August 17th Nalati Sky Grassland

 

Nalati is known as the Grassland in the Air. Why do I always call it Natila? The second senior brother made it clear. It turns out that I always think of Attila, the whip of God who once traversed Europe and Asia in history. Well, you win, and I won't be wrong again.

Unlike the previous schedule, today we will check in at the hotel first. This is a farmhouse not far from the Nalati Scenic Area. When we arrived at ten o'clock, most of the guests had already checked out. We chose the two rooms in the yard that we thought were the best, got the room card from the owner, and decided to drive to the scenic spot. But the second senior brother and Sha junior fell in love with the big rocking bed in the yard, lying on it, a standard Ge You paralyzed, seemed extremely comfortable.

Nearly twelve o'clock, we came to the Nalati Scenic Area. Different from the previous major attractions, Nalati has a different kind of beauty. Compared with Hemu Grassland, Nalati has less tranquility and more vastness. In the grassland in the morning, there is a cool breeze, and the air is filled with the fragrance of grass and the smell of horse manure. Sitting in the shuttle bus of the scenic spot, you can see the green mountains outside the car, and an asphalt road disappears and appears in the mountains, leading directly to the sky. As far as the eye can see, sometimes it is fertile and thousands of miles away, and sometimes it is narrow and cramped. Inside the white yurt, cattle and sheep are freely grazing with their heads down, and in the distance there are Kazakh teenagers galloping on horses. Perhaps it is close to autumn, the pasture is yellowish, and there are unknown flowers blooming with reddish flowers, shining in the morning light, covering the vast grassland with a glow.

 

 

 We stopped and walked with the shuttle bus, and after more than an hour, we reached the top of the mountain. Looking around, the snow-capped mountains in the distance are clearly visible. And this grassland comes from the foot of the distant mountain. On the grassland, there are cows grazing quietly, and a Kazakh boy is grazing on horseback. A small river is gurgling by, and there are white tents in the distance, adding countless vitality to the vast grassland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Senior Brother and Junior Brother Sha were so passionate that they overcame the slight fear in their hearts and rode horses. Excited to come home, rubbing his ass that was nearly snapped in half, telling us (bragging) about how he rode his horse.

The Kazakhs are good at raising horses. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty loved this horse. Because of its vigor and galloping ability, it could be used as a war horse to fight the Xiongnu decisively, so it was named Tianma. In Nalati, we saw so many Kazakh horses in the racecourse for the first time, and the scene was very spectacular. It has to be said that this is the best place for galloping horses.

 

 

 

 

From the Nalati Grassland, we went to the River Valley Forest Park. The scenery along the way is different. Maybe the beauty of Kanas has been deeply embedded in our minds. Except for Kanas, there is no beautiful scenery in the world, so the valley park in Nalati did not bring us too many surprises. A river named Gongnais flows through the valley, joins the downstream Kashgar River, and finally merges with the Ili River. We stopped for a while at the small bridge over the Gongnaisi River, and decided to go back to the hotel to rest. (It's really strange. We have been traveling hundreds of kilometers every day for the past few days, and we have been driving for six to eight hours. Everyone does not feel very tired, but today we only drove for an hour. The scenic spots are mainly by shuttle bus, but everyone I feel very tired, maybe it is due to the accumulation of the suffering of traveling in the past few days until today, which is close to the critical point).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 On the way back to the hotel, we bought some food for tomorrow's crossing of the Tianshan Mountains. I also bought a big watermelon and asked the stall owner to cut it for us, but he said helplessly that he didn't have a knife.

When we got back to the hotel, the yard was still quiet, and most of the guests hadn’t arrived yet. We parked the car at the place closest to the gate so that we could leave early tomorrow. I went to the restaurant to order a few dishes, then went back to my room to rest. Brother Sha and the others went to the restaurant to inquire from time to time, and they didn't pull us to eat until the meat skewers were grilled. What impressed me the most was the mutton slices in this store, which was served in a large bowl. The taste is good, there is soup and water, it is very affordable, but such a large amount, we didn't finish it until the end. After the meal, we borrowed a knife from the boss and cut watermelon to eat, and then went back to the house to take a shower and sleep with our swollen bellies.

As the sky darkened, guests arrived one after another, and the children were running and frolicking in the yard, which was very lively.

 

 

 The fatigue of Junior Brother Sha and Second Senior Brother was swept away. The two sat on the rocking chair for a while, and lay in the hammock for a while, chatting about life, and they didn't return until late at night.

On August 18, the Duku Highway crossed the Tianshan Mountains

 

At 6:30 in the morning, the sky is still dark, and there are still stars in the sky. Our departure time was postponed again, and when it was almost seven o'clock, we finally set off. The air in the morning light was very fresh, and we drove along the Yiruo Highway for about half an hour, and we came to the legendary Duku Highway intersection. A sad scene appeared, two rows of large horse-rejection posts (this kind of modern roadblocks can be seen everywhere in Xinjiang, every time I see them, I think of the horse-rejection on the ancient battlefield of the Three Kingdoms) across the middle of the road turning left, several vehicles Early arrivals park there. What's going on? I hurriedly got out of the car and asked an experienced driver who often travels this road, only to find out that this road is not open at night and will only be released after dawn. The words Jingyanggang came to my mind again, and I was full of expectations for this dangerous journey.

The driver said that the road will be open before eight o'clock, and the actual opening time today is seven forty-six. We drove into the Duku Highway, and we saw that there were many continuous sharp turns and continuous uphill and downhill along the way. The highway circled in a zigzag shape among the mountains. the abyss. The scenery along the way is beautiful, and from time to time, the snow-capped mountains in the distance will bring us another surprise. Sometimes eagles can be seen flying over the mountains, flying and circling not far away, looking for prey. When we reached the top of the first mountain, we were so close to the snow peak for the first time in our lives. It was only tens of meters away from us. Looking closely, the snow peak was not as white and flawless as when viewed from a distance, nor was it snow. It is a layer of persistent ice, mixed with a lot of rocks and gravel.

 

 

 

After walking for about two or three hours, we came to the site of the Duku Highway Monument. There is a small pavilion here, which tells the history of this legendary road in detail to passing tourists. In the yard next to the exhibition hall, a white monument stands under the blue sky, which looks extremely solemn and sacred. It comforts the 168 martyrs who have given their lives for it, which is touching and awe-inspiring. At the gate, we saw the character prototype of the TV series "Watching Tianshan", a veteran with gray sideburns, who still sticks here to accompany his former comrades-in-arms.

 

According to the old man, due to the dangers of the Duku Highway, landslides, mudslides, landslides and other dangerous situations occur from time to time, so the traffic situation is very unstable. There is even a saying on the Internet that roads are closed for seven months a year and five months in traffic, which shows the danger.

But the significance of the Duku Highway is unprecedented. Under Chairman Mao’s call to “invigorate the Tianshan Mountains”, a lifeline was born, running through the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Since then, southern Xinjiang and northern Xinjiang have been united and developed simultaneously.

Along the Duku Highway all the way up, we reached the top of Tianshan Mountain. The air here is fresh and the sky is blue. On the cliff beside the road, there are white sheep standing or lying there, as if admiring the magnificent rivers and mountains in front of them. Perhaps, in their eyes, we pedestrians are just A part of this familiar landscape is no more interesting than a handful of grass. Curious how they got to that position! Hey, Big Big Wolf doesn't understand the world of Pleasant Goats.

On the other side of the road, there are verdant mountains, which are connected high and low, extending to the snow-capped mountains not far away, until they merge into one, which is completely natural. 

 

After three o'clock in the afternoon, we finally completed this unforgettable journey. We merged into the rolling traffic of Lianhuo Expressway in Dushanzi District of Karamay, and continued to Urumqi.

At about seven o'clock, check into the hotel, and then go to the famous Xiaogazi restaurant for dinner. There were a lot of guests, and after waiting in line for about an hour, we were finally seated. The recipes of this restaurant have the so-called Jiu Bi Dian, and what impressed us most is their baked buns stuffed with mutton, which are very delicious and affordable.

 

 

After dinner, I heard that Junior Brother Sha and the others had secured their return tickets (didn’t they agree to ride the clouds and fog?) Everyone was very relaxed and happily went back to the hotel to sleep.

 

 

August 19 Xinjiang Museum return trip

 

I'm about to go home, the happy holiday is coming to an end, and I feel a little bit of reluctance in my heart. But when I think of my lovely 4G network and the home-cooked food cooked by my mother, I am in a particularly good mood, and I can finally go home.

After breakfast at 8 o'clock, Bajiesha and his fellow disciples went to the Xinjiang Museum, while I returned the car directly. I thought Urumqi would be very congested at 8 or 9 o'clock, but I didn't expect to arrive in only five or six minutes. It was less than nine o'clock when the door opened for business, and as soon as the car was parked, a young man in the overalls of Shenzhou Car Rental came to approach him. A series of procedures such as checking the condition of the car, handing in the driving license, and checking violations were quickly completed. Credit card swiped 2,000 yuan for illegal guarantee, and it was over. The experience of renting a car and driving by yourself for the first time is very good!

It was not yet nine o'clock, and I walked alone to the Xinjiang Museum. All the way is walking in the pedestrian safety passage surrounded by scaffolding and fences. This is because the entire Urumqi is undergoing a large-scale urban image improvement project. It seems that every building along the street is under construction.

 At 9:30, I arrived at the museum and saw a lot of people lined up at the entrance, including the second senior brother and the others. I looked at the opening time at the entrance, and it turned out to be 10:00 in summer and 10:30 in winter, so I waited patiently in line. Fortunately, the weather in the morning was still cool, and the security check started soon.

The scale of Xinjiang Museum is small, but the design and layout are very good. The history hall of the Western Regions on the first floor allows people to have a deeper understanding of the past and present of this legendary land in Xinjiang. It deeply affected the political and economic structure of the countries in the Western Regions and the historical process of Xinjiang. And those ancient country names in the Western Regions, such as Loulan, Yanqi, Gaochang, Qiuci, Dawan, etc., which have been seen in history books, are extremely vivid and vivid here. people forget.

 

The folk customs exhibition hall is also very interesting. The wax figures of the characters inside are lifelike, showing the daily life of various ethnic groups, a vibrant scene. From this, we also learned that the formation of the ethnic groups in Xinjiang, except for the Uyghurs with the largest population, the growth of the other major ethnic groups is related to several major events in Chinese history. Genghis Khan left behind the seeds of the Mongols, the Uighurs moved westward to allow the Hui to take root, Qianlong sent Daur and Xibe people to the frontier, and the Construction Corps of New China brought more Han people to Xinjiang. According to the 2013 census, the Uighur population was just over 10 million, and the Han population was over 8 million.

In the exhibition hall on the second floor, the treasure of the town hall of the Xinjiang Museum, the mummy of Loulan beauty, is displayed. Xinjiang's unique geographical environment has created a unique historical relic of mummy. There are more than a dozen mummified corpses displayed in the exhibition hall, and Loulan Beauty is just one of them. What impresses people the most is the mummy of Zhang Xiong, the general of the Tang Dynasty who just entered the exhibition hall.

After coming out of the museum, I took a few photos casually, then took a taxi back to the hotel. The starting price is 10 yuan, and I arrived in less than ten minutes. I packed my luggage, went downstairs to check out at 12:30, and took a taxi to Urumqi Railway Station. The road conditions were good, and the driver drove very fast, arriving in less than half an hour. Checking ID cards, entering the station through security checks, picking up tickets, checking tickets for the second time, waiting in line, checking tickets and getting on the train, changing berths, everything is progressing in an orderly and busy manner. Until the train slowly pulled out of Urumqi Station, I knew that this trip to the Western Regions could come to a successful conclusion.

Feeling at ease, I climbed to the upper bunk and slept peacefully. When I woke up, it was already seven o'clock. The train passed Turpan, and the train broadcast announced that the next stop would be Liuyuan. At this time, the outdoor temperature was 38 degrees, which reminded me of the scorching heat experience of visiting Jiaohe Ancient City on the first day. 

When the car entered the territory of Gansu, it was already sunset, the desert and the Gobi, the scenery on both sides was still as vast and wild as when it came, and it fell to the rear wantonly under the blue sky and white clouds, like a song sung to the past.

 

 

 

August 20 return

 

When we woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning, the train was already driving near Wuwei. When the train arrived at Zhongwei, it was already more than an hour late. Compared with the ups and downs at the time, this was not a big deal, so we were all in high spirits.

It is said that the most beautiful scenery is on the road, isn't it! Even on the return train, we can still see different scenery jumping into our eyes, which makes people feel comfortable.

 

Lying on the bunk, listening to the rhythmic bang of the carriage, I quietly recalled this trip to Xinjiang:

 Travel: The mountains are high and the roads are far away. For long-distance travel, the train is the best choice for cost-effectiveness. If you move within Xinjiang, self-driving is the first choice. The Angkla (a car registered in May 2017) rented through Shenzhou Car Rental this time is indeed a wise choice. The total cost of deductible insurance is a little over 300 per day, and the total cost is 3049 yuan. The trunk space is suitable in size, which is very suitable for a family to travel by car. In terms of fuel consumption, it seems to be very fuel-efficient, with a total of 3,536 kilometers traveled and 1,780 yuan for refueling, an average of 50 cents per kilometer. In addition, this gentleman has a white body and a handsome figure, and he can cross mountains and mountains without any difficulty. It is well-deserved to call him a white dragon horse.

Scene: Over the past few days, we have traveled an average of about 400 kilometers per day, set foot in northern and central Xinjiang, and successively arrived in dozens of counties and cities in Urumqi, Altay, Karamay, Bole Prefecture, and Yili Prefecture, and visited dozens of scenic spots. The rankings of attractions selected by individuals are as follows:

The most scenic spot is Kanas Lake

 

The second beauty is Hemu's Wonderland

 

The third beauty is the magnificent beauty of Keketuohai

 

Fourth, I choose the clear blue of Sailimu Lake

 

The fifth is the loftiness and breadth of Nalati

 

The sixth is the fantasy and splendor of Devil City

 

Others such as Karez Well, Jiaohe Ancient City, Guozigou Bridge, etc. are also impressive and unforgettable.

Not being able to visit Baihaba is a little regret of this trip, and I hope to go again next time.

Food: There are many delicacies in Xinjiang, coupled with the abundance of melons and fruits, it is really a paradise for foodies. In terms of the food we have eaten, the first is the lamb chops hand-picked rice eaten in Jinghe, the second is the naan pit meat, and others such as fried pork noodles are also very suitable for my taste.

 

 

 

Accommodation: During peak tourist season, don’t expect too much, especially for popular attractions like Hemu and Nalati. Most of these places are farmyards, and there is a special taste to experience them. Due to the shortage of houses, it is best to book in advance, and it is indeed a bit risky to find the place again. For travel reservations, I choose Ctrip (advertisement time, ha!), it looks like the bed in the corner of China, it can shake you out. As for whether you can live in the house you want, three points depend on online reviews, six points depend on luck, and one point depends on Money. Hey, I won't tell you that our per capita accommodation cost for 10 days this time is less than 1,600 yuan.

Clothes: In mid-August, Xinjiang is also midsummer, cool in the morning and evening, hot in the afternoon, windy and sandy, and sunny, so a sunhat, sunglasses, scarf, and sun protection clothing are standard equipment (monkey tiger skin skirt, Tang monk cassock, Bajie’s big ears, Drifting’s beard, all of which are useless). In wet and humid mornings and nights like Hemu, a jacket and thicker sports trousers will be used. Clothes dry quickly, especially in the car under the windshield. After discovering this trick, in the next few days, our car was filled with the brightly colored little triangles and vests of Second Senior Brother and Junior Brother Sha, and even Junior Brother Sha’s socks were hung on the car windows (Junior Sha, don’t make trouble! I’m I won’t delete a post for one piece of candy, unless I give two pieces!)

 

--The train is approaching the capital city, and the breath of the city is coming. The Gobi desert, mountains and valleys in my mind are in stark contrast to the scene in front of me. The momentary confusion seems like a world away, and it seems like a dream but not a dream, giving people an unreal and wonderful experience. When the train arrived at the station, we carried our bags and walked out of the station. Behind us was a giant white steel dragon, quietly stopping there, waiting for the next departure!

 

【End】