The Kashgar Livestock Market

The livestock market takes place every sunday a short distance from the centre of Kashgar. People from all corners of the province arrive in cars, trucks, donkey carts, bikes and on foot and with them they bring the entire range of livestock known to man.

A while ago we visited the Moreton Show held in the Cotswalds in England every year. It's a gathering of farmers where cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, goats and even lamas are paraded elegantly around various arenas and tents. Kashgar was the raw and uncensored version of the English affair, with unbelievable sights and smells everywhere we pointed our faces.

The sheep are trimmed to show off their fatty rumps and at the back of the market is an area where you take your donkey, horse or camel for a test drive. Even though we were tempted to ride back to Beijing on a camel we were a bit pushed for time and realised it may not be the best idea. We had a good look around but made no purchases.