August 14 From Hemu to Devil City

 

Hemu, the paradise in many people's minds. At this moment we are in this Taoyuan. We agreed to get up early to watch the sunrise together. It was almost six o'clock. I went out to have a look, but I saw the east was slightly bright, but the sky was covered with clouds, and there was a drizzle as thin as a cow's hair. It seems that the sunrise is missed, so I informed everyone to cancel the plan, and went back to my cozy log cabin to continue to sleep.

It was almost seven o'clock, and the second senior brother was awakened by the movement outside the window. He opened the curtains and was startled. A little fairy Yangli was grazing outside the window. Less than two feet away, the lamb's flowing beard was clearly visible, and the second senior brother was about to count, but it turned and left.

 Pushing the door out of the house, I saw a faint morning mist drifting down from the distant mountain in the morning light, sinking to the middle of the mountain, as if wrapping a white veil around the distant mountain. As far as the eye can see, the green grassland stretches until it merges with the crops in the farmyard. The manor house does not have any fences, and a neat row of unnamed green crops marks the scope of its own territory. There are cows grazing not far away, and a few horses on the hillside in the distance. There are falcons circling in the sky.

 

 

 

 

Looking closely at the manor we stayed at now, it is an imitation wooden house courtyard located on the side of the asphalt road. It is divided into the old courtyard and the new courtyard, which are located on both sides of the road. There are no walls on three sides, only a row of wooden fences are erected on the side near the road, with a wooden door in the middle. When we arrived last night, it was around twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, but we didn't worry about any safety issues at all. Perhaps, this is a forgotten village, located in the depths of a distant mountain, without the noise of cars and horses, without rushing office workers, everything seems so peaceful and calm, time seems to be still, which makes people relax involuntarily. Take your time and enjoy this moment of incomparably luxurious tranquility.

 

 

Strange to say, it was still overcast and cloudy just now, but now the sky has cleared, and the sun crawled out lazily. We decided to go to the viewing platform halfway up the mountain not far away to have a look. Passing Hemu Bridge, there are already many people there. We were wearing jackets or fleece jackets, and we saw a brother on the road, who came out for a walk directly under the quilt of the hotel. After walking a few steps, I saw a Europa man walking in the village wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

 

 

 

Hemu Bridge can be regarded as a coordinate position here. The river flows under the bridge, nourishing a dense and verdant birch forest. In a manor next to it, sunflowers are blooming proudly.

 

 

The viewing platform is not high, and you will arrive soon along the newly built wooden plank road. It is another scene to overlook the whole Hemu Village here. But I saw farms dotted all over the valley, and an asphalt road connected them. Under the sunshine, the wooden houses are covered with bright colors, adding a bit of vitality to the green prairie.

 

 

 

 

 It was twelve noon when we left Hemu Scenic Area, and the scenery along the way was still beautiful and moving, which made us reluctant to part.

 

We drove to the next scenic spot, Karamay's Devil City. At three o'clock, we passed through Burqin County. We had lunch here and filled up the car by the way. The city of Burqin under the sun is brightly colored and quiet, and it is also a beautiful scenery.

From Burqin, after driving for more than an hour, I got on the Guia Expressway. The road condition was very good. Soon, hills with strange shapes and exaggerated colors appeared on both sides of the road, giving people a feeling of being in a magical world. wonderful feeling. Second Senior Brother and Junior Brother Sha are looking forward to it, and hope to see real quality devils in Devil City, why not call it World Devil City?

 

At about half past five, we arrived at the gate of the Devil City Scenic Area.

We chose the conventional line A plus a sightseeing bus, bought tickets to enter, and then took a bus to enter the core scenic spot. A large area of ​​strangely shaped Yardang landforms soon appeared around. Images of lions, generals, and devils come into view. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 At eight o'clock, the sun was about to set, and the Devil City at this moment showed its most beautiful scenery of the day. This is a feast of light and shadow, in which tourists become part of the wonderful scenery under the sunset. 

 

 

 

Our group of five had a great time until the sun completely sank into the horizon and took away its last ray of light, and we left Devil City as the last group of tourists.

 

 

 

 

 In the evening, stay in the urban area of ​​Karamay, only more than an hour away from Devil City, and arrive smoothly.

 Known as the oil city, Karamay is one of the most well-known Xinjiang cities in the mainland. At this moment, a miracle appeared, and the 4G signal that I had been thinking about day and night appeared. The notification sounds of WeChat and text messages come to mind one after another, and messages or emails from a week ago pop up cheerfully on the phone interface. Karamay, what a place, I have a feeling that I can finally breathe freely!

August 15, Sailimu Lake, Guozigou

 

Karamay, an oil city, seems to have more Han people here, and the city's security checks and restrictions are more relaxed, much like small cities in the mainland. The streets are clean and tidy, and the view in the early morning is beautiful.

 

 

We went to have breakfast after 6 o'clock. The hotel's breakfast was actually purchased from a nearby Sichuan restaurant. It cost 10 yuan per person and 6 yuan for children. Although there are not many types, they are very suitable for taste. I had a great meal, and felt like I was going to make my boss poor (Second senior brother looked disgusted, so I didn't say anything).

 Drive on the road, head south along the Kuia Expressway, merge into the long-lost Lianhuo Expressway at the border of Kuitun, and turn west. In a place called Jinghe, we drove out of the expressway according to the strategy of online travel friends, went to a food street in their county town, and ate the best lamb chops pilaf that we have ever eaten in our life!

Satisfied, continue driving to Sailimu Lake. After driving out of the expressway in a short while, we came to the east gate of the scenic spot, queued up to enter, and only spent 70 yuan per person for the entrance fee, without any other fees, and we successfully entered the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean. 

 There are too many introductions on the Internet about the past and present of Sailimu Lake, so there is no need to elaborate. We stop and go, enjoying the beauty and pure land of the blue sky.

At this moment, Second Senior Brother and Junior Brother Sha were extremely excited. The second senior brother made a great wish, vowing to learn from Jingwei to fill the sea, picking up one after another large and small stones by the lake and throwing them into the lake, it was really hard work.

 

 Junior Brother Sha added a piece of clothing and said enthusiastically (in a pure Northeast accent): Before I came here, I told my classmates that I would go to Xinjiang to escape the summer heat.

Because he was worried that after what the second senior brother did, there would be no more Sailimu Lake in the world. With his nose and tears, Junior Brother Sha tugged on his sleeve and tried to persuade him to give up this crazy idea. Unexpectedly, it would be difficult to give up the brotherhood after all, and was persuaded by the second senior brother in the end. The two brothers worked together to fill the sea together, and they did it with great joy.

 He had no choice but to ask Brother Sha's mother to persuade him, and he finally gave up. Brother Sha, who stopped, just wanted to face the lake and be a handsome man quietly, leaving only the mother and son's backs for the camera.

 

Want to know what Junior Brother Sha's mother looks like? Well, to satisfy you, come to a positive one, please turn around, click the shutter, let the years freeze at this moment!

The water of the lake is clear, and the green grass around the lake is full of sky. When the wind blows, it stirs up blue waves one after another, and the green grass also undulates in the wind, forming green waves after waves. The waves complement each other.

 

 Under the sunlight and from different angles, the lake surface shows different colors. At first it was green, then blue, then lake blue, and finally dark blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun was about to set, we set the shutter, took a big group photo, and let him freeze the happiness! Then return satisfied. 

 

 

After exiting the Sailimu South Gate, we quickly walked onto the Lianhuo Expressway and passed through a tunnel. The legendary Guozigou Bridge, which is highly praised by countless donkey friends, showed its magnificent appearance. Originally, we were worried that the beautiful scenery would pass by in a flash. Unexpectedly, by chance, an ultra-wide truck loaded with reinforced concrete components happened to be driving at a slow speed in front of us, making it impossible for the vehicles behind to overtake. We followed it and drove at a slow speed. It took nearly ten minutes to walk the bridge of one or two kilometers.

 

 

 

Today, what a perfect day!

 

August 16 Horgos

 

The hotel's breakfast is very rich. We had breakfast, and it was already past nine o'clock, so we set off and went straight to the Horgos National Gate Scenic Area.

There are no parking spaces in the parking lot of the scenic spot. After walking around for a long time, we parked the car in a parking lot of a food city not far away, ten yuan for unlimited time. 

Arriving at the Tourist Service Center, we reported a China-Kazakhstan border tour of 105 yuan per person. Under the leadership of the tour guide, we passed the customs security check, visited the China-Kazakhstan Free Trade Zone, crossing two borders in one step, Golden Eagle Square and other scenic spots, and boarded the scenic spot Taiwan, looked at the No. 342 boundary marker and the national gate from a distance. Personally, I feel that the development of Khorgos National Gate Scenic Spot is still immature, and there are not many items available for play, and the symbolic meaning of the westernmost gate of the motherland is stronger.

 

 

 

 

After two o'clock in the afternoon, we left the Guomen Scenic Area. Originally planned to go to the Princess Jieyou Lavender Manor in Huocheng to see lavender in the afternoon, and stay in Yining at night. The tour guide told me that lavender is harvested in June and July every year. When I go to this season, I can only see the manor, but I can’t see the expected large purple lavender. In addition, although Yining is not far from the Nalati Grassland, the speed limit along the way is very low. Normally, it would be four or five in the afternoon to get there. So we resolutely adjusted the itinerary, gave up the plan to see the lavender, and moved the campsite tonight to Xinyuan County, which is only an hour's drive from the Nalati Scenic Spot.

Passing through Yining in Yili Prefecture, we looked for a place to eat. Thinking of the unforgettable pilaf in Jinghe yesterday, we decided to have another meal. I finally found one, and when it was brought up, I found that the recipe was completely different. Although it is not grilled, the taste is also very good. The boss even boasted that their lamb chops only use high-quality lamb that weighs no more than 20 kilograms. The second senior brother rubbed his stomach, confirmed that he had exceeded this standard, and there was no risk, so he began to eat with confidence.

Continuing to travel eastward, the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains stretch for thousands of miles on the left, and the fertile Ili River Valley on the right. What I saw completely changed my previous impression of Xinjiang's landforms.

 

 

Driving on the Yiruo Highway, the road condition is very good. As a result, I saw section after section of speed limit signs. At each starting point, the length of this section is marked in meters, and the time required is a few minutes and a few seconds. Our co-pilot finally played a role. While calculating nervously, he reminded the driver where to slow down and where to wait. Everyone joked that driving here would be difficult for those who are not good at math.

At ten o'clock in the evening, we arrived at the hotel in Xinyuan, and the sky was still bright. Over the past few days, we have been used to arriving at our destination after ten o'clock in the evening, but we have never worn the stars and the moon. After checking in, I quickly fell asleep, looking forward to tomorrow's trip to Nalati to bring us even greater surprises.

[Due to the limited number of uploaded pictures, they can only be released in episodes, so stay tuned]

[For more content, please see Journey to the West: 2018 Ten Days in Xinjiang - Part 2]

August 17th Nalati Sky Grassland

 

part two

On August 18, the Duku Highway crossed the Tianshan Mountains

 

part two

August 19 Xinjiang Museum return trip

part two

August 20 return

 

part two