In the morning, we took 4 jeeps and a truck and left for Yecheng. It took us three or four hours to get there. It was a stony, desolated region all the way from Kashgar. Every once in a while, there were oases, sand-hills with foliage, rice fields, or may be just a lonely tree. We could see the mountains in the distance. Then the desert appeared again. Although it was very unusual for that region, it constantly rained.

Yecheng is not a large settlement. There we found a market, small shops, and a bank. We had difficulties with exchanging currency there. Some people didn't even have a clue what a dollar was and what it was used for. We were afraid we would have problems exchanging enough money to complete all the required purchases. We stayed at the Alpinists' hotel. The quality of service was worse than in Kashgar and the prices were the same. There had the same type of cuisine, but the servings were smaller and the quality was worse.