Since the two children watched "Where Are We Going, Dad", they have been talking about going to the desert to play with sand. It was originally planned to take them to experience the simple folk customs and desolate desert in the Northwest last summer. Before departure, the epidemic relapsed and had to give up. This also left a knot in the children's hearts. At the beginning of July this year, I discussed with the baby's mother. If the epidemic prevention permits, I will satisfy the children's little wish in early August. Seeing that the time is getting closer, and the epidemic seems to be showing signs of recurrence in various places, I thought about giving the child a "vaccination" first, and discussed with the child that if Ningxia was at risk, we would not go there. Looking at the disappointed eyes of the child, we are also very sad. Fortunately, there has been no epidemic in Ningxia. Our air tickets and hotels did not dare to place all orders until the last day. We packed up the sunscreen clothing, sunscreen, desert shoe covers, sunscreen sleeves, and disposable bedding that we had purchased last year... ..Starting our trip to Ningxia sheep herding!
The first stop we chose was the Jinshahai Train Theme Hotel. I also considered the Desert Star Hotel, which is known as the only five-star hotel in the desert by the "super Internet celebrity", but its price/performance ratio is too low, and it is difficult to book rooms, so I had to give up. The Train Hotel is also a well-known family-friendly attraction. It is just behind the Jinshahai Visitor Center and has complete facilities. If you have to work hard on the first day, you should live in a better condition. The plane arrived at Yinchuan Hedong Airport at 11:00 am at 8:30 in the morning. After a short rest at the airport, I transferred to the high-speed rail from the airport to Zhongwei. After getting off the high-speed rail, I took a taxi and went straight to the train hotel. Arriving at the train hotel at 2:30 in the afternoon, I thought Zhongwei would be cooler than Changsha, but I didn't expect that they were all in the same order of magnitude. I was worried about heatstroke and rested in the room until around 4 o'clock before going to the project area. The room in the train hotel is not big, but it's clean, with complete facilities, and it's very convenient to wash, especially the air conditioner works very well. The two children took a shower and took a nap in peace of mind.
Around 4 o'clock, the family came to the visitor center to take a free battery car to the project area. The advantage of staying in a train hotel is that the battery car is free to pick up and drop off, on call, and all play items are half price, and children under 6 years old and under 1.2 meters are free of charge. When I bought the ticket, although our little one had just turned 6 years old, he was only 1.15 meters tall, and all events were free of charge. I didn't know whether I was happy or depressed. In the end, I spent 570 yuan to buy 6 tickets, which can take 3 camels, 3 surf cars, 6 parent-child self-driving karts, 3 quad bikes and 6 desert balance bikes. The sandboard is free to rent, and after paying the deposit, you can take it back to the train hotel to play casually, and it will be fine when you check out. We were lucky too. When we were playing, the sun just hid in the clouds, so the children had a great time playing.
After 6:00, I returned to the guest room, took a shower, and went to the visitor center to eat. Two meat and two vegetables plus two bottles of beer, the taste was not bad, the portion was very large, and the price of 260 yuan was acceptable. After eating, the two children dragged their sand boards to the sand slope and rolled around. It got dark very late, and the sun didn't gradually set until almost 8:30. After playing until after 9 o'clock, the children were also tired, so they went back to the room and went to bed after washing.
Maybe it was too tired. Someone set off fireworks on the sand slope after 10 o'clock in the evening, but they didn't wake up the two cuties. Lying on the bed, I calculated the whole day's expenses, including air tickets, high-speed rail tickets, taxi fees, accommodation, dinner, sightseeing, cold drinks, souvenirs, etc., totaling about 5,100 yuan.
Compared with the city, the desert gives people a desolate and primitive feeling. Standing on the endless sand dunes, you will really feel your own smallness, just like being in the sea, helpless. The difference between it and the sea lies in the yellow sand under your feet. Stepping on it can make people feel more at ease than standing on a boat. Even if this sense of steadfastness is short-lived, it can bring you some comfort. You can't stand in one place for too long, because the wind and sand are very strong. If you stand in place for a long time, your feet will sink into the sand. It will take a lot of energy to get out, which is why walking in the desert consumes more energy. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it can bring people a sense of tranquility, and you can also see the long-lost stars at midnight. So we chose desert tent camping for the second stop.
There are many tent camps, all of which are in a desert base camp, less than 5 kilometers away from the urban area. We booked the Starry Sky Desert Tent Camp on Ctrip. I chose it because I booked this hotel last year and paid a deposit offline. Later, the trip was canceled due to the epidemic, but the boss Xiaogu was still very honest and returned all the deposit.
The next day, we went to the project area and used up the unused tickets. At 12:00 noon, we checked out of the train hotel and went straight to the desert base camp. To enter the base camp, you need to go to the shuttle center to change to an off-road vehicle. Generally, the transfer fee is free. Not long after arriving at the connecting center, Xiaogu’s father, Lao Gu, came to pick us up into the desert. When Lao Gu took us into the desert, he said that we are the first group of guests today, and we can actually enter the desert later, because the temperature is too high to enter the tent, and it is too hot to play in the sand. Fortunately, the reception center has a pergola for shade, and the children are also very happy to play with sand under the pergola.
After 5 o'clock in the afternoon, many tourists came one after another, and Lao Gu went to the shuttle center to pick them up every time. There are also recreational activities in the base camp, such as riding camels, surfing cars, driving quad bikes or go-karts, and Lao Gu sent us to the play area for free. The recreation area is actually behind the campsite, and it is just over a sand dune. After finishing the rides, Lao Gu said he would come to pick us up and return to the tented camp. Seeing him busy all by himself, we decided to walk back to the campsite by ourselves. The sand dunes behind the camp are full of sand boards, just right to slide to the door of the house.
Dinner is a self-service barbecue, 100 yuan per person, and the ingredients include mutton, chicken wings, beef gluten, gluten, grilled sausage, flesh and blood, etc., which are quite rich. Laogu people are very authentic, except for mutton, other ingredients are full. Our family is two big and two small, so we only count three servings, and I drink alone, so the drinks are also free, and come to drink and chat with me when I have time. At 9 o'clock, there will be fireworks and a bonfire party in the base camp, and there will be a special host to mobilize the atmosphere. The party lasted until more than 10 o'clock before the crowd dispersed one after another. There are public toilets and showers in the tented camps, but Lao Gu said that because it is powered by solar energy, if you want to take a shower, you should take a shower as early as possible, for fear that there will be no hot water in the back, so we took the children to take a shower before dinner. After the bonfire party, the children went back to the tent to rest with the lanterns.
Maybe it's because I'm a bit obsessed with the bed. I didn't close my eyes almost all night. Fortunately, the signal of Huawei mobile phone is still strong. At around 4 o'clock in the morning, it suddenly started to rain lightly, and the pattering raindrops hit the tent. It was unhurried, and it didn't feel noisy at all. The rain stopped around 6 o'clock, and the sky turned white. I got out of the tent and stood on the sand with bare feet, feeling at ease. The desert after the rain in the morning makes people feel the coolness that has not been seen for a long time. There is less sand and dust in the breeze, and it looks very gentle on the face. The yellow sand under the feet is like a layer of sandy mask, which saves effort and does not hurt the feet when walking on it, and does not feel damp.
The camp provides free breakfast, including white rice porridge, boiled eggs, small flower rolls, steamed buns, and pickles. After breakfast, the cub showed his talent as a "social cow" and went sandboarding with a few kids he just met. Taking advantage of the cool weather, my wife and I took our daughter to stroll around the camp to experience the desert style.
Around 10:00 in the morning, we hid in the pergola again, the children were still playing with the sand, and Lao Gu and I started talking. Seeing me brushing the sand and dust on the deck chair with a brush from time to time, he said, this is the world of sand, we are all visitors, we should adapt to the temper of the owner, and don't care so much about the wind and sand, it is everywhere. I thought the same, it is the master here, we are just passers-by, the dust is not as sticky as the dust, it will fall off when you pat it, it will not stain the clothes, there is no need to be so particular, and I am relieved when I think about it .
At around 11 noon, Lao Gu sent us to the shuttle center, and Lao Yang, who came to pick us up into the city, was already waiting for us. After saying goodbye to Lao Gu, we set off for our next destination - Shapotou. On the way, I estimated the cost of the tent camp. The total of board and lodging plus amusement items is about 1200 yuan.
