Thanks for the advice, all of you. We do have a fairly strong interest in going to Urumqi and points west because it's so different. Any suggestions for 5 or 6 days out west? It really sounds interesting, but we'd fly, I think, rather than take long train flights.
We have seen many organized tours which gives us an idea of where is interesting to go, but would prefer to self-guide if you think we can. Any ideas?