Chapter 39
Michael got on the bus in Kashgar and tried to ignore the many eyes staring at him. In a great belch of black smoke, the bus left the market and zipped along at a good fifteen miles per hour until it reached a wide road where it rocketed up to twenty-five. He counted six sheep, several cages of birds, and a baby yak on the bus. Within an hour, the smell of dung was so bad he pulled his tee-shirt up over his nose. After another hour, the bus stopped. Michael wasn’t sure why, but everyone got off, including the animals. He did, too. Maybe, he prayed, someone would hose the damn bus out. Over a half-hour went by before they all climbed onto the bus again, animals included. No one had cleaned out anything.
Not until a forty-five minute stop at a government checkpoint did someone c
