【Kashgar Old Town】
This trip to Kashgar was a walk-and-go trip. I saw a few photos that touched my heart, called a friend, and hit it off right away, so I booked air tickets and hotels, and it took a few hours.
For the six hour flight, everything went relatively smoothly. Stay at the Atour Hotel, which is three kilometers away from the ancient city, have dinner with friends in the evening, rest, and prepare for the next day's trip to the old city.
I woke up naturally in the morning and found that it was only 8 o'clock and the sun had not yet risen. After breakfast, I went to the ancient city with my friends. The opening ceremony of the ancient city is held at the east gate at 10:30 every day, a brief introduction of the history of the ancient city, singing and dancing performances, etc., about 15 minutes. There is a mass dance before the opening ceremony, and everyone can participate.
It was raining, and we wandered aimlessly in the ancient city. At this time, the ancient city didn't have too many hustle and bustle of tourists, and it was still the residents', quiet and peaceful.
Walking in the intricate ethnic-style alleys of the old city of Kashgar, the traditional ethnic-style buildings are the soul of the place, colorful wooden doors, carved balconies, playing Uyghur children returning home from school, and every postcard in the ancient city.
The evening in the ancient city gradually became lively. After school, children played and ran in the streets and alleys, enjoying the carefree childhood. There are also more tourists, and curious people gather in front of the shops to take a look and taste it. After get off work, the residents, holding their children and carrying the ingredients for dinner, rushed home in a hurry.
A Uighur elder sister who speaks Mandarin well told us that in the era of underdeveloped communication, teahouses are important places for people to obtain information. Make a pot of tea, chat about new things, talk about business, and communicate news to enhance feelings. For thousands of years , The days passed by like this.
The most famous thing in Kashgar is the century-old teahouse, of course you have to visit it.
We ordered a 168 set meal, which includes a pot of special old tea, a dim sum platter, and two bowls of yogurt. Two servings of Liangpi are enough for several people, and the old tea can be refilled indefinitely.
The teapot is very beautiful. The tea is bright red in color, rich in aroma and unique in taste. The yellow rock sugar with honey tastes soft and sweet. I can't describe the taste, but it's delicious. It's a mixture of spices, and it's a taste that can't be tasted elsewhere.
The refreshments are not very impressive, but they are absolutely delicious! We all thought the refreshments were delicious.
Added almonds, raisins, walnuts, sesame seeds, and honey, the ingredients are absolutely ferocious and relentless. The entrance is soft, the nuts are crispy, and the taste is very rich, which is just right with old tea.
Most of the teahouses are tourists, and some are local residents. If I want to enjoy tea, I chose a seat on the balcony.
The teahouse is full of people, there are no empty seats, and the music is endless. You can drink tea and chat, enjoy singing and dancing, or simply stand up and dance to a song.
In the old city, there is also an Internet celebrity cafe, which you will often encounter if you are shopping in the old city. In fact, we entered this cafe to hide from the rain, and ended up soaking in it for three hours. There are two floors of the cafe. On the first floor, there are a few parrots. On the second floor, sit by the window, listen to the sound of the rain, look at the street view, and chat with your companions. It doesn’t matter whether the coffee is good or not, life is so beautiful.
【Ancient City Night Market】
In the evening, there will be a very lively night market in the ancient city, full of all kinds of Xinjiang street snacks, all kinds of delicacies are on the battlefield, and it is very lively.
The night market usually starts to open around 7 or 8 o'clock, and it is still very lively when night falls at 11 o'clock. According to our observation, the stalls are basically sold out after midnight. So everyone should pay attention to the time of visiting the night market.
The pomegranates in Kashgar are very famous, and pomegranate juice is sold everywhere in the night market, but you must pay attention to the distinction, some are sour pomegranates, and some are sweet pomegranates. Sweet pomegranate is delicious!
A night market with Kashgar characteristics, Uighur friends like to eat here.
The products sold here include naan, jelly, dumplings, rice sausages, sheep's trotters, spicy skewers, spring rolls, etc., all of which have ethnic characteristics.
【Oytak Glacier Park】
On the second day in Kashgar, we set off for Oytak Glacier Park, which was about 2 hours away, 120 kilometers away.
We will pass Tao County on the way, because there is no place to eat in Oytak Glacier Park, we will buy some food in the county in advance.
Travel 30 kilometers from the gate of Oita Glacier and drive to Kezhou Glacier Park. Tickets for the scenic spot are 45 yuan, and there is a round-trip transportation fee of 8 yuan. It takes 10 minutes to reach the destination by transportation, and 20 minutes to walk to the viewing platform.
Surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the Pamirs Plateau, Oytak Glacier Park is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with steep snow peaks, vertical and horizontal glaciers, and dense forests. , Known as "the first ecological landscape in the Western Regions".
I was very lucky. On the first day of my visit to Kashgar, I encountered rain and snow fell in Oytak Glacier Park. There are rare low-latitude modern glaciers in the world, with an altitude of 2804. It is the lowest glacier in my country, and the scenery is very spectacular.
Entering the depths of the park, the forests, mountains, and glaciers are all covered with snow, which is very spectacular!
I encountered a heavy snowfall in Kezhou Park. In the quiet mountain, the peaks and branches were outlined by the snow. I walked in the snow mountain wearing a long coat, and the snowflakes covered my body. I heard the faint crunching sound from the bottom of my feet. In an instant, I understood that there is great beauty in the world.
【Redstone Valley】
We didn't stop too much in Glacier Park. Go to the Red Stone Valley, which is five kilometers away from the exit of the park, Oytak Red Valley, a beautiful scenery that is almost missed. When they arrive in Kashgar, many people will definitely go to Taxian County, because the scenery along the way is so beautiful. Needless to say, the well-known Baisha Lake and Snow Mountain, you must not miss this Oytak Red Valley, which is easy to drive halfway.
I have been to Zhangye Cai Danxia, and the Danxia landform in Oytak Red Mountain, especially in the canyon, is even more peculiar. In addition to being more beautiful than the colorful Danxia, there are also gray-green, gray and different shapes of mountains and rivers. Coupled with green vegetation and sandy rivers, it is like a colorful and magnificent landscape painting.
Drive from Kashgar to Ta County on National Highway 314, pass the gate of Oytak Bingerchuan Park Scenic Area (don’t enter the scenic spot, and drive directly on National Highway 314), continue to drive for about 3 kilometers, and keep an eye on the road A small white stone tablet next to it. You will see a font size of 1583, just turn right and drive in. (It's a gravel road, not very obvious and easily overlooked.)
It's really wow when you enter the valley! Both sides of the valley are all formed by red rocks. There are also natural holes, and the red eyes are very beautiful. If you have a chance, you must come here to see it!
【Preparation before departure】
【Epidemic Prevention Policy】
Under the current epidemic prevention policy, except for medium and high-risk areas that need to be quarantined at their own expense, other personnel need to show two green codes to enter.
This place is close to the border, and the epidemic prevention pressure is very high. The whole Kashgar area needs to scan the small program of Kashgar and Yixing when entering and exiting. Hotels, restaurants, bazaars, scenic spots, etc. need to go in and scan once when entering and leaving any place, and once out for registration.
Any hotel needs to complete the nucleic acid test on the spot before checking in, and the hotel front desk can help with it, and it is free. This is so sweet.
【Sun protection】
If there are no sandstorms in Kashgar, the air permeability is high, and there is little shelter. Ta County is even more altitude-added, resulting in strong ultraviolet rays throughout the whole process. Sun protection is the top priority for everyone, regardless of gender. Don't think that boys don't need to wear sunscreen. Ultraviolet rays can attack indiscriminately regardless of gender. It turns into pig liver color in minutes!
Sunscreen clothing, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and masks are all must-haves. It is best to choose a professional sun hat with a large brim for the hat. It is also very important to be able to cover the neck. Otherwise, it is easy to sunburn your neck. Wrap it as tightly as possible!
【Cold Protection】
When I went to the Pamirs in April, the temperature difference was huge, but it was not cold at all. During the day, the sun is around 25 degrees, although the lowest temperature may be around 10 degrees, but because it is dark and late, there are basically no outdoor activities at the coldest time, so just make sure you are warm enough to move at night. At 10 o'clock in the evening, it was just dark in Taxian County. The temperature in April was around 20 degrees. It was very comfortable to wear a spring and autumn coat. It was very pleasant to take a walk in the ancient city before going to bed.
【stay】
The destinations we chose for our southern Xinjiang itinerary are all in the county town, and the hotel accommodation conditions are pretty good. Kashgar, Aksu, Kuqa, as long as we have Vienna, we choose to live in Vienna, the per capita is about 150, breakfast is included, and the hygiene is pretty good.
Vienna in Aksu is particularly luxurious, with a lake view, very close to the airport, highly recommended~
【transportation】
Kashgar has an airport, and there are flights all over the country. Recently, the flights are not very stable.
The starting price of a taxi in Kashgar is 8 yuan for 3 kilometers. Basically, the starting price of a taxi in the city can reach you.
【end】
This trip to Kashgar is a walk-and-go trip. I originally planned to stay a few more days and go to other areas to have fun, but the sudden epidemic disrupted the plan. We decided to go home. There are always some regrets: I missed the Rose Festival in Hotan, I didn’t go to Kuqa to eat white apricots, I didn’t enter the Wakhan Corridor, I didn’t walk the Tasha Ancient Road, I didn’t watch the starry sky in Kaneryang...
Don't be afraid of regrets, because for Xinjiang, I will have the next trip and the next trip!
Just wait for me, I will come again!
