Seeing a photo of Populus euphratica forest many years ago made my heart flutter, and I longed to go to southern Xinjiang to see Populus euphratica forest with my own eyes. Jinfu Travel Agency has created this condition for us.
There are 21 people in our group, 16 of them are over 70 years old, and 4 of them are over 80 years old.
From this road map, we can see that we will go around southern Xinjiang in about 10 days, with a total distance of about 3,500 kilometers. basic mileage per day
400-500 kilometers. According to the usual experience, there should be no problem walking for 4-5 hours a day, but walking in a circle is far from what we thought. The hardships of the journey make us unforgettable, but this group of elderly people persisted and are very happy Xing, persevere contentedly.
First introduce the itinerary and the main attractions:
(1) We left Beijing by train on October 14th and arrived in Urumqi on the afternoon of the 15th after a 33-hour drive. The next day (16th) officially started the trip to southern Xinjiang.
(2) Go to Korla on the 16th. Yanqi County "Seven Star Buddha Temple Ruins".
(3) Go to Kuqa on the 17th. "Mysterious Grand Canyon of Tianshan Mountains".
(4) Go to Aksu on the 18th. "Wensu Grand Canyon".
(5) Head to Kashgar on the 19th. "Kashgar Ancient City".
(6) "Lake Karakuli" on the 20th. Pass through "White Sand Mountain" and "White Sand Lake".
(7) On the 21st, go to Yecheng via Shache. "Tomb of Fragrant Concubine", "Id Kah Mosque", "Tomb of King Shache".
(8) Go to Hotan on the 22nd. "Hotian Grand Bazaar", "Hotian Night Market".
(9) Go to Minfeng on the 23rd. "The Walnut King".
(10) Go to Qiemo on the 24th. Pass through Wuming Reservoir to see Populus euphratica forest. "Qemo Grand Bazaar".
(11) Go to Ruoqiang on the 25th. "Loulan Museum", "Milan Ruins".
(12) Go to Korla on the 26th. "Robu Village".
Return to Beijing by plane on the 27th.
A few points to explain: (1) Difficulty. The highways in Xinjiang are well repaired. But the speed limit is 40-60, and the car cannot be driven. The security check is very strict and will be checked several times a day. So the time on the road will be about 8 hours a day. It is difficult to eat on the road. There may be no people, no service areas, and no restaurants for a long stretch of the road. You may come across a few small restaurants. It is common to eat pilaf and noodles in very simple small restaurants.
(2) pleasure. Xinjiang's natural scenery is very beautiful, the Grand Canyon, Populus euphratica forest, and snow-capped mountains are all worth seeing.
(3) harvest. It was only after arriving in Xinjiang that we had the most direct and perceptual understanding of the "vastness" of our motherland. Xinjiang not only has a vast territory but also has
The rich mineral resources are really "big land and abundant resources". Learn more about the profound cultural heritage of Xinjiang. So although the journey was difficult, it was worth it.
Due to the limited space, long time, and many photos I want to post, this travel note is divided into two parts, which retains its continuity and focuses on different things.
Leaving Urumqi for Korla, the scenery along the way made me dizzy.
This is Dabancheng Wind Power Plant.
On the other side of the bridge is Daban City, and behind it is the well-known "Tianshan".
This valley is called "Gangou".
"Seven Stars Buddha Statue Ruins" located in Yanqi County. With a history of more than 1,700 years, it was once the Buddhist center of Yanqi State in the Jin and Tang Dynasties.
This site is the only one left in Xinjiang, and at the same time preserves the precious site group of pagodas, Buddhist halls and grottoes.
The legs of the Buddha statue in the huge glass house are authentic products preserved for thousands of years. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, European, American and Japanese explorers entered Xinjiang one after another, stole cultural relics, cut off murals, and severely damaged Buddhist temples.
This pair of "Female Provider" is now in the Berlin Museum in Germany.
Leave Korla for Kuqa. Kuqa is also called Kucha.
The "Mysterious Grand Canyon of Tianshan Mountain" is surrounded by mountains at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain near Kuqa County.
The mountains here are completely red. Some places are open and can be used as squares.
Some places are narrow and one person needs to turn sideways to pass alone.
The mountains are towering and the strange rocks are in various poses and with different expressions.
Several elephants got together.
castle? palace?
like hounds? It's actually a crevice in the rock.
A reclining camel?
The grand canyon is majestic, spectacular, magical and quiet, which is really a wonder in the world.
Stay in Kuqa that night.
It snowed on the way to Aksu.
It took a long time to walk this way, and it was already past 4 pm when we arrived at the scenic spot "Wensu Grand Canyon". Tourists line up at the entrance of the scenic spot
Waiting for the shuttle bus in the scenic spot. The development time of the scenic spot may not be long, the preparation work needs to be perfected, and there are few vehicles. We have waited for a long time and are really worried that we will not be able to see anything after the sun sets. Fortunately, we are the last batch of tourists, and finally we did not come in vain.
Although this scenic spot is also a canyon, it is different from the Tianshan Grand Canyon. I will post more photos in the next post.
On the 19th, visit "Kashgar Ancient City" in Kashgar.
Also called "Gaotai Dwellings". This is a settlement of Uighurs, built on a high platform, with a history of hundreds of years, and later remodeled
become a famous tourist attraction.
On the other side of the city, there are still unrenovated Gaotai folk houses. Here houses are stacked on top of each other, many vacant, but still revealing
The splendor it once had hundreds of years ago.
There are many shops in the ancient city, full of strong Uighur customs.
The Uighurs are a nation that is good at singing and dancing.
The streets in the city criss-cross.
The Uighurs are a clean and beautiful nation.
Peaceful and quiet. People live a leisurely life.
In front of the door, there are flowers and plants on the window sills.
Adorable Uighur children.
There is a saying that "if you don't go to Kashgar, you don't count as going to Xinjiang." Only when you arrive in Kashgar can you experience the frontier customs more clearly.
On the morning of the 20th, depart from Kashgar to the Pamirs and visit the alpine lake "Lake Karakuri".
A one-way line is waiting.
On the way, "Baisha Mountain and Baisha Lake".
The domed mountain is known as the father of the iceberg, "Mustagh Peak" at 7,509 meters, and the second highest peak in Kunlun Mountains behind it, "Gonger Peak" at 7,649 meters.
The mountains and rivers along the way are dizzying. Xinjiang is so beautiful, and you can appreciate her beauty even more when you arrive in Kashgar, southern Xinjiang.
Let's bypass the 21-23 first, and the tour of these days will be introduced in the next article (2).
Go to Qiemo on the 24th. Here we would like to thank Ren Zhaoxiang, the tour guide of Golden Fortune Travel Agency. Originally, the following scenic spot was not included in the itinerary. After a few days, everyone was very eager to see Populus euphratica forest. After Xiaoren knew the thoughts of these grandparents, he gave up the night before. Rest, ask around, and finally learned that there is a reservoir (unknown) about 3 kilometers away from our hotel, where the Populus euphratica forest is good. In this way, we set off early in the morning, and we really found the reservoir and saw Populus euphratica forest, which fulfilled everyone's wish.
In fact, you can often see Populus euphratica forests along the way, but Xiao Ren said that the Populus euphratica forests are more beautiful in places with water. Indeed it is. Most of our elderly people are old customers of "Golden Fortune". One of the most important reasons why we choose Golden Fortune is the good service. Their tour guides will take care of the elderly very conscientiously. Xiao Ren takes the initiative to serve everyone and satisfy everyone's needs Requirements are rare in other travel agencies.
Populus euphratica forest in dry land.
Due to space limitations, this journey is first introduced here. Friends who are interested can see (2).
