foreword

        The first time I heard about Sandao Haizi was four years ago, after the head of the family went there. According to his description, there is a mountain on a dry beach, there are several puddles of water in the mountain, and there are a lot of mosquitoes there. Hearing what he said, I immediately lost the desire to go.

       However, this summer, he suddenly proposed: I will take you three Haizi. Seeing my doubts, I explained: there is the tomb of Genghis Khan, and there is also a Chinese pyramid. With his description, a magnificent scenic spot appeared in my mind. If the tomb of Genghis Khan is really there, then the style of the scenic spot must not be low.

       So I immediately decided to go with him.

       Because it is a self-driving tour, and it is camping, it saves a lot of booking procedures on the Internet, and all the field equipment is packed up when it is used up, and you only need to take it with you.

about me

I am a native of Xinjiang. I love traveling and self-driving tours with my family. I don’t like to enter scenic spots. I insist that the beautiful scenery is always outside the scenic spot. I love words. Every time I come back from a trip, I always like to leave written records, but I have kept them privately and never published them. I love photography, but my skills are not good. Fortunately, I have a lover who is on the same path as me, and I can always hit it off. There is a sticky little tail - my daughter, wherever I go, always follow there, and act as my model during the journey.

        In addition to the scenic spots introduced by the government, there are more scenic spots hidden in places that are not scenic spots in Xinjiang, and we dig them out with our own meager strength to show you a different and beautiful Xinjiang.

        If you like: Please follow our WeChat public account: Tie Ma You Jiang.

equipment

1. The mobile phone charging cable, because there is a car charging device, you only need to bring the charging cable. However, in the charging cable we prepared, one end was loose, and the other was kicked by the restless daughter while charging. Kicked the head off, and even though it was barely usable after being straightened, the head was still loose.

2. Outdoor charger: This is a must, it can be connected to the electricity outdoors, and it can be hooked up in winter. The key is to connect the 220V voltage directly to charge the camera battery when the camera battery is out of power.

3. Outdoor luggage: can hold all our outdoor appliances, tableware, etc., kettle (15L)

4. Luggage: tents, sleeping bags, moisture-proof pads, cold coats and mosquito repellent spray

5. Shooting equipment: Nikon D7000

the road

Route itinerary map (the part marked by the blue line)

One of the passing places: Gurbantunggut Desert

       The Gurbantunggut Desert is located in the hinterland of the Junggar Basin in northern Xinjiang, surrounded by high mountains and closed terrain. It is mainly composed of several deserts such as Huojingnirishin, Dezuo Suoten Erisong, Sobgulbuglei, Kuobeibu and Akkum, with an area of ​​48,800 square kilometers, second only to the Taklamakan Desert and The Badain Jaran Desert is the third largest desert in my country.

Passing place 2: Wucai Bay

       Colorful Bay is located in the north of Jimsar County. For thousands of years, due to the movement of the earth's crust, the extremely thick coal seam has gone through many vicissitudes, and the sand covering the surface has been eroded by wind and rain, exposing the coal seam and burning it under the action of lightning and sunlight, forming a bizarre natural landscape.

        Wucai Bay is also known as Wucai City because it looks like a city wall. This is a rare colorful world in the vast Gobi desert. It is known for its weirdness, mystery and magnificence. Some of the mounds resemble wheat stacks and pyramids, and some are still connected to peaks, but the hillsides are covered with grooves, resembling forts, palaces, and pavilions. The scenery is gorgeous and dizzying.

       The most famous here is Wucaiwan Hot Spring.

Passing place 3: Kalamaili Wildlife Sanctuary

   

       Kalamaili Nature Reserve is located in six counties including Qitai, Jimsar, Fukang, Fuyun, Biaohe and Fuhai in Xinjiang, on the eastern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert, south and north of the Ulungu River West of Tashan, north of Jiangjun Gobi.

       The mammals in the reserve include Mongolian wild ass, argali, goose-throated gazelle, prairie tabby cat, red fox, sand fox, weasel, grass rabbit and many kinds of rodents. Birds include golden eagles, jade belt sea eagles, goshawks, great bustards, and small bustards, and reptiles include desert lizards.

       Xinjiang is the hometown of Przewalski's wild horses, but unfortunately, in the 1970s, the wild horses were extinct. The wild horses in the wild horse breeding center in Jimsar County can no longer be called complete wild horses. This is an unspeakable pain for both Yema and Xinjiang. The hometown will never wait for her former wanderer, and the wanderer will never be able to return to her hometown... May all of us love the environment and maintain ecological balance...

DAY: 1

Early in the morning on July 11, we set off.

airport being built

Overlooking Bogda Mountain

On this morning, Bogda Peak in the distance is very clear

Entering the boundary of Wucai Bay, the land here is red

I came across a goose-throated gazelle suddenly, and I was going to take a close-up shot. As soon as I approached, a lady got out of the car behind, and suddenly let them run away with a loud voice. What should I do, who told me that they are from the Mainland, and I haven’t seen them before? !

The blue sky and white clouds can only be seen on such a plateau, which is comparable to the clouds on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

This is a paradise for both wild animals and domestic animals, but the grass here is really not flattering, and the pressure of survival for them is not small.

endless desert

desert ship

the road leads to the distance

Realistic version of landscape ink painting

The mountains here are very different from the Tianshan Mountains. When you enter the Tianshan Mountains, even in the shallow mountains with little grass, you can still see traces of green on the mountains, but here almost all the mountains are composed of stones. .

As soon as you enter the Qinghe River Basin, you enter the land of life

country stay

The streets of Ageletuobie Township are clean and tidy

valley jungle

A corner of Qinghe

girl by the river

meditation

gaze at

my model

My daughter used to not cooperate well, but now she always asks me to take pictures wherever she goes

Naan, our staple food

Salad

Homemade Spicy Beef Jerky

Homemade mustard cubes

Outdoor stove, make yourself a bowl of hot tea

The outdoor meal is simple but delicious. If you are at home, you will definitely be disgusted, but here you eat with gusto.

our tent

Campfires (with cow dung as fuel)

Camp, with this light, no need to go to bed early

Mysterious Sandao Haizi

Destination: Sandaohaizi

       Sandaohaizi is located in the northeast of Qinghe County, Xinjiang, on the northeastern edge of the Junggar Basin, at the watershed of the Altai Mountains, and borders Mongolia.

Qinghe, "Qinggeli" in Mongolian, means "beautiful and clear river". During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Qinghe was the grazing land of the Xiongnu. In the early Qing Dynasty, Qinghe was one of the territories of Junggar.

       For Xinjiang, where there is water, there is an oasis of life, especially for herdsmen who live by water and grass, as long as there is water, they will be there. In this regard, we can see from the distribution of residents in Xinjiang, those nomads are always in the most remote corners, a yurt, a herd of cattle and sheep, guarding the most beautiful scenery, living the simplest life, maintaining the most simple customs ...

       Sandaohaizi is composed of three alpine lakes, namely Bianhaizi (Chetkekule Lake), Zhonghaizi (Wortakule Lake) and Huahaizi (Shibarkule Lake). The water in Sandaohaizi flows into the Xiaoqing River, and finally into the Ulungu River.

       This is the southern foothills of the Altai Mountains, the hometown of the famous grassland nation, and historically it was an important hub on the "Prairie Silk Road" leading to Europe. In the 13th century, the people of the grassland established a military route leading to Khobdo, the Mongolian grassland in the east, and going out to the Brentuo Sea in the west, which became an important channel for the exchanges between the people of the Eastern and Western races at that time. For a long period of time afterwards, through this channel, business travelers continuously transported silk, tea and other goods from the Central Plains to Central Asia and various parts of Europe, and brought goods and products from Europe and other places along the way to the Central Plains. This is the famous "Great North Road" in history that passes through the Mongolian grasslands from the Central Plains and then turns to the southwest and crosses the Altai Mountains to Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. The opening and establishment of this Great North Road is inseparable from one person—Genghis Khan.

       Later generations commented: the thirteenth century AD was a century that changed the world. It was the century when China, which had been divided for more than 400 years, completed the fourth reunification. They are all associated with a great name, which is the well-known Mongolian people and their hero - Genghis Khan.

       Sandao Haizi is also famous because it is related to Genghis Khan.

DAY: 2

We woke up from the singing of birds in the early morning. We didn’t take up the tent because it was hot. Although it was a little cold in the middle of the night, we could bear it. We didn’t take up the tent because we wanted to look at the stars through the sand window of the tent, but that night The night sky was not clear, and we were tired during the day, so we fell asleep after a while. In order to ensure the master's sleep, let him sleep alone.

However, our industrious friends got up early and started the fire that had not been extinguished last night, just to burn the garbage produced before we left.

The mountain village behind is still asleep.

Qeng Ho morning

For breakfast, in addition to the same meal as last night, there is also a pot of noodle soup. When I was halfway through eating, I remembered to take another photo.

The camp is packed and ready to go

Taking this road is much closer to Qinghe County, but this road is not marked on the navigation. We parked in front, turned right and went to the road to Sandaohaizi. This road is also better than the right road The S320 line is much closer.

mountains along the way

A road leads to the distance. Although the route is not marked in the navigation, the road condition is relatively good.

checkpoint

The small stone pile on the top of the mountain, if it is in the Tibetan area, this is called Mani pile, but in Xinjiang, we have not asked what it means, but when we shuttle in the mountains without trees, we can always see this high pile when we look back. There are high small stone piles, so I privately guess whether this is a mark left by the local herdsmen for fear of getting lost?

Chagan Gol Reservoir

The rocks here are very strange. From a distance, don't they look like piles of cow dung fossils?

You can fish in the reservoir after paying the fee, but it must be after August, and before August is the closed fishing period

lookout

At this time, the reservoir has been flooded, otherwise the waters will be more spectacular

walking on the village road

coming into town

Boulevard

Although the small village is not big, the streets here are neat and clean, and even the shops on both sides are decorated with uniform facades

village field

Haystacks that have been laid, I thought they were beehives at first

big pasture

rural scene

The rape blossoms here are not open yet

The herdsmen’s travel weapon here—the motorcycle, always meets such people on the road, no matter men, women, old or young, traveling alone, or riding together with two people, and often can bring three people or a family of four.

Here is another reservoir, but smaller

Whenever in the mountainous areas, rapeseed flowers are always the standard equipment here, and you will always see them

In the Liangheyuan Nature Reserve of the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang, the handwriting on the original stone is very blurred. After returning back, the photos were processed to see what was written on it.

The four camel sisters and brothers, camels are very useful in the Altay region, and for herdsmen, they are the most indispensable force for relocation.

Although the mountain here is a stone mountain, the power of the grass should not be underestimated. As long as there is a little possibility, it will take root and grow.

Heavenly Land

Rocky

The gate leading to Sandaohaizi

The pillars by the door are engraved with imprints imitating deer stones

Siberian pine trees, for those of us who are used to seeing spruce trees, the pine trees here are a bit loose.

Climbing pine, it is said that the locals will use it to smoke meat, it tastes delicious, at first I thought it was moss, but I also wondered, how could there be such a big moss? The head of the family said it was a climbing pine, and after looking at it, sure enough, the branches were somewhat similar to the branches of a Siberian pine tree.

enter the valley

The sign on the top of the mountain, the altitude here is 2710m.

Toudao Haizi——Huahaizi, Huahaizi is the one with the most abundant water among the three lakes

camels of herdsmen

Huahaizi

Eagles hovering above our heads. When we came, we were just catching up with people stationed here slaughtering sheep. As soon as we looked up, we saw four eagles hovering above our heads. They probably fed them by themselves.

I saw the ancient stone pile from a distance

There are several herdsmen’s yurts here, providing food, lodging, horseback riding and other activities for tourists here. The mutton here is freshly slaughtered and sold raw for 70 yuan/kg, which is more expensive than what we buy at home. The processed ones 120 yuan/kg, a little expensive.

The children of the local herdsmen laughed and ran away when they saw us

ancient stone pile

inscription

Faced with the ancient stone pile, the one standing directly facing us is the deer stone, but the engraving on it has been blurred by the erosion of the years.

Deer Stone: According to the introduction on Baidu Encyclopedia, the deer stone is because the deer is depicted on the stone. Regarding its meaning, some people think it is a totem pole, the ancestor sacrificial pillar and the god-man tie-in post, while others think it is the World Mountain, World tree and male root.

Deer stones are generally in the shape of a rectangular stele, with a circle engraved on the top, and a straight or dotted line engraved slightly below. Below the line, there are generally beak-shaped deer flying towards the circle with their heads facing upwards. In this regard, many people say that this is the ancient people offering sacrifices to the sun, and believe that in the eyes of the ancient nomads, only the fastest deer and horses in the world can follow the most brilliant and vibrant sun in the universe.

A corner of the ancient stone pile

I don't know if the erected stones have always been there or were erected later. What do they represent?

I always feel that this is the front of the ancient stone pile, right?

        When the ancient stone pile was first discovered, people thought it was an ancient tomb.

Because it has a complete tomb body, heaven, tombstone, totem, stone circle outside the tomb, etc., in the initial identification of archaeological experts, it was also thought that this was the real tomb of Genghis Khan who had searched for him thousands of times, because this place used to be his herding horse The site, together with the ruins of Genghis Khan's camp not far from here, further confirmed this statement, but after research, they overturned this conclusion. Then, they speculated that it was the cemetery of Genghis Khan Sun Guiyouhan, but with the discovery of deer stones more than 3,000 years ago, they completely overturned the tomb conclusion related to Genghis Khan. Although this is not the sleeping place of Genghis Khan, his footprints actually stayed here, and he left a heroic legend about him here.

       China, more than 3,000 years ago, was at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. At that time, there were nomadic peoples called the one-eyed people who lived here. They believed in Shamanism. The medium of divine communication. So will the ancient stone pile be the tomb of the highest leader of the nomadic kingdom? With such doubts, archaeologists excavated and probed, but found that the so-called tombs did not have actual tombs, tomb pits, and tomb owners. So far, the theory of the tomb site has been completely overturned.

This is a bird's-eye view found on the Internet. From this picture, the shape of the ancient stone pile can be seen completely.

        When Genghis Khan used this place as his horse grazing land and transit field, this ancient stone pile has existed here for more than two thousand years. As a shaman who also believes in shamanism, he must have known this ancient sacrificial place for a long time. Perhaps it was because of this that he crossed the Kazin Daban with awe and took it as his usual place of residence. At that time, it must also bring

up

His mysterious power made his cavalry step into the territory of Europe.

        The awe of Genghis Khan has been passed on to the descendants, and the descendants have always admired the hero in their hearts. After passing on from generation to generation, the later generations regarded this place as his sleeping place and guarded it from generation to generation. From another point of view, this ancient stone pile has been protected again. If it weren't for him, after three thousand years of change, the stone piles here might have become some residual stones scattered on the grassland!

        So why did the one-eyed people pile up such a large pile of stones more than 3,000 years ago? What exactly did they use this pile of stones for? Archaeologists are still arguing that, according to the latest conclusions, it was once a large sacrifice site for Cyclops, or their summer ritual center.

        Near the largest ancient stone pile, there are 10 ruins of Meierman. They are distributed around one of the most important springs in Huahaizi. There is a round stone pile surrounded by small square stones, and the remaining 9 are small round stone piles. . There are more than 30 Beit ruins distributed in the dry river ditch. The traces found around these ruins all indicate that this is only a place for sacrifices, not the location of tombs. The burial site with the same pattern is in the Aljan "Valley of the Kings" in the Tuvauyuk Basin in Russia.

The loess road leading to Zhonghaizi, here is basically the edge of Huahaizi

Zhonghaizi, the water volume is much smaller

In Bianhaizi, there are only dots of small swamps scattered on the edge of the grassland

The thin loess road in front is the road leading to the Mongolian border, and our chariots have already been dusted here.

The white dots in the distance are herdsmen’s yurts

I don’t know if it’s because of the drought, but there are so many grasshoppers on the grassland, and every step we take will kill a lot of grasshoppers, so we decided on a whim to see how long it takes to catch a full bottle.

Grasshopper Catch Squad

The dark clouds in the distant mountains are rolling

Cattle and sheep strewn with the grassland

Looking at Huahaizi from a high place, we walked from above on the way back. Seeing Huahaizi is still different from seeing Huahaizi close up.

Only on the top can you feel the magnificence of Huahaizi

I took this photo when I came back. There was a sign that no climbing was put up in front of the ancient stone pile, but a group of people still went up and didn’t want to complain.

Wash the car full of loess on the side of the road

car is clean again

Small flowers in the jungle, perhaps because of the cold, there are very few plants here. Only a few clusters of small flowers were seen in the crevices of the rocks by the water.

For those beautiful flowers, they are very inconspicuous

small waterfall

the waterfall is really small

unknown flower

I don't know what this is, I just think it looks good

I saw a fat marmot from a distance. The local herdsman called it Soller, but when I ran to it, I only photographed its back, which was on the small stone next to the big stone in the middle. deep.

stone mountain

Guess what flower this is? (coriander flower)

Lu Yu Xiaoshuitan

The reason to stop is that there is spring water, real mineral water

Locals will bring various containers to fetch water, or pick up a bowl to drink before leaving

We also went to join in the excitement, did you see the monument? The special instructions are only available in Uyghur, but there is no translation.

winding mountain road

Regrets on the trip

Passing through: Burgen Beaver Sanctuary

       The Burgen Beaver Reserve is located in the Burgen River Basin in Qinghe County. The Burgen River is a river that runs from east to west. It originates in Mongolia, flows into China, and joins the Qinggeli River to the Ulungu River. The beaver is along the 50KM river section.

DAY: 3

After coming down from Sandaohaizi and drinking the mineral water in the mountains, we planned to camp not far from the Takeshken port, but it was getting dark, so we found a place in the mountainous area by the roadside, and unexpectedly One end entered the mosquito nest, and we were once again reduced to a delicious meal for mosquitoes.

The next morning, a friend made breakfast for us.

Dark clouds overwhelmed the environment. In fact, we had been expecting the rain to come down, but the rain didn’t come down until we left, and it caught up with a heavy rain when we were almost home.

The road to Takeshken in good condition

The Burgen River flows in the green forest belt

winding mountain road

The beaver reserve is in the dense forest, but it cannot be seen from the outside.

thinking

Deep in the dense forest is the home of the beaver.

       Just like going to Sandaohaizi, you need a border guard pass to go to Takeshiken Port. Unfortunately, we were lazy and didn't get it. When we went to Sandaohaizi, we didn't let it go. Later, we found an acquaintance to accommodate us. However, there was no way to get to Takeshken Port, so we had to turn back the same way. This is the regret of this trip.

There are always some warm fragments

On the top of the mountain in Bianhaizi, the local herdsmen enthusiastically answered our questions. Their home is in the deepest valley in Bianhaizi.

The yogurt gela to dry in a yurt on the side of Zhonghaizi Road, this small wooden frame plays a big role here.

When the daughter saw Geda yogurt, she wanted to buy it, so the head of the family took her into the yurt.

Unexpectedly, we were invited by the host to drink milk tea in the yurt. The host is a Kazakh couple who don't understand Chinese, and all the words are conveyed by their daughter. Originally, relatives were coming to their house, and the milk tea on the table was intended for them, but we didn't expect that we got there first. In return, we gave them the watermelons we had brought all the way in the car.

When we left, the male host was slaughtering sheep and preparing to welcome relatives at home.

When receiving mineral water, the locals gave us a nozzle.

The beautiful little girl probably sensed my sneak shot, her eyes are a bit sharp

They explained the meaning of the inscription to us. It turns out that drinking the spring water is good for the stomach and can also treat skin diseases.

       During the journey, we always encounter some unforgettable moments, or a word, or a thing. May all good people live in peace.

clouds in the sky

        A long time ago, I thought that the clouds in Xinjiang were the most beautiful. However, after a trip to Tibet, I realized that the clouds there are really beautiful. For a while, I even disliked the clouds in Xinjiang, but this time I encountered the most beautiful clouds in Xinjiang. Especially on the return trip, I can't help but take photos of the clouds.

The clouds here are a little dark because the rain hasn't come down, but they are magnificent.

On the return journey, it was really blue sky and white clouds.

This momentum can only be described as oppressive.

Where covered by clouds is always dark

more like a tengu swallowing the sun

The sun is too hot and I spit it out again

evening glow

Raiders

Regarding food: I only ate three meals in the restaurant in three days, and the rest were homemade meals

In the afternoon of the second day, I came down from Sandaohaizi. I had lunch and dinner together in Chagan Gol Township. There are other restaurants here. Relatively speaking, this one is a bit bigger, and there is a larger one, but it is Kazakh. It's open, but unfortunately I don't understand Chinese.

Mushroom noodle dish

Mixed noodles

It was the first time in history that my daughter ate such a large plate of fried noodles

CD

We have finished eating, daughter is still working on it, the taste is not bad

menu

menu

Daughter also has CD

This is where we ate in Kyakhta at noon on the first day and mid-afternoon on the third day (4 and 5 o'clock)

In such a place, this kind of environment is still good

back hall

Mixed noodles, 20 yuan/serving, here the noodles are all 20 yuan/serving except the noodles with oily pork which is 25 yuan/serving

Sauerkraut Noodles

Spicy noodles

Eggplant Noodles

The meatball soup and two flower rolls that my daughter ate, she ate this twice back and forth, and finished it each time.

CD

My daughter is still eating hard

The Hanamaki has been eaten. Meatball soup 20 yuan/serving.

Regarding the accommodation: I have always pursued camping in the wild as long as I can, and have close contact with nature. The only disadvantage is that I will feed mosquitoes.

About the line: From Urumqi to Qinghe for about 600 kilometers, take Wuchang Expressway first, then turn to Tuwuda Expressway, then turn to Wuda Expressway, turn to G216 line, transfer to Altay to S320 line and then to S228 line , the road conditions are good, but the speed limit starts from turning on the G216 line, which is basically 80km/h. After the S320 and S228 lines, because it enters the mountainous area, the speed limit is between 40km/h~60km/h. From Qinghe County to Sandaohaizi, the road conditions are also good, but the speed limit is still a problem. The good road conditions stop at Huahaizi. There are two lines from Huahaizi to Zhonghaizi and Bianhaizi: the uplink, the road condition is relatively good, but the gravel road, the road surface is relatively flat, but you can only watch Huahaizi from a long distance; the downlink The road condition is poor, basically a loess road, which is a road made by herdsmen, but it can be close to Huahaizi. The two lines meet at the foot of the mountain in Zhonghaizi, and you can go to Bianhaizi all the way to the gravel road, but the dust is relatively large.

Important note: Be sure to apply for a border pass! Be sure to apply for a border pass! Be sure to apply for a border pass! Say important things three times. The border pass is processed at the Qinghe County Frontier Defense Brigade. Only after applying for a permit can you go to Sandaohaizi and Takeshken Port. Qinghe County is nearly 100 kilometers away from Sandao Haizi, and it is also nearly 100 kilometers away from the port. The three places form a triangle.