If the most unforgettable and impressive parts of this world are those fragments deep in memory, then Haixi is a place where similar things often happen, such as when you are in the desert Yadan on the water. The emerald lake in the fairyland, the poetic city of Delingha... If you can't forget the encounter, maybe it can be realized here, the mysterious and unforgettable Qaidam.
【Delingha】
Delingha City is located in the northwest of Qinghai Province. It is the seat of the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. It belongs to the Qilian Mountains and the Qaidam Basin in terms of geomorphic units. When I came to Delingha, I actually came to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A group of us came to the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai, set foot on the land of Delingha, and started a self-driving trip in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai.
There is an airport in Delingha, and it takes less than an hour to fly directly from Xining to Delingha. The best way to travel in Haixi Prefecture is to drive by yourself. Only by driving can you go to those hidden beautiful scenery, and you are free along the way. Anyone who likes self-driving knows that the biggest advantage of self-driving is freedom, and driving on roads with unique natural scenery is a kind of enjoyment in itself.
For this self-driving trip, we tried a different self-driving route from Qinghai, which was common in the past. With Delingha as the center, we started a one-day or two-day self-drive to the surrounding areas, and divided the one-week holiday into several short trips.
Day 1: Arrive in Xining, check in
Day 2: Land in Delingha, pick up the car and drive by yourself, drive to Delingha city, drive to Jinzihai in the afternoon, live in Dulan
Day 3: Dulan Ranch, live in Delingha
Day 4: Emerald Lake, live in Golmud
Day 5: Yadan on the water, live in Delingha
Day 6: Delingha, One Tree Temple, live in Delingha
Day 7: Return
【Planetarium】
Driving from the airport to the downtown area of Delingha, first we went to the "Delingha Astronomical Science Museum", which was built on the main road of Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is an interactive experience hall with the theme of astronomy, integrating science and knowledge. An astronomical museum that integrates sex and participation.
Haixi Prefecture has a well-known national astronomical observatory, so the Delingha Planetarium is quite powerful in terms of software and hardware settings. The Delingha Astronomical Science Museum is the first in the western region and the second largest planetarium in the country, second only to the Beijing Planetarium. .
I remember that my favorite place to go when I was a child was the Beijing Planetarium. I was full of curiosity about the vastness of the universe and the starry sky, and I preferred to sit in a dome theater and watch movies full of stars.
For tourists, especially parent-child travel, it is a good place to increase knowledge. You can learn a lot of astronomical knowledge. What's more worth mentioning is that there are many interactive projects, such as understanding the itinerary of the stars and the life of the sun. See an animated presentation of the screen. The circular screen movie explaining astronomical knowledge is super beautiful, and it must be very popular with children.
【Haizi Memorial Hall】
"Be a happy person from tomorrow, facing the sea, spring is warm and flowers are blooming." When it comes to Haizi, many people, like me, probably think of this poem first. Haizi is talented, but the stories about Haizi himself are embarrassing, and the poet's love and spiritual world are always pure and soft.
In 1988, when Haizi traveled to Tibet by train for the second time, he stopped briefly in Delingha and wrote a famous poem "Diary". "Sister, tonight, I don't care about human beings, I only think about you." "Yes, dear, you are no longer a human being, you are an angel." This is a poem about Delingha and about confession.
Visiting the Haizi Memorial Hall in this small town in the desert reminds me of Haizi's poems again. Every time I visit a place related to Haizi, it is always full of poetry, and Delingha happens to be such a place.
【Gold Sea】
Jinzihai, which means Jinziquan (Adongmula Ancient Lake) in Mongolian, is located 80 kilometers southwest of Xiligou Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.
Jinzihai is neither a sea nor a dead lake, but a spring. The west and northwest of the lake are deserts of 435,000 mu, and near the lake are irregular crescent-shaped sand dunes. grass strips. Looking at it from a high altitude is a different feeling.
Next to the golden sand dunes is a lake that reflects the reflection of the mountain peaks. Walking along the lake, you will see many water birds gliding across the water.
At this time, the altitude was less than 3000, but I could feel the obvious improvement. I was a little out of breath after walking quickly along the lake to find the angle to take pictures.
If you have enough feet, climb up the sand dunes, and you can see some small lakes on the sand dunes. Looking at the distance at this time, half of the desert and half of the oasis are vast and beautiful. The companions found a gray horse drinking water by the Shushu stream, and a quiet picture was in front of them. Looking at the reflection in the water, no one could bear to break the artistic conception first.
Live in: Dulan
【Dulan Ranch】
Today we will challenge the high altitude, the highest point is about 4300 meters. The road we drove to Dulan Ranch was quite difficult. After walking for 1-2 hours on the road, there was about 1-2 hours of winding mountain and gravel road.
Dulan has a long history and rich humanities. The famous Nomuhong culture was once bred here, and it was once the core area of the ancient Qiang and an important town on the southern route of the Silk Road. There are more than 2,000 historical, cultural and ethnic cultural sites in Dulan. The Tuyuhun ruins and Tubo tombs complement the local natural scenery and cultural customs. Here, the ancient traditions of nomads are preserved, and the protection of the ecological environment allows us to see not only sheep and cattle, but also wild sheep, foxes, marmots and eagles.
In the Dulan Ranch, I had a slight headache, probably because of the altitude. It takes a lot of hard work to think about the beautiful scenery, and the places imitating the paradise are always hidden in places with poor roads and not so easy to reach.
There are several white yurts on the endless plateau. The herdsmen burned milk tea and cooked mutton for us to eat. Back to the plateau again, a familiar feeling hits me. Yes, the slight headache and the salty milk tea are memories that I will never erase.
Passing by the goji berries drying by farmers in nearby villages, after all, Qinghai is a well-known goji berry producing area, especially the goji berries produced in Qaidam are very high-quality, and many local farmers make a living from the cultivation of goji berries and the production of related products.
Residence: Delingha
【Emerald Lake】
Some people say that Emerald Lake is like a handful of gems scattered in the Qaidam Basin. Compared with the red Chaka Salt Lake, we are more willing to discover some relatively small and beautiful scenery. The Emerald Lake mentioned here is the Emerald Lake of Dachaidan. There are too many hidden secrets in Qinghai, waiting for us to discover them one by one. This trip to Emerald Lake also gave us a big surprise.
Emerald Lake, as the name suggests, its color ranges from emerald green to light blue, transparent and beautiful like emerald. Because the lake contains different minerals, it produces different colors, which change with the intensity of sunlight. The salt land on the edge of the salt lake is like a white sand beach, gradually turning into a red place to check in.
Location: It is located about ten kilometers northwest of Caidan Town, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.
The "big name" of Emerald Lake is Yikechaidamu Lake, also known as Dachaidan Lake, which is a plateau salt lake rich in boron, lithium, salt, potassium fertilizer, and thenardite. The emerald lake water we see is actually a mined salt pit. After mining the salt pit, I did not expect to leave such a beautiful landscape.
Compared with the well-known Chaka Salt Lake, Emerald Lake has fewer people. It is not so mirror-like but wins with a very beautiful lake color. The white salt layer makes the lake look like a white sand beach with ripples.
Live in: Golmud
【Water Yadan】
I went to the Emerald Lake in Dachaidan yesterday, and everyone thought it was beautiful! Today, a group of 4 cars drove back and forth for seven hours to the Water Yardang Geopark, which is said to be the only water Yardang in the world.
I have to lament the uncanny craftsmanship of nature. After half a day of self-driving, I arrived at Water Yardang. My first feeling was: I was moved, and I no longer envied the many famous national parks in the United States. We also have such a magnificent, magical and charming natural landform as Water Yardang, which formed a national geological park. It is hoped that the establishment of the National Geopark will give more impetus to the protection of this environment.
What is Yadan Landform? Yardang landform is a typical wind-erosion landform, which is found in all continents except Oceania and Antarctica. It is mainly distributed in arid areas with sparse rainfall, sparse vegetation, and strong wind erosion and on the edge of deserts in extremely arid areas. China is mainly distributed in Xinjiang Lop Nur, Hami, the middle and lower reaches of the Shule River, the Qaidam Basin and Wumeng, Inner Mongolia. According to some research reports, Yadan-like landforms are also distributed on extraterrestrial planets.
There are very concentrated and rare Yadan landforms in the Qaidam Basin. From the self-driving road, there are different Yadan landforms on both sides, like a mysterious castle, more like the surface of an alien planet.
The hill-like Yardang is full of ravines, like the vicissitudes left by time, and the wind is a carving knife that leaves deep wrinkles on the surface of the earth as traces of history.
And this specially planned trip to Yadan on the water is even rarer than the general Yadan landform. It is said to be the only Yadan on water in the world. The Yardang landforms dotted across the lake have different shapes, but they are all deeply imprinted by the wind with the traces of time. Compared with hundreds of millions of years of wind erosion, how short a human life is, it is better to walk on a song.
Residence: Delingha
【Accommodation recommendation】
The two homestays I stayed in by car in Qinghai are both good, because many people asked me about the accommodation there, so I just recommend it.
1?? Xining "Vanmu Shabby Boutique Hotel" is a very stylish inn. The environment is very elegant and quite Zen-like, surrounded by several villas to form a complete layout, both hardware and software are impressive.
2?? The "Moshang Starry Sky" hotel in Delingha. The accommodation conditions in the western part of my country are higher than I expected before I came here. This boutique hotel is positioned like a boutique hotel, with direct drinking water and supplies disinfection instructions, and the details are in place. Do a little strategy with your heart, and you can live very well in Delingha.
【Suggestion for self-driving】
1. Reasonably arrange the time for self-driving, and don’t be too tired when traveling
2. Remember to find a gas station in advance, play in the desert, not everywhere there is a gas station
3. Prepare some food, because it is very likely to miss the meal time because of the beautiful scenery
