DAY3: Nalati - Kuqa
Having been to Xinjiang is equivalent to seeing the whole world; driving to Xinjiang is equivalent to traveling all corners of the world; through four seasons in one day, there are flowers blooming and snow falling, and Xinjiang is inadvertently beautiful in this autumn.
It was windy all night last night, and it didn't subside until after 9 o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, the sun was shining. After a hasty breakfast, we set foot on the second half of the Duku Highway again before we had time to take a closer look at the Moon River Hotel in the Nalati Grassland. Looking out of the car window, the grassland at this moment is in a gradual transition period from green to yellow, and in the distance is the beautiful picture scroll woven by the blue sky and snow-capped mountains. It took less than an hour to drive across the mountains and ridges. Everyone couldn't contain their inner excitement and strongly asked the parking lot to get off the car to enjoy the scenery. The group of people who got out of the car were like wild horses running wild in the autumn fairy tale: the green island full of forests on the top of Tianshan Mountain is so intoxicating; the pines on the undulating hills are so pleasing to the eye; The gurgling water makes the grassland full of spirituality.
Bayinbulak~The name that appears repeatedly in the movie is so beautiful.
All the way to the south is an undulating and steep road. Although it is impossible to measure whether it is 109 kilometers or not, and it is impossible to count whether it is 1462 bends, driving on this road in person will let you understand the true meaning of "a natural moat turns into a thoroughfare". You have a lot of admiration for the men and women who spent decades building this road. After passing through the entrance of Tielimaiti Tunnel, the altitude rises to 3,200 meters, and then there is a big downhill. On the downhill road, you will pass two emeralds inlaid on Tianshan Mountain—the Big and the Small Dragon Pond. The sun is just right, the breeze is not dry, and the water surface is sparkling. Quiet and beautiful. Since arriving at the Swan Lake scenic spot is not at sunset, in order to check in more scenic spots, we gave up the nine bends and eighteen bends and Swan Lake, leaving regrets and thoughts of coming again.
Before reaching the entrance of the Grand Canyon scenic spot, there are red rocks burning on both sides of the road, and vehicles are galloping on the vast Gobi Desert. People's hearts are as violent as the "flaming mountain". The arrival time was already 18:30, and while the light was still there, we scattered into the canyon to explore the mystery and lift her mysterious veil. There are majestic red cliffs on both sides of the scenic spot. Walking forward is the quiet and deep valley road. The strange peaks and rocks in the valley are all kinds of strange things with the change of light and shadow. "God Dog", wandering in the fiery red valley in the evening, without the heat of the day, and all the troubles of the world. When I walked to a line of sky, I turned back, and I didn't go to the end to see the ancient murals.
I didn't book hotels and restaurants in advance today, so it's an attitude to go with the flow during the trip. In the process of looking for a hotel, we saw a restaurant full of people, so we decided to try it, which is called "Licking Muqi Special Pigeon Soup". The ethnic characteristics here are much stronger than in Urumqi. The diners in the restaurant are all locals. They communicate in a language we don’t understand, and look at us with friendly eyes. The older waiters in the store can’t understand Chinese at all. The Chinese at the cashier is not bad, and she can understand most of them. A sumptuous pigeon feast sweeps away the exhaustion of the day, and the free wheel big naan with delicious soup captures everyone's stomachs, and the fat waist like a fist is roasted with mutton fat, and one bite is blissful The sense of satisfaction is overwhelming. After 12:00 in the morning, the owner of the restaurant politely pointed to the clock hanging on the wall to indicate that it was closing time. After our repeated pleading, the lovely boss gave us an extra half hour. After 12 o'clock at night, the barbecue stalls on the side of the road are still smoky, and the aroma of melons and fruits from the fruit stalls blows to the face, all of which are full of the attractive smell of southern Xinjiang.
