During Yalun’s trip, on the way from Hami to Turpan, he passed through a county called “Shanshan”. The reason why he noticed it and stopped for it was because there is a magical desert here—Kumtag desert! The only desert in the world that is in love with the city", also known as the "desert in the city"!
During my travels around China, this is not the first time I have seen deserts. Why am I still not interested in the Kumtag Desert when I saw "the desert is solitary, the long river sets the sun" in Shapotou, Ningxia? minus? In the final analysis, it is not only because of the unique enthusiasm of the desert itself, but also because this is a desert where "the green never retreats and the sand never enters". It is the closest desert to the city in the world!
In my country, there are actually two Kumtag Deserts with the same name and surname. One is located at the junction of western Gansu Province and southeastern Xinjiang (referred to as the Ganxin Kumtag Desert), and the other is the Shanshan Kumtag Desert. Ge means "Sand Mountain". The entrance design of this scenic spot is very desert style.
Looking at this desert, there is a very healing feeling. The sand dunes are clearly defined and layered, and the ridges of the sand dunes that move with the wind are smooth and smooth. I can't wait to go in and play! Another great experience in the desert is to see various wind and sand landforms and landscapes such as sandy nests, honeycomb sandy land, flat sandy land, wavy dune land, fish-scale sandy slope land, and desert-Gobi mixed land. .
The ticket for this scenic spot is 30 yuan per person, and the interval ticket is 30 yuan per person. It is not necessary to buy a shuttle bus, but the scorching sun in Shanshan is not a joke. There is still a distance from the entrance of the scenic spot to the scenic spot, and it is a desert. I still bought it like most people, and the total cost was 60 yuan.
After taking the shuttle bus, we soon arrived at "Happy Sand Valley", which is the most classic scenic spot in the scenic spot and has the most people. There are many items that can be played in the scenic area, but the prices are not low, ranging from tens to thousands of yuan, which is suitable for boys who love cool things. I rented a sand board at a service store (or a store similar to a canteen) for 30 yuan, which is probably the most suitable for girls or children.
Dragging the sandboard, I started to climb the sand mountain. Step by step was extremely difficult. After finally taking a step up, I would slide down a step with the sand, which was hard work. In Shanshan in summer, the desert is full of heat waves, as if burning with raging flames. Suddenly, just after I had been climbing for about 10 minutes, a gust of wind picked up, filled the sky with yellow sand, and the wind speed was very fast, pushing me forward. It seemed that I was saving effort, but I couldn't open my eyes!
I thought this would only happen for a short while, but it showed no sign of stopping at all, it turned out to be a sandstorm! It's horrible, the whole space is full of sand, my mouth, face and body are full of sand, I can't breathe! It doesn't matter which side to turn, and I can't cover my mouth and nose with my hands, because the sand is very fine, and the wind is so strong that people can't stand up. All the sand hills have grown "hair", which is actually blowing sand!
It's so uncomfortable! I wanted to slide down on a sandboard, only to find that this thing rented for 30 yuan was completely useless, it couldn’t slide at all! And when the sand was blowing everywhere, sitting down was equivalent to throwing myself into the sand. It was very difficult for me to breathe, so I had no choice but to run down against the wind in a daze. The proprietress who rented skateboards said: There have been a lot of wind and sand recently. However, there was no warning in the scenic spot before coming in. The sudden change made people have no chance to breathe.
In the Kumtag Desert in Shanshan, I also found that many local people would stand under the scorching sun, hold an umbrella, put food and water next to them, and bury themselves directly in the sand, even with only their heads outside. Why? Only after inquiring about it did I know it was sand therapy! It is an important part of Uyghur medicine and has a history of thousands of years. It is famous for its simple operation method and magical and unique effect. It is said that there are tourists who come from far away to do sand therapy.
Shanshan is an ancient and magical place. The complex and majestic landforms have created numerous geographical landscapes, and the profound and diverse cultural relics allow people to appreciate the long and ancient civilization of the Western Regions. And Yalun’s trip to the Shanshan Kumtag Desert this time was a very special experience. I felt the extreme enthusiasm wrapped in the sand. Although it was not enjoyable enough, it was impressive enough after all! Bidding farewell to the magical desert connected with cities, trees and rivers, Yalun will go to the next stop - Turpan! I am so looking forward to sharing the next article! What kind of desert trip do you imagine?
