese airport security in Hotan. When I looked up from my pointless venting to find a man staring at me, I couldn't decide whether to shout or cry. Of course I did neither, my rage soon dissipated, short lived and wholly pointless.

As we taxied out, I saw the fighter jets taking off in front of us-the military uses the same airport. As we gained altitude, I saw rectangular plots of farmed land whose borders were defined by long rows of poplars, which then gave way to the ocean of sand that is the Taklamakan Desert (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert). Some of the colors and sand formations were amazing. As we went further north, mountains appeared that appeared to be made of sand, half covered in snow. I tried to trace rivers and valleys as we flew but the pilots' flight plan did not cooperate.

I had an empty seat next to me on the leg to Urumqi. The man in the aisle seat must have been on his first flight. He seemed excited and a little nervous, clicking his seat belt buckle endlessly, raising up in his seat, looking around, then flipping the arm rest up and down. When I lowered my tray top, he watched me, and then did the same. Landing evoked a whole series of sounds-loud sighs and grunts, he clearly wanted to express his excitement and I was a disappointment because he could not communicate with me.

I spent my layover time trying to check in for the next flight (booked separately) and then clearing Chinese border control and immigration.

China, the part I saw anyway, is fascinating and complex. I am glad I went. It was barely a glimpse, as each of these stops are bound to be, but it's time to move on to Uzbekistan at last.