Eight days and seven nights road trip in Xinjiang｜Human Fireworks in Southern Xinjiang

As early as the last trip, I have been listening to my travel friends: Xinjiang has a vast land and abundant resources, and it is worth visiting once, so I chose Xinjiang for the annual vacation in April without hesitation.

It is said that southern borders look at the customs, and northern borders look at the scenery. After a detailed description, I am also full of longing for this mysterious territory.

And this time my goal is to reach the characteristic old city of Kashgar, the southernmost point of Xinjiang, which is nearly 4,000 kilometers away from Hangzhou.

itinerary

day1: Hangzhou - Urumqi - Hongshan Park - International Grand Bazaar

day2: Urumqi - Rob village - Korla

day3: Korla - Desert Highway - Populus euphratica Forest - Kuqa Palace - Kuqa Old Town

day4: Kuqa - Grand Canyon - Kezi Thousand Buddha Caves - Aksu

day5: Aksu-Xiangfei Tomb-Kashgar Old Town

day6: Kashgar - Baisha Lake - Pamirs - Ta County

day7: Ta County - Panlong Ancient Road - Salt Lake - Kashgar Old Town

day8: Return

day1: The plane is about to arrive in Urumqi

Each itinerary was designed in a hurry, so I still chose the flight at 7 o'clock in the morning as usual, and arrived at the airport one day in advance. For the first time in my life, I really lay down on the airport rest chair all night.

Dip, check in at the 711 convenience store in the morning, and then set off to check in for the plane, 3250 kilometers, which lasted 5 hours and 5 minutes, I am coming to Xinjiang.

The first moment I arrived at the airport was to choose to put my luggage. I don’t have to boast that as long as the airport has a subway, I think it’s great, but it’s a little far away, and it’s on the other side of the parking lot.

I chose to stay at Parking Youth Hostel. Last time I stayed in Yangshuo for one night. It is said that Xinjiang is its base camp. There are branches in many cities. The focus is in Nanhu City. It is convenient to go anywhere.

First stop: Hongshan Park

The distance between two bus stops is the first place to play - Hongshan Park. Its mountain is mainly composed of purple-red gravel, hence the name Hongshan.

Maybe it’s just on the weekend, there are quite a lot of people who come to stroll. The whole route is to meet the Dafo Temple on the mountainside, and then go up the road, and you will see the Overlook Building, which is three floors high. When you climb to the third floor, the whole of Urumqi The scenery has a panoramic view, and there are surprises in the distance - snow mountains.

Leaving the Overlook Building and going up, there is the famous Hongta with a history of more than 200 years, and all the way down, you can also swim in the lake for sightseeing.

Generally speaking, it is a large park integrating leisure and entertainment, sports and fitness, tourism and sightseeing for local people.

Immediately after the second stop, we came to the famous International Grand Bazaar. When I heard these names, I kept recalling the appearance of those special street markets, and then I was dumbfounded when I arrived. It is divided into many themed blocks, including local specialty snacks and handmade works with folk customs. The most novel thing is these very halal cultural buildings in the local area.

But my favorite is this naan shop on the street. It develops from the origin of naan to various ingredients, and then to various types of naan, and then there are even naan made by the on-site masters, step by step Let us understand the specialties of Xinjiang. Very special novelty.

The night is gradually falling, and the night in Xinjiang does not end until ten o'clock. Then stroll to the Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar opposite, there is a food court here, and the skewers can be walked directly.

day2: The trip to southern Xinjiang has officially started

The whole journey lasted almost three hours. Hungry and hungry, we arrived at the hotel at night, so we turned around and ran to the next destination: a very famous local barbecue restaurant in Korla: Kaikaibalang.

I have to say that what the locals are eating at ten o'clock is still the grilled lamb chops full of guests. That's one word: absolutely, the happiness from the rice cooker.

day3: Today we are going to Kuqa

All the way to the south, the more you can feel the unique style of the Western Regions in Xinjiang. The original plan in the morning was to go for a stroll around the Populus euphratica forest. Everyone knows that the Populus euphratica forest is immortal for three thousand years, immortal for three thousand years, and immortal for three thousand years. In time, only they meet water and grow, and meet in the most beautiful autumn. Unfortunately, when we arrived in April, we could only see a piece of barrenness. Under the loneliness, we could only reach Kuqa ahead of schedule, so there was an extra itinerary point, that is, Kuqa palace.

I came across a small local restaurant on the road and found a cheap big plate chicken set meal, which included belt noodles for 58 yuan, so I had to hurry up and get a copy, so I had this wave of rich and delicious food, but in fact, the journey was not easy. Suggestion, because everyone is a quick fix.

On the way back at night, I couldn’t help it anymore. I went to the local Internet celebrity restaurant-Yaksim to have a kebab meal with my friends. Huh, the goal is only to gain five catties.

day4: Depart from Aksu

Today is a brave adventure. The car drove on the desert road and clocked in at the end of the Duku Highway. It seemed to indicate that I would arrive at the starting point for the next trip.

Today's first stop is the Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon. It takes almost 3 hours to walk back and forth in one breath. It can be seen that the canyon inside is wide. I have to say that the sun at two o'clock in the afternoon makes every side of the canyon vividly displayed. And I also staged a run boy. The bright red rock mass is really like a world away in the sun. Going all the way inward, our end point is a ray of sky, a ray of light passing through the extremely narrow tunnel, maybe this is also a resort.

If the Kuqa Grand Canyon is a physical experience, then we turned around and came to the literary edification-Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, which turned out to be a place where scriptures are stored for a hundred years longer than the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. , may be in disrepair, so there are not many places to visit, but it is also the only place where you can take pictures.

In the evening, the rice cookers gathered at a new internet celebrity: Warehouse No. 3, and harvested another wave of new continents, that is, the pepper chicken is also very good.

day5: Kashgar, a small city in the Western Regions

After arriving in Kashgar, we went to apply for a border defense certificate. Tomorrow, we will go to Taxian County to experience a wave of Pamirs at an altitude of 3,000 meters.

Then we arrived at Xiangfei Garden, which is not actually Xiangfei’s home, but I have to say that Wenchuang did a very good job. From the welcome performance at the door, to the welcome banquet at Xiangfei’s house and the snatching of relatives, it’s really real. It was really fun to experience the unique customs of Xinjiang.

In the evening, everyone organized a group to go for a walk in the old city of Kashgar. Today’s theme is to eat all the delicacies in the old city. I have to say that the time in the old city is really very harmonious, and there are local people living in it. People, and children are also playing on the road at will, lively and active Uighur children are not afraid of life at all.

And this wave of novelty hunting also brought belly meat, lamb lungs, and all kinds of novel delicacies.

Fortunately, I still have a day to check in the old city again, so goodbye.

day6: Visitors on the iceberg

It is said that southern Xinjiang is a style, so the scenery of southern Xinjiang at this moment makes you reluctant to forget it every minute. Baisha Lake faces the snow-capped mountains. Maybe it is just in April, and the snow-capped mountains have not yet melted. From then on, this is like a painting. Pamir Gao Principle checked in the Stone City ruins and Golden Grass Beach, as well as Tajik home visits, and finally came to this yak hot pot restaurant run by pure Tajik people.

This is how we slowly got to know this nation on the iceberg bit by bit.

A nation that is hospitable and good at singing and dancing.

day7: Go back to Kashgar Old Town

There is also Muztagh Peak that I almost missed. Although the lake is not as beautiful as Baisha Lake, it is also a scenery under the iceberg.

There is also the apricot forest that I met on the road. I regretted that I missed it, but I have to say that there are always many beautiful things on the road that are unexpected.

In the end, everyone met by fate and had the last dinner together in the old city.

The time in the old city really needs to be savored carefully.

Supplementary thoughts at the end

What I said the most during the whole trip was that it was different from what I imagined. Maybe this is the meaning of travel. The world is very big, and many times our cognition is too small. The scenery here, the food here, and the people growing here , they can sing and dance, love life. Thank you for meeting me along the way.

hello, i am little sijia.

A 95👧 who loves to travel alone

Checked in more than 70 cities in four years

Follow me and tell you stories on the road.