i haven't had much to post lately, but former flatmate michael certainly does: he just got back from a 2,300km motorcycle trip across the deserts of xinjiang, in crazy-desert western china. the article makes for a riveting read (and the photos are best in full-screen). you must read until the end:
Sand is really like a million little, tiny rocks...and the visor of my helmet is made from some crappy plastic that wasn't made to stand up to threats like that. Over the four hours or so that it took me to get from Keriya to Niya (Minfeng), the constant scratching of sand gave my visor a sort-of frosted glass look. I really couldn't see anything, and rather than risk my life any more than I already had been, I decided to break the visor off with my foot and put on my Ray-Bans. This did wonders to improve visibility, but my face was now fully exposed to the ravages of the sandstorm. To make a long (and painful and tiring) story short, I arrived at Tazhong at around 9pm. Cleaning the sand out of my hair and ears - and cleaning the sandy mud out of my nose, eyes, and mouth - took about 30 minutes.crap, i need to visit michael this summer!