The Last Day of Traveling with Yanan and Family

Today, we set off as early as seven in the morning. Since the Duku Highway was still closed, we had to take a detour. As a result, the route was not only less spectacular but also significantly longer. On top of that, we got stuck in traffic. In the end, we did not arrive in Ürümqi until shortly after 9 p.m., having seen very little along the way.

While the others went shopping for locally produced nuts and other specialties, I went to pick up the new eyeglass frame that I had ordered last Saturday. Afterwards, I headed to the travel agency to retrieve my bicycle, which I had stored there. It was quite interesting to see that even after 10 p.m. on a Sunday, there were still plenty of employees working in the office. That is definitely a very different work culture from what we are used to.

After finishing their shopping, the others came to pick me up at the travel agency. Somehow, we managed to lift the bicycle into the car and then drove to the hotel together. Shortly after 11 p.m., we were finally able to check into our rooms—and celebrate Lanxiang’s birthday. Today happened to be a milestone birthday for Yanan’s husband, Lanxiang. We did not celebrate for too long, however, because Yanan and Lanxiang had to leave for the airport at seven o’clock the next morning. As for me, I will definitely be setting off a bit later...