As a Guangdong banker who grew up in Xinjiang and has become an out-and-out silver worker after working, this time he took the opportunity to return to this familiar yet unfamiliar land.

In late August, we followed Jiangling Yuhu to embark on a "national journey", and the destination was the largest port in Xinjiang - Khorgos Port. We will first arrive at Yining City and use Yining as our base camp. We will travel all over the border in two days, from the gate of the country to the "last tear of the Atlantic Ocean" - Sailimu Lake, passing through Guozigou, and then going to the herdsman's house as a guest. Riding a horse and driving on the grassland is very unrestrained! After the event, I returned to my hometown - Kashgar, and I will also introduce you to the Kashgar gameplay that you have never experienced before!

Part 1 "National Tour"

This part mainly tells you about several scenic spots and play recommendations we went to, part 1 is in northern Xinjiang, and part 2 is back to my hometown Kashgar in southern Xinjiang.

DAY 1

Khorgos Port - old and new gates, travel through time and space

Korgos has a history of more than 130 years of customs clearance. It is the earliest port opened to the west in my country, and it is also the closest and most convenient window for my country to Central Asia, West Asia and even Europe. On September 27, 2018, the Khorgos southern joint inspection area located at the intersection of the "Shuangxi Highway" between China and Kazakhstan - the sixth-generation national gate was officially opened. It is 100 kilometers from Yining urban area to the new national gate. Our road tiger The convoy passed through the Qingyi Expressway, and arrived at the Lianhuo Expressway in an hour and a half.

From a distance, I can see the majestic Xinguomen standing on the Gobi. There are police border inspections stationed there, and there are not many passengers who pass through the customs. Compared with the old Guomen, which is 9 kilometers away, the Xinguomen looks very "magnificent". Laoguomen is more like a border town, with tourists and merchants bustling on the road, and a long line is lined up at the entrance of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Center, the world's first cross-border free trade zone. You can enter and exit with a passport or an entry-exit pass with a visa, which is very convenient for border trade and shopping for tourists.

Sailimu Lake - plateau lake, unpredictable

The one-morning trip to Laoguomen was very tiring. After a hearty lunch, our group set off for Sailimu Lake. Sleepy after dinner, I slept soundly in the backseat of the upright Jiangling Yuhu, but my 1.8-meter long legs were wronged. I am very envious of the front seats, Yuhu is like a combination of half SUV and half pickup.

Half asleep and half awake, I began to climb the mountain and pass through the tunnel, and I was still reminiscing about the ingenious Gongguogou Bridge. After passing through the Sailimu Lake Tunnel, a gray-blue lake connected to the sky jumped out in front of my eyes. The grass on the mountain has turned yellow, without the thick colors of summer. At this time, Sailimu Lake is a bit more vast, with dark clouds hanging in the sky, and there are gusts of cool wind. Compared with the urban area, the temperature here is lower. It was five or six degrees, and it was already below 20 degrees. Sitting on the bus in the scenic area, it took only half of the trip in an hour. Time was running out, so I quickly left after touching the cold lake water.

DAY 2

Zhaosu Ranch - I have a promise with the grassland

The next day, the sky began to rain, sometimes big and sometimes small. I planned to go to Xiaoduku to experience the four seasons of the mountain, but the road was blocked by snow on the mountain. Finally, it bypassed Turks from G577 and arrived at Zhaosu Ranch. Along the way, large tracts of rapeseed flowers flashed in the rain, and the scenery outside the window was like an oil painting. The locals said that if they had come half a month earlier, the lavender would not have been confiscated. The purple lavender fields are continuous, intertwined with golden castor and rapeseed, which is even more dreamy.

At noon, I tasted the local specialty - horse meat, one kilogram, one big plate. After eating meat and drinking heavily, it was only when I returned to Xinjiang that I realized that meat could be eaten as a meal, and the great cause of weight loss was put on hold. The road was bumpy, and finally arrived at the ranch in the afternoon. Instead, I felt very at ease in the back seat of Yuhu. No matter whether it was a big pit or a small washboard road, there was no signal after entering the ranch. Instead, I was more focused on the scenery. A white motorcade Passing through the herds of cattle and sheep, followed the herdsman's maroon horses all the way, and finally stopped in front of the two earthen houses of the herdsmen.

It was still raining in Zhaosu Ranch. There was a stove in the herdsman’s house, sitting around on the carpet, drinking hot salty milk tea, it was a familiar taste! But I still can't stand the kumiss, it's very sour, and a small piece of homemade yogurt will make you tremble and see the appearance of reincarnation. The fellow Kazakhs were really enthusiastic. The five-year-old brother who was riding a big horse didn’t say a word when he entered the room, watching us chatting and drinking milk tea shyly. Time flies without internet! In the blink of an eye, more than two hours have passed. After staying in the city for a long time, the time away from the mobile phone has become extremely precious. I focus on the people, scenery, and environment around me, and I feel extremely relaxed.

Part 2 Across the Tianshan Mountains——Into the Wonderful World of Southern Xinjiang

Kashgar Ancient City & East Bazaar

"If you don't come to Kashgar, you don't count as going to Xinjiang." I saw this sentence in a bus advertisement since I was in high school, and I thought: What's so good about this small place like Kashgar! When I walked through most of China and returned to Xinjiang, I suddenly tasted the wonder of Kashgar.

After leaving the ancient city, go east and cross the Tuman River to reach the Grand Bazaar, because it is on the east side of Kashgar, and we have called him "East Bazaar" since childhood. As soon as you enter the door, your pace picks up, which is in stark contrast to the slow life in the ancient city. Nearly 100,000 people trade here every day. The stalls are lined up one by one according to different categories, and different languages ​​are intertwined here, which does not affect bargaining at all. There are everything from daily necessities worth a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of handmade carpets. The exquisite handicrafts are shining in the window, and the crisp sound of the Uyghur tambourine accompanied by the vicissitudes of life and the loud singing of the old man is heard from a distance. , attracting the attention of visitors.

This is the same carpet~ handmade, worth 80,000

Have a close contact with Kashgar - Village Bazaar

Next is the unique gameplay I want to tell you. There is a bustling Uighur township more than ten kilometers south of downtown Kashgar. Every Thursday, the "bazaar" becomes very lively. Villagers from surrounding villages gather here. "Bazaar" means bazaar, where you will see the real primitive rural life of the Uighurs, cattle, sheep, and horses live trade, barbecue stalls full of fireworks, fruits, clothing, daily necessities, and the crowds in the bazaar are bustling. The villagers brought their own sheep to the bazaar, sold the money to buy some daily necessities nearby, had a meal of baked buns and barbecue, and drove home in their own tricycles or donkey carts. Simple, but full of fireworks.

So far, the trip to Xinjiang has come to an end. When I returned to Guangzhou and was surrounded by humid air, I still missed the cool and dry Xinjiang and the sun at 10 o'clock in the evening.

Part 3 Food, drink, housing and transportation, travel encyclopedia

The eternal theme - what to eat?

Taste is a memory that a person can never change. In Xinjiang, there is a special flavor that belongs to this place. Yining's characteristic horse meat, horse intestines, stewed horse meat, let it cool and slice, and it is a must to quench your hunger with wine. In August, there are flat peaches, which are very sweet and overflowing with juice. What I miss the most is the mutton. The mutton on the southern Xinjiang bazaar can eat 20 skewers at a time. A skewer of 3 or 5 yuan, with the deadly big Wusu, is solid! Eat barbecue in the smokiness, after eating a bunch of naan pit meat for 20 yuan, then order a bowl of mutton soup for free, and come back to eat two freshly baked buns, shiny teeth (onion ) mixed with mutton, with the crispy skin steaming down, it is enjoyable! Before going home, I will have another homemade ramen. The topping is fried with piyazi pepper and tomato. It is refreshing and delicious. I passed the grilled fish on the side of the provincial road at night. The original grilling method is a 2 kg grass carp. Beside the charcoal fire, brush the ingredients while roasting, the outside is charred and the inside is tender and the fish is fragrant, and another one is for supper!

Preparations before travel:

Xinjiang is a place where there are surprises waiting for you at any time. It is suitable for tourism in all seasons. As the largest province in China, 56 ethnic groups live on a land of 1.66 million square kilometers (a real great unity of all ethnic groups), and the vast territory It also makes Xinjiang's climate very different. Although the northern and southern Xinjiang are also far away from the ocean, and the temperature difference between day and night is large and very dry, the temperature in southern Xinjiang is higher than that in northern Xinjiang, and the precipitation in northern Xinjiang is higher than that in southern Xinjiang. Kashgar and Beijing are at the same latitude. .

This time we are traveling at the end of summer. I brought 7-point pants, a fleece jacket, and Yuhufa skin clothes and T-shirts. These equipment are obviously not enough for Beijiang! Freeze the cold directly. In southern Xinjiang, T-shirts are enough during the day, but it is a little cold at night. It is recommended that you must wear long pants and long-sleeved sunglasses no matter when you go to Xinjiang! It is best to bring a light down jacket. In winter, northern Xinjiang is imagined as Harbin, with a big down jacket and snow boots. 

transportation:

Traveling to Xinjiang, if you are not very familiar with it, you can go in a group. Driving is the most enjoyable. This time with Yuhu, you can run hundreds of kilometers in a day. If it is public transportation, there is no high-speed rail in southern Xinjiang, only K or T trains.

stay:

Make an appointment online in advance, preferably in the city center, where you can eat at night, otherwise you won’t be able to get a taxi at night, and you won’t have anything to eat. The price will not be too expensive, and hotels of all price ranges are involved, so I do not recommend it personally. Book online in advance. When going to the countryside to play, it is best to reserve time for the return trip, otherwise there will be no place to live in the village.

About security:

very safe! Carry your ID with you at all times.

Welcome everyone to Xinjiang!