The Grand Bazaar, Urumqi *by JS*

The word Bazaar found its origin in Persia which is basically modern Iran today. Equivalent word found in Turkey is Pazar or in Greek it's call Pazan. Closer to home we call it “pasar” and the same word in Chinese dialect used in Malaysia is pasak……and in Thailand it’s all “talat”.

Somehow all these words conjure the same meaning and differ only slightly in pronunciation although geographically, the country of origin of each of these words are spread half way around the world!

The word bazaar is usually synonymous with mystic and romance of the market place, scent of frankincense and myrth, expensive saffron threads, middle eastern spices, antiques...........all the way to the other extreme end where we get ........counterfeit antiques, russian goods and lastly stolen goods.

This bazaar in not that much different in terms of offer.

nuts and raisins

silverware

more silverware

Russian babushka doll

more babushka dolls!!

Russian binoculars.

WTF!!

knives

Aladdin Lamp??

big bronze vases

authentic endangered species skin!!!

A Uyghur vendor......

and mind you......they are good negotiators

typical store selling basically the same stuff.

After walking around for hours....it was time for a break......A bit of diversion here......after 3 days of Xinjiang Uyghur cuisine, guess we needed re-orientate our taste buds on taste and flavor........so here goes.

yes, col saunders bring it on!!

crispy fried chicken........better tasting than KUL ones.

and they serve custard egg tarts too!

with flaky pastry and soft egg custard that melts in your mouth!!!!

I must say that we are now forever indebted to col saunders .....what a welcoming sight it was....haha!!

Back to our main topic.......

The grand bazaar in Urumqi is definitely an attraction for tourist and i find it pretty authentic. Like any bazaars around the world one need to haggle and negotiate for the best price but then again this does add to the fun and bazaar like atmosphere. After wondering around for a while , one begin to wonder whether you are somewhere in a Moroccan or Turkish bazaar as the merchandize sold here are very "un-chinese" like!

The grand bazaar in Urumqi is build around the city centre square. It is divided into 4 sections and believe you me, one can spend days wondering around inside!

the tower and the mosque is the landmark where the grand bazaar is located.

Also like any bazaars around the world, one should not be caught off guard buying gemstone and precious metal like jade, gold, silver, etc. In short there is no guarantee of authenticity. One last advice.....always safeguard yourself against professional pick pockets. A perfect holiday can easily be ruin by being a victim of such clandestine activity. Remember what's in front of you is yours......what's behind is anybody's!

Happy traveling to you world travelers!