journey:
D1: Kashi - Oytak - Baisha Lake - Taheman Wetland - Taxkorgan County
D2: Taxkorgan County - Xiabandi Reservoir - Thar Township, Kezhou
D3: Thar Township - Datong Township - Thar Township
D4: Tal Township - Kukosiluke Township - Xiabandi Reservoir - Golden Grass Beach - Taxkorgan County
D5: Taxkorgan County - Kashgar Old Town, fly to Yining at night
D6: Yining-Turgen-Xinyuan
D7: Xinyuan - Guozigou + Sailimu Lake - Qingshuihe Town
D8: Qingshuihe Town - Daxigou Fushou Mountain - Yining Old Town, train to Urumqi at night
D9: Urumqi Grand Bazaar - Museum of the Autonomous Region, fly home in the afternoon
It has been almost two weeks since I came back from Xinjiang. I checked the weather in the morning, and the list in the app was Urumqi, Kashi, Yining, Taxkorgan, Datong, and Kukosiluk. I was a little dazed. I ate naan for breakfast, Xinjiang fried rice noodles for lunch, and dried apricots that I couldn’t stop after the meal. Someone in the evening group wrote that Kashgar would not keep me because I like it. . . A girl who almost got together said that she really didn't want to go back to the world, and asked me if I would go again? I thought about it and said, I want to go there more than a dozen times.
The original idea of going to southern Xinjiang to see apricot blossoms came from a teammate who was trekking in Nepal. In her photos, the warm and splendid apricot blossoms are so harmonious with everything in khaki and brightly dressed ethnic minorities, and I was a little moved. Early April is the time when the apricot blossoms in the Pamirs are in full bloom. The reason why it has not become a big hit is because of the long distance and the short flowering period of the apricot blossoms. The blooming date is greatly affected by the weather, and no one can accurately predict it in advance. I want to give it a try! In fact, in the end, I don't even think flowers are important anymore. I want to go to southern Xinjiang! After going to northern Xinjiang twice, I was full of curiosity about southern Xinjiang. They all said that northern Xinjiang is beautiful, while southern Xinjiang is humanistic, and there are rumors that southern Xinjiang is chaotic and dangerous. . .
When looking at the guide, I found that the apricot blossoms in Ili will open after the Pamirs. Why not take a relay, from southern Xinjiang to northern Xinjiang? I found friends with similar moves on WeChat, which gave me great confidence. This friend told me that it is best to charter a car in Kashgar, while you can drive by yourself in Yili. So I added his driver from last year, and through him, I got to know Brother Liu, the driver of our trip.
I have always thought that traveling is a very personal thing, and I don't force myself or others. Looking at it this way, it is really lucky to be able to get together.
Sister Xue was the first to join. We met when we participated in an orientation competition, and we didn't have much intersection. Then the Beijing man Xiaojian added me. He seemed very reliable. Finally, Xiao Lu, who was going to ride the Xinzang line, had free time, but hesitated. The standard Libra, after chatting a few times, he was still undecided, and finally joined officially when he saw the right time. After finalizing the driver's time and approximate itinerary, the Pamir Buddhist Apricot Blossom Group officially debuted!
Two weeks before departure, the three ultimate questions I took the opportunity to ask were, are the flowers blooming? When will it open? ? can i see it ? ? After finding out that the flowers in Yili will most likely bloom around the Ching Ming Festival, I began to prepare for the second half of the itinerary. Casually let the friends in Kashgar continue to follow us to Yili, but they really left. So casual, what an angel! ! So, book a ticket, book a room, book a car, just wait for departure.
Xiaojian arrived in Kashgar first on the afternoon of the 29th, taking the company's wool and sitting in first class. Xiao Lu, who had been on the train for two days, also arrived later. The two of us departed from Pudong on the afternoon of the 29th, stopped in Hami, and stayed overnight in Urumqi. I haven't been here for more than a year, and Urumqi is connected to the subway! The next day we took the first two flights to Kashgar respectively. Arrive in Kashgar after about an hour and a half of flight.
Brother Liu picked us up, and went to the city to pick up our friends. After breakfast, buy fruit and naan and go all the way to Ta County! Taxkorgan is a border county in Kashgar, bordering the three countries. It is only 300 kilometers away from Kashgar, but it is necessary to cross Daban, which is 3 to 4 kilometers long, and circle Gongger Peak and Muztagh Peak all the way. The weather was bad when I went there, so I visited Oytak Baisha Lake. If it weren't for Xiao Lu's Cannon and Meitu software, we might not even have the courage to post on Moments.
I found a place to play on Liulin Avenue.
It was getting dark in Data County. Halfway through the meal, the boss came in from the outside and was covered in snow. It turned out to be snowing! When I went out early the next morning, I was stunned by the beautiful snow scene, the morning mist and the sunrise, which was as beautiful as the fairyland scene I had seen in Kanas.
On the way, we went to the Turkmen ruins, and climbed up the slope to see the mountains and the city with a 360-degree unobstructed view.
Several townships such as Datong, Tal, Kuko, and Siluk, where apricot blossoms can be seen, are hidden in the depths of the Taxkurgan River. The road along the canyon is not easy to open, and rocks and landslides can be seen on both sides.
Passing a reservoir, clear water and blue sky, I couldn't help playing for a while.
Passing through Kukosiluk, the flowers haven't bloomed yet, so we continue to go to Taal. We stayed in a village on the side of the road, not far from the Happy No. 5 Bridge. The people living here are Tajiks, and basically they can only communicate with body language. It took a long time to communicate with the room.
After eating the noodles, walk across the No. 5 bridge to the village to take pictures. The apricot blossoms are about half in bloom, which is still enough to show its magnificence. Every household is surrounded by old apricot trees, people are like this, so are cattle and sheep. The sun is just right, let's stroll freely.
When I met an old man, Xiaojian became a cultural envoy. The two chatted enthusiastically for a long time, and even went to someone's house as a guest.
It was a leisurely day, but Xue Meizi gave her precious culinary debut. In the Tajik kitchen, she sautéed beef with onions, vinegared cabbage and boiled tomato soup. I actually forgot to take pictures.
The Tajik people are simple and hospitable, and they don’t close their doors at night. Although the conditions for staying in the farmhouse are simple, the host provided us with firewood to boil water, brought us a kettle, washbasin, naan and almonds, and insisted on laying new sheets for us. Although it is almost impossible to communicate, we are still in this family. Their enthusiasm can be felt in the figures coming in and out. Early the next morning, the aunt brought milk tea again. Naan is milk tea, and Tajiks start their day with a simple breakfast.
Master Liu climbed up the hillside early in the morning and called us in the group to take pictures of the Internet celebrity Happy No. 5 Bridge, and we rushed there yawning. It may be that the apricot blossoms are not in full bloom, and I am not too excited to see the same style on the cover of this magazine. Instead, it was the way down the mountain that made me sober (scared) instantly.
Strolling across the bridge, watching their brigade meeting, there is a national flag raised, singing the national anthem, leadership speeches, mass speeches, and singing and dancing sessions. They gathered in a few groups and danced the eagle dance to the rhythm. . . Complicated feelings.
Depart in the afternoon for the next stop, Datong, the most beautiful scenery is always on the way. The first time I saw someone dropping a drone was Xiao Lu. . . Fortunately, people are heartless, dropping drones, tripods, and hard drives along the way did not affect their mood.
Taer belongs to Ke Prefecture, and Datong belongs to Ta County. The security checks are very strict. When entering Datong, the ID card is pressed at the police station. There are several types of security checks in Xinjiang. The lowest level is to roll down the window for people to have a look, the higher level is to pass through the house once, and the higher level is to swipe the ID card and face recognition several times to pass.
It must be that the way we opened Datong was wrong. The most well-known Datong township is actually only a construction site. . . But found a good way to pass the time, picking up rocks. It seems that people are obsessed with picking up stones in Xinjiang. The master quickly transplanted this obsession perfectly into the heads of his teammates. Really let them find a piece. Let's see how much it's worth!
Return to Taal. I found another restaurant to eat, and this one is even better in terms of the staff's Chinese proficiency, menu options, restaurant environment, and entertainment equipment. Had a good meal.
Originally, I still wanted to live in the super warm house yesterday, but I asked someone, and they said that this house is not there, so let me live in my house. That's all right. . . So I came to this three-bedroom luxury suite. Even in the dark village, I dared to walk independently. When I took a picture of the stars at the door of my house, I didn’t have the slightest fear when the police checked my ID card.
return trip. Continue to shoot flowers and play along the way.
Return to Ta County via Kuko Siruk. Cook's flowers didn't bloom at all, but for the sake of the snowy mountains, we also played time-lapse photography for a while. Went to Xiangbaobao Ruins. Under the reminder of the local herdsmen, they got into the Golden Grass Beach. Be beautiful again! Guilty as a thief, he got out after filming.
After eating yak hot pot, take pictures of the sunset. Back to Kashgar the next day, the time is tight but the weather is perfect. Muztag, Gonger Peak, why are you always here?
It's a pity that I only spent more than an hour shopping back to the ancient city of Kashgar.
The food street tried sheep's head, haggis, baked buns, fried fish, wontons and yogurt, which was also a self-breakthrough.
I passed by various post offices along the way, and it took more than ten minutes to walk to the post office near the Grand Bazaar. Goodbye, Kashgar.
There are several direct flights a week from Kashgar to Yining, and you can fly directly if the time is right, otherwise you can choose Urumqi as a transfer like us. I saw the sunset at nine o'clock. Originally, I thought that a lot of people would go to Yining, but it turned out that there were only four of us. After getting off the plane, China Southern Airlines directly sent us and our luggage to transfer, which is considered VIP treatment.
Compared with Kashi, Yining is greener and wetter. Strange to say, we had bags on our bodies one after another, the kind of itching in our hearts.
The next day when I picked up the car, the first stop was to go to the farmer's market first, and made a big purchase of dried fruit. Didn't expect us to be like this. . . After the car got out of the Namazha toll gate, the traffic police enforced the law and said that we did not wear seat belts in the back row. Although it is said that the minimum penalty is 20 yuan, I don't want to leave a stain! I asked the car rental company why your seat belt was stuck behind the seat and couldn't be pulled out, and asked the traffic police to check the situation, and repeatedly explained that this was a rented car, and we didn't know about it. Seeing that we were also sincere, the traffic police waved us away. Happy on the road! The car rental company reminded that the speed measurement in the Montenegro area is very strict. In fact, it is basically not overtaking during the daytime. Everyone moves forward at a slow speed or lies on their stomachs before the finish line!
The second station of Xinghua, Turgen, went online. This is a large scenic spot! The only time I bought tickets and took a shuttle bus. Fortunately, the scenic spot is big enough, and you can walk out of places without roads. The grass is not green enough and the air is not thorough enough. This is the gap between ideal and reality. But the beauty turned hot.
Stay in Xinyuan at night, the small town is very prosperous, and the dinner is very rich. The next day, I went directly to Guozigou and Sailimu Lake, and asked the master how to get to the hillside to see the panoramic view of Sailimu for a long time. I was still at a stalemate with my friends on the roadside for a long time, and finally ventured a hundred meters retrograde. Finally figured out how to go, as shown below. Suppose we are driving from the Guozigou Bridge to Sailimu Lake, exit from Sailimu Lake and return, and enter the road up the mountain at the circled place on the map. The navigation is to let the fruit ditch go through the circle below and enter that road. BUT that road is retrograde! !
Thanks to my teammates for their persistence, the scenery afterwards is definitely worth it. It is also good to take a look at Sailimu Lake in winter. Pretend to be in Switzerland! It's just that the plank road is a bit empty to climb.
Arrive at Qingshuihe Town, Huocheng County before sunset. On the third day, I arrived at Fushou Mountain in Daxigou early. When the road was closed for the marathon, and the weather was bad, the tickets were relatively expensive. I only bought two bottles of wild fruit jam and left. From Pamir Danturgen, who told us that the starting point is too high! Then go to Yining, first went to the Grand Bazaar, disappointed. Later, I went to the Kazanqi Folklore Area and ate delicious Xinjiang delicacies. The thin-skinned buns are very popular with everyone, and I didn’t want to take out when I came later.
Compared with the old city of Kashgar, the old city of Yining exudes a relaxed and romantic atmosphere, pretending to be in Santorini and Chefchaouen.
After shopping for a while, I first sent Xiaojian to the airport. I lamented how small and beautiful Yining Airport is. In a blink of an eye, the local driver I added also sighed in the circle of friends. Xinjiang people love their hometown the most, not one of them.
We are all trains at night, and it is still early to go to the ancient city, visit the home visit point, and molested the children and the aunt. . . After shopping for so long, it is only a small part of the old city.
It was still early to check in at the Yili River Bridge.
Refuel and return the car. Xiao Lu transferred to Yecheng to prepare for the Xinzang line. My sister Xue and I arrived in the cold Urumqi in the early morning. After a long time, I went to Erdaoqiao by car. Not seen for a year, here has become a pedestrian street. The two of us were hungry and cold, looking for a breakfast restaurant for a long time. I complained to my friend that every time I come to Urumqi, I am so embarrassed. She said that I can't let me ruin the good impression.
Visited the Grand Bazaar Museum, ate fried noodles and bought naan. At this time Urumqi has cleared up.
I have been to Xinjiang three times, and I thought it was only one summer away from it. However, Xinjiang opened up in different seasons and regions is completely different. Xinjiang is worth your pursuit, thousands of times.
