Xinjiang in the late summer of 2019 - a trip to northern Xinjiang

 The trip to Xinjiang in the summer of 2019 was the most unprepared and unplanned trip of all the trips after we had a baby. It was completely a few friends and families who often play together greeted each other, and everyone quickly decided to clean up Baggage departs!

In the summer of that year, Xiao Feiyu hadn't started elementary school, the new coronavirus hadn't appeared, and the world hadn't undergone earth-shaking changes. After sorting out the photos and videos that have been lost in various places for a long time, I suddenly realized that this trip to northern Xinjiang was also the most unplanned, where to go, full of unknowns, quite tossing trip in our history, but the memories are full of laughter It is the mutual caring and touching of each other, the vast scenery, exotic customs and unforgettable stories along the way. It is said that the most important thing about traveling is not where you go, but who you go with. This is really suitable for this journey! I'm really glad to have such a group of friends around me, and I can experience a way of travel where the big sister makes the decision and all the members follow the four directions without thinking, and the four seas can be home. It's too domineering and casual haha~~~~~

Having said so much, it is to let everyone who is looking forward to the Northern Xinjiang Raiders have a psychological preparation - due to various reasons and conditions, this trip is like this:

So this is not an ideal Northern Xinjiang Ring Road, but the route we took this time. In my impression, we have been running back and forth on the Lianhuo Expressway in the dark, haha!

As for the perfect northern Xinjiang self-driving tour route that does not go back and can even go to several places in the same time, you can find it online. Put a network diagram for reference

Therefore, this travel note is light on the strategy and heavy on the sense of body. It can be regarded as a place where everyone can experience the scenery and customs of northern Xinjiang~~

Mode of transportation: train to + self-driving + plane back

Walking route: Urumqi -> Tianchi -> Karamay Devil City, Colorful Beach -> Kanas -> Hemu -> Turpan/Flame Mountain -> Sailimu Lake -> Horgos Port -> Urumqi

Sitting on the train, eating hot pot, playing mahjong and singing

When we received the news of going to Xinjiang, the train tickets for Z179 had already been bought from scalpers. We packed our luggage in excitement and anticipation, and our family of three rushed to the West Railway Station. When I arrived, I found out that my eldest sister had to arrive two days late due to temporary family affairs, so I directly handed over the eldest son who decided to come with us on the spur of the moment. I saw the eldest son wearing short-sleeved shorts, flip flops, and carrying a large plastic bag with a bag of snacks in his hand. He looked as if he had gone to his grandma’s house in the same courtyard and was about to return home. We took over this clever and sensible child, and the trip to Xinjiang began like this!

I never thought that the first time I went to Xinjiang in my life, I actually took a train for nearly 40 hours! Still in the 21st century today...

As for why take the train to Xinjiang? It seems to be because the train is cheaper, or because some people want to experience the feeling of taking a long-distance train with more people to see the scenery. So how was the experience? Anyway, on the return trip, no one is clamoring to take the train back to Beijing hahaha...

The 40 hours on the train simply reproduced the simple version of the plot of "Let the Bullets Fly for a while": sitting on the train, eating hot pot (Haidilao's self-heating), playing mahjong, and singing. It's just that people play mahjong on the table, but we play mahjong with the table on our laps. The children were playing, while strolling in the corridors of the carriages, looking for strangers to chat with.

When the train enters Xinjiang, the eyes are full of the vast Gobi wilderness, as if driving through the empty Gobi in Las Vegas again. I saw the oil well machines at work, saw the abandoned oil wells and oil fields, saw the soil layer spread from shallow to deep, from thick to thin to the foot of the mountain far away, and also saw the legendary The tumbleweeds wandering around... 40 hours, just when everyone couldn't stand it anymore, we finally arrived in Urumqi.

The railway station is surrounded by railings. There are more special police and co-ops than passengers. The security work is very strict, which made us feel a little nervous when we came to Xinjiang for the first time, but also felt a little safe.

Downstairs of the hotel I stayed at was the reed chicken with high local ratings, and the first meal of Xinjiang cuisine started here~

Needless to say about the taste, it was already 4 or 5 pm after wolfing down the whole meal. Everyone planned to go to the Grand Bazaar after going to their rooms to take a shower and take a break.

Thinking that it would be almost 6 o'clock when I went out, I probably didn't need sunscreen. After taking a shower, I just wiped my face and went out. When I arrived at the Grand Bazaar, it was nearly 6:30 in the evening, the sun was shining brightly, and my face was scalding hot! Only then did I remember that there is a time difference of more than 2 hours between Xinjiang and Beijing, which means that the sun at this moment is about the same as Beijing at 4 p.m., and the actual body feels more like the sun at 3 p.m.

The Grand Bazaar is a place similar to a bazaar in Xinjiang. There are food, clothing, shopping, and everything sold. Because it is also a must-visit place for tourists, there is a relatively large room for bargaining. There are several entrances to the Grand Bazaar. When you meet up, pay attention to discussing the meeting point in advance.

Starting from the Grand Bazaar, we have already felt the strong regional customs of Xinjiang. In addition to the dazzling array of handicrafts, cosmetics, and mutton skewers, there are also singing and dancing skills of this nation.

 Any little friend can dance a passionate and cheerful dance with great charm and appeal. I can't help but sigh that this is a nation that is born to dance!

 

According to my family's usual habit, after visiting the Grand Bazaar, it's time to go home and get ready for bed after 8 o'clock. But the sun in Urumqi after 8 o'clock in the evening is like a middle-aged man full of energy and experience, less hot, more warm and warm, just right.

On the recommendation of a local friend, we went straight to the "Gejiagou Shop Hongliu Roasted Whole Lamb" which is far away from the city. The driver was very confused by our behavior of running so far to eat a meal. At that time, a small doorman arrived! Turn into the alley, there is a hole in the sky.

I didn't plan to eat at first, so I ordered a glass of home-brewed kvass first - it was so delicious that it exploded! The real puree is brewed without additives, and with honey, the taste is not to mention refreshing and energetic! Then I went to do as the Romans do and exile myself. The various roast lambs in this shop are really delicious and authentic! The days of two meals a day are thus subject to jet lag.

My friend also brought two kinds of small grapes that are unique to the local area and only local people have the opportunity to buy, especially the white one, which was dried up by everyone within minutes.

This beer seems to be called Wusu. It is said that it is commonly known as "Kill you guys". If you look upside down, you will know why:D

It was almost 9 o'clock in the evening, and the sun finally set. The sky is full of red, and my stomach has not been appeased on the train. I am immersed in the delicious food, wine and everyone's laughter at this moment, and I am extremely satisfied...

Tianshan Tianchi, there are so many small Europes in China!

The next day everyone woke up beautifully and planned to go to Tianshan Tianchi.

It was a bit cloudy, so I brought a soft shell plus fleece jacket. The scenic spot + bus ticket is a total of ￥150. After buying the ticket at the visitor center, take the bus and wind along the mountain road. After arriving at the terminal, walk through various scenic spots to Tianchi on the top of the mountain. Like Changbai Mountain Tianchi, Tianshan Tianchi is also an alpine lake. They have very similar landscapes. The difference is that Tianshan Tianchi does not need to climb high and long steps to get a glimpse of its true face. Compared with Changbai Mountain Tianchi, it is closer to the perspective , here is closer to head-up, when the line of sight extends to the Bogda Peak in the distance, there is even a feeling of looking up.

According to legend, Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Mountain was once a fairyland where the Queen Mother of the West lived. Therefore, in the Haixi Jingqun where the bus drops off passengers, in addition to taking a cruise ship to circle the Tianchi Lake, you can also climb the steps on foot to worship at the Ancestral Temple of the Queen Mother of the West.

We didn't choose any one, but avoided the crowds, strolled along the walking plank road on the east side, and experienced the tranquil beauty of this big oxygen bar. It is said that although the altitude here is more than 3,000 meters, because of the lush vegetation, not only will it not be high, but it will be easy to get drunk. For the saying that "every breath of air can increase your lifespan by 0.07 seconds", you have to take a good walk around the lake.

Walking to the beach of the lake, the Bogda Mountain, which is covered with snow all the year round, rises from the lake. You can't help but marvel at the rich natural resources of our great China! The scenery in front of me seems to be under the snow-capped mountains in Europe, beside the lake. This is just a glimpse of the area surrounded by the scenic area. If you want to come outside the scenic area, there must be even more amazing secrets hidden in the Tianshan area. The trip to western Sichuan in the Hengduan Mountains area in 2021 will make people feel such a sigh (here is the trip to Siguniang Mountain in Hailuogou, Western Sichuan:) Probably, wherever the foreign brothers go in the future, they will say: hey~ this is simply China Little West! This is simply the western Sichuan of China!

When there are many people, everyone seems to be more immersed in the interaction and tends to ignore the integrity of the viewing. We walked back here and ended the trip to Tianchi. This is also true in our family's travel history. This is the only time, so that when I wrote this travel note, I have been trying to recall the experience of Tianchi Scenic Area, and my brain went blank.

Later, I found out that there is a very classic cable car + hiking itinerary in Tianchi: buy a round-trip cable car ticket for Maya Mountain, and take a shuttle bus to take the cable car. During this process, you will enjoy the view of Maya Mountain, Tianchi and Bogda Peak in the air. For the whole picture, there is also the opportunity to walk around the mountain while looking up at the Bogda Peak at an altitude of 5,445 meters in Maya Mountain. For a serious hiking enthusiast like me, it is really an attractive part of the itinerary! As a pity, I have to save it for a later date.

Put a few pictures of the cable car I found on the Internet and the pictures overlooking Tianchi on Maya Mountain for everyone to feel

Facts once again prove that if you are just being led through, instead of planning the route and walking it yourself, you will always walk through it, and you will not remember the way. Therefore, we let Xiao Feiyu participate in the design of part of the trip behind our house, whether it is booking air tickets, or setting destinations, and route planning. bigger. 

In the evening, we welcomed the eldest sister who flew over after finishing the work. We continued to have dinner together and happily ate until 10:30 in the evening and went to bed. The biological clock of the spleen and stomach seems to be well adapted, and the sleepiness of the brain nerves is gradually being adjusted and postponed.

Authentic Xinjiang late-night food before going to bed

The western blockbuster running in the devil's city

 Today, we will take the train to Karamay to pick up the car. Don't ask why you're here to pick up your car, that's one of the various reasons this itinerary is the way it is.

 The moment I got off the train, I felt the billowing heat waves rushing towards my face, and I finally realized the feeling of scorching heat, which is even worse here. To be precise, this kind of heat is the dry heat unique to the Gobi desert. The steaming heat is like entering an oven.

Karamay is located in the northwest corner of the Jungar Basin, and the underlying oil resources are rich. The Karamay Oilfield is the first large oilfield discovered in my country. "Karamay" is called "Black Oil Mountain" in Uighur, which is named after the discovery of oil fields. She is also an industrial city developed on the basis of oil. In the east corner of Karamay City, there is a natural asphalt hill - Heiyou Mountain, from which a continuous stream of black liquid emerges. So let's experience the enthusiasm of this city with oil underneath. 

Now that we have arrived in Karamay, the first stop on the second day after picking up the car is the Devil City, which is famous for its Yadan landform.

After entering the scenic spot and buying a ticket, take a sightseeing bus to visit the scenic spot. Along the way, you will see various sculptural "earth mounds" formed by wind erosion. Listening to the automatically played introduction to the scenic spot is really a time to test your imagination. There will be about 4 or 5 stops along the way, and the end point of the sightseeing bus drop-off is the most extreme area of ​​Yadan landform in the scenic spot.

I usually have no special interest in places without water and dryness, but in the open Gobi, I have the urge to run and shout. Without the gentleness of clear springs, the majesty of mountain waterfalls, and the lush greenery that matches them, the beauty here is unspeakably wild, unrestrained and magnificent, and this kind of majestic feeling can only be experienced in the western region. get. The picture of "the lonely smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is setting in the long river" can't help but appear in my mind.

In this kind of place, when the weather is fine, just take a picture with your mobile phone and it will be a blockbuster western movie, no matter how you take it, it will look good!

 

After playing at the terminal station, you can take a sightseeing bus and go back, and just get off at the station you want to see. Most of the tank bases are man-made landscapes. We didn't stop there and got off at the Tianshan Mountain under the Seven Swords.

Take the little flying fish to Dinosaur Valley for a circle, mainly man-made landscapes.

Why is Devil City called Devil City? It is because the wind and sand here are very strong, and when night falls, the wind and sand blow up everywhere, shuttling between various "hill piers" with strange shapes, making strange whimpering sounds, like ghosts crying and wolves howling, hence the name "Devil City".

 This place is not big, but it can't stand people roasting on the empty Gobi. After walking around and watching the flowers, hurry up and go to the colorful beach in Burqin.

 

The fun of self-driving is that the scenery along the way is also a kind of experience and enjoyment, such as self-driving in Xinjiang.

Sitting in the car, it seems that I have returned to the scene of self-driving on the west coast of the United States and passing through Arizona in a trance. This road blockbuster is just a random shot, no less than the legendary Route 66.

 

Colorful beach, typical river bank landform superimposed with soil karst landform. Different from the Yardang landform eroded by wind, this landform is formed by the erosion and impact of river water. The color of the river beach is the result of the rich minerals that make up the river bank being washed out all year round.

The river in the photo is the Irtysh River, which flows from Kazakhstan, and if you trace the source upstream, you may have to trace it to the Arctic Ocean.

The colorful beach is not big. After we shuttled among the stone forests, we continued on our way to settle near Kanas.

 After 9 o'clock in the evening, we continued to move forward under the afterglow of the setting sun...

Goodbye, Kanas, where you can enjoy horses and flowers! Hello Hemu!

Although there is Kanas in the itinerary, we did go to Kanas, but the itinerary of Kanas is so hasty that I don't actually know what Kanas really looks like, only a touch of milk blue as the sightseeing car roars past. , and as silly and unclear as all lake cruises big and small...

Therefore, in places with good scenery, if it is not necessary for convenient transportation, try not to choose a cruise ship, and it is easy to leave the regret of not seeing anything "just because you are in this mountain". Before leaving, I have already made up my mind that I must go through the northern Xinjiang again, and take the Duku Highway by the way.

 

However, we left the time gained by horse racing and viewing flowers to Hemu Village, a peaceful village like a paradise of peach blossoms. If you continue to look down, I believe you will not be disappointed.

Hemu and Kanas Scenic Area are connected, which means that after we drive to the gate of Kanas Scenic Area early in the morning, we can carry simple luggage. Kimura. In order to hurry, we gave up lingering in the beautiful plank road scenery of Kanas, and rushed to Hemu Village after taking the boat.

After getting off the bus, the lady from the inn came to the station to pick up our luggage, and a group of hungry people went straight to the reserved restaurant for dinner.

Naturally, there is no need to say much about the food in Xinjiang. After the children were full, they kept running over to get the meat on the table while the adults were chatting, saying that they were going to feed the eagles. With endless curiosity, he also ran over to see it.

I saw a little brother from Xinjiang, holding several pieces of fresh meat in his hand, driven by the cheerful rhythm of the music, he happily threw a piece of meat into the sky, and the circling eagle spotted a fierce one and stabbed it down. The piece of meat is gone, and the perfect moment will be missed in the blink of an eye! Looking at the little brother who threw the meat, he looked like an actor who had just finished a gorgeous performance on the stage, with a big smile on his face. The sense of happiness and satisfaction was probably no less than that of just grabbing the meat. Eat the eagle!

 The little brother threw the meat happily, and greeted the children around him and the beautiful ladies who passed by. The children also surrounded him and devoted themselves to this activity of joy and happiness index report, picking and throwing, throwing and picking , never tire of it. The older children stared at the younger ones who had no strength to throw the meat high into the air, waiting for the moment when they threw the meat into the grass, and swarmed up to take the meat for themselves.

I also tried to throw the piece of meat into the sky. Unfortunately, after I exhausted all my strength, the piece of meat also drew an oblique arc and fell into the grass... This is really a technical job!

 

As night fell, the cabins in the mountains gave everyone a big surprise (scary). The wooden cabins made of tree trunks seem to be ventilated on all sides. Don’t expect sound insulation. It’s the kind that can hear whispers clearly. . Because I went back late, I almost lost the quilt. The poor little flying fish persisted for a long time before he had to accept the fact that he must and could only live here at night, curled up between me and my husband, and fell asleep amidst the chatter and slander of the Gobi young couple on this cold summer night go.

 

When the first ray of sunshine in the morning hit the valley, Hemu completely changed his appearance like magic. Sunshine is such a good magician. The night and cold were gradually dispelled, and when the wooden door was pushed open, a warm and dreamy fairy tale world immediately appeared in front of my eyes.

After Xiao Feiyu got up, he couldn't help walking around.

Cats and dogs all over the world are creatures that know how to enjoy the sun best.

Strolling around the small courtyard for a while, I went to meet my husband who went out early in the morning to take pictures of the sunrise.

Because it is a pity that the baby did not follow him to watch the sunrise, so I had to use photos to relieve my greed

 

Early morning in Hemu Village, full of fireworks 

The steaming haggis soup and soy milk in the breakfast shop are delicious, and the deep-fried dough sticks are so delicious!

 After breakfast, we took the time to go for a stroll in the nearby birch forest, and play with the little flying fish by the river.

 

The fairy tales in Hemu in winter can be compared to Japan’s Snow Village. The local Tuva children will meet in groups to climb to the roof to “jump in the snow” and plop into the “thick snow quilt” as tall as a person. Had a great time. The older generation of Tuvans will also use super tough birch wood to make snowboards, cover them with shiny horse hides, and take their children to climb the slopes to ski. The days of Xanadu are just like this. Looking forward to another trip to Hemu in the snowy season.

Friends with plenty of time can go to Baihaba, another Tuva village.

 Brightly colored Turpan

Today's itinerary is also quite fast. Before noon, everyone left Hemu and returned to the parking lot of Kanas Scenic Area. We drove on the Lianhuo Expressway, which is the most boring, tiring and longest, towards Turpan...

 

 Arriving at the reserved inn, it was already early in the morning, a car full of people were exhausted, some slept in the cracks (me), some slept on the floor mats, some slept in the last row, and there were children Sleeping in the backseat. The co-pilot was half asleep and half awake, and the driver had exhausted his last bit of strength. Everyone got out of the car and wandered straight to the big soil kang on the roof terrace of the inn, and fell asleep.

That's right, I'm not sleepy and stupid, I'm just sleeping on the big earth kang on the roof terrace. Probably because it is too hot here, the locals all sleep on the open-air kang on the roof terrace, and some even sleep directly next to the Kanjing on the roof, falling asleep under the air-conditioning blown from the Kanjing. Of course, the guests sleep on the big kang in the house.

When we woke up the next day, everyone had the strength to take a good look at the place. There are bunches of ripe green grapes hanging on the grape racks on the terrace. Looking around, apart from a row of adobe houses, there should be the legendary grape ditch on the opposite side of the road, and stretches of grape fields stretch out all the way.

After taking a bath in the inn's small bathhouse like a big university bathhouse, after a good rest, they ran to the opposite grape field to pick grapes, and went to the nearby houses to buy Xinjiang's dried fruit specialties. Brother Zhao chatted with the old man's retired son in a few words, and the enthusiastic veteran promised to show his skills, cook a meal by himself, and bring it to us in the evening.

At noon, I went to a nearby farmhouse to eat a Turpan-style lunch. When I walked to the door, I was greeted by a strong ethnic minority atmosphere, and the brightly painted door was particularly eye-catching.

Cheerful music that makes people want to dance is heard in the courtyard. At this time, the work phone rang, and I completely missed the excitement of the beautiful women serving fruits one by one in order to start the meal! Can only rely on photos to recall.

Strolling around for a while, I found that the architectural style of the farmyard is uniform here. The small courtyard of the 2-story brick-earth building is unique and very distinctive. It feels a bit like visiting the old Beijing Hutong! At least in terms of the degree of difficulty of driving ^_^

After shopping, everyone went back to the house to rest. Under the attack of waves of heat, everyone's physical and mental strength obviously did not recover. The planned Kanjing and Populus euphratica forest only had the heart to think and no strength to go. Let's sleep together and rest!

In the evening, the dinner prepared by the veterans arrived as scheduled, and once again experienced the enthusiasm of the Xinjiang people. Everyone stood around the long table in the small courtyard on the terrace, chatted, drank and bragged about the delicious food, and ended the tour of Turpan lively OK.

Tranquil Sailimu Lake

Early in the morning, leave Turpan and drive to Ili Sailimu Lake, which I thought of again on a whim. This is really a trip with strong randomness and high adaptability! ^^

Before setting off, I drove to the outskirts of the Huoyan Mountain for a stroll - it was really hot! Too hot to get out of the car! There are rolling rust-red mountains along the way, which should be very hot to the touch... The children got out of the car and went to the entrance of the scenic spot to play for a while, and the current temperature was 45 degrees on the plantain fan.

 

After driving for another day, we arrived at the camp of Kazakh herdsmen stationed beside Sailimu Lake at about 8:00 in the evening. This tent is not always set up here, the nomads have to take their cattle and horses around all the time, maybe they will not be found when they come back in a few days.

There is boundless blue in front of you, and the Sailimu Lake in the setting sun is shining with water.

The herdsmen over there were busy preparing dinner for us. The quarrel between a pair of "young couples" in the team here escalated. A group of people ran to the edge of the outer cliff of the expressway to try to persuade them, but the herdsmen finally persuaded us cheerfully. They wanted to be happy when they came out to play, and the young couple finally got tired, so everyone came back to eat one after another. In the evening, they each continued to appease the unfinished emotions of both parties.

Going to a local herdsman's house to experience life and sleeping in a tent, I always thought it was very fresh and fun, but after sleeping in a real big tent this time, I completely changed my mind: pulling the curtain to enter the tent, under the dim light, there is a There is a huge bunk with electric blankets underneath. There is enough room for three people to turn around beside the Tongpu. The carpet on the floor exudes the smell of not taking a bath for a long time, and the quilt... There are all kinds of quilt covers, I think they should have brought out the best ones. The men had a tent, and we, 5 women and 2 children, squeezed together on a kang in a tent, and we made ends meet all night.

Xiao Feiyu was next to me. After experiencing Hemu's cabin, the bottom line of his accommodation environment was broken again. It was a rare experience and experience. At least he knows that in this world, there is still such a way of life and living conditions. Although he came back 2 years later, he kept reminding us not to live in dark cabins and tents before the trip haha ​​^^

At 6 o'clock in the morning, we got up and climbed to the top of the mountain behind the camp to see the sunrise of Sailimu Lake, which was so beautiful.

I thought I could have a quiet rest here today and look at the "sea", but my sisters and sisters all wanted to go to the Khorgos border port not far away to buy and buy, and the men followed the sisters, so we Let's go too! Before leaving, hurry up and take the waking little flying fish to another nearby hill to see the scenery of Sailimu Lake.

Here I would like to introduce Yili, the only place with abundant water and grass in the arid Xinjiang plate surrounded by desert.

The south of Xinjiang is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the water vapor from the Indian Ocean is blocked, thus forming a large area of ​​desert. However, the Tianshan Mountains on the south side of the Ili area, the Borokonu Mountains on the north side, and the Yilian Habirga Mountains on the east side have "clamped" Ili into a trumpet opening to the west. Therefore, the Atlantic water vapor, which is more than 5,000 kilometers apart, can go all the way eastward, across the flat European plain and Eurasian steppe, and reach Ili directly, where it accumulates water vapor on the windward slope, forming a valley super rain collector. "A large amount of precipitation remains in solid form on the high mountains, forming glaciers." Melted water from glaciers interacts among the mountains, converging into lakes and rivers, rushing all the way down, and finally converging into the Yili River, nourishing this pure grassland. The Duku Highway shuttles between the many mountains that form the Ili Valley. The road is steep and the scenery is amazing! It is also the destination of our next trip to Xinjiang.

 Take pictures to feel the beauty of the water and grass in the Ili Valley~

Reluctantly left Sailimu Lake and went to Horgos.

The richest border crossing, Khorgos

Korgos borders Kazakhstan, and it is said to be a very rich city, because the richest people in China have registered their companies here, exempt from tax.

There is a border port here, which sells all kinds of imported goods, mainly local goods from South Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan and Xinjiang. There is a huge parking lot at the gate. After parking, a group of people ran to the customs to apply for a customs clearance permit. The process was very simple, basically checking ID cards, paying money, and receiving permits. Non-locals from the mainland like us usually don't check much, and go through the process quickly. After passing the customs, take the bus to the port's trade city for shopping.

My husband and I usually get a headache when we look at this kind of place. The women all go shopping, and I simply walk around and buy something casually and then come out. Everyone saw that it was still early and there was nothing to do, so we rented a "luxury car" and went around the so-called Kazakh territory. We wanted to see the exotic scenery and ethnic customs, but finally found out that we were actually going around the trade city area. After a circle, I saw nothing except the "shopping mall" and the high-strength barbed wire fence on the border. It was also explained that the road to Kazakhstan was blocked because of the quality of tourists... In short, I was curious about this " Students who have seen "transit" should give up this idea, feeling 100% deceived.

 

Before crossing the border, I went around the lavender farm passing by here.

When we arrived, lavender was out of season, but there were a lot of sage, lemon balm and other spices in the garden nursery. It was just in time for the flowers to mature and seed. I was as fascinated by it as I was and picked some seeds. , ready to go home and plant on the patio. Now these seeds from Xinjiang have blossomed and formed seeds on the terrace, continuing their beautiful life in my home separated by two time zones. Every time I see the purple flowers of sage blooming, I will think of the wonderful trip to Xinjiang.

 

Traveling to Xinjiang and knocking on the blackboard

After the trip to Horgos, we returned to Urumqi and flew back to Beijing, and the trip to northern Xinjiang also came to an end.

Take stock again and add some travel suggestions about Xinjiang:

1. First of all, the city of Urumqi is very different from what we imagined. In our impression, Urumqi seems to be called Xinjiang because of the adobe houses like Turpan and wearing ethnic minority costumes. However, it is not the same as any modern metropolis. No different, there are many high-rise buildings and heavy traffic.

2. About the weather and maintenance. Xinjiang has a large area, and it is only in the northern Xinjiang area. The temperature difference between the north and the south is more than 20 degrees, so clothes must be prepared. If you are really unprepared, there is Decathlon in the shopping mall in Urumqi, and you can always buy suitable equipment. Girls, when you go to Xinjiang, you must do a good job of sunscreen and moisturizing skin care! All places that can be covered are covered tightly, and your face hurts when you get sunburned... In addition, if you take the train, don't bring sunscreen spray, it will be confiscated at the train station. 

3. Regarding transportation, it is recommended to drive by yourself! Xinjiang is really too big! It takes a day to go from one place to another. There are many winding roads in northern Xinjiang, which have certain requirements for power, but not so high, because they are basically roads. Our self-driving car this time is a Tiggo SUV, which is said to be very cheap and belongs to the 100,000-level, but it still surprised me in terms of performance and functions-the price/performance ratio is really high, anyway, I think it is very easy to drive. It’s good for a family of three with children, but if there are more people and need to sit in the last row, forget it. Although a fat person can be squeezed in the back row, it’s too tiring for long-distance travel.

4. Regarding the delicious food, it goes without saying that there are regular specialties such as mutton skewers and large plate chicken. When you come, you must try the local pepper chicken, baked buns, and pulled skins. There are too many delicious foods along the way. Every time you eat I was so overwhelmed that every time I ordered baked buns in various ways, I couldn't eat them all the time. We tasted it for breakfast before we left Urumqi and thought it was so delicious! I deliberately brought home a bagful, and I was satisfied after eating for several days, and I still miss it now. Just buy the most traditional one, not the innovative version. 

5. Regarding shopping, there are not many things worth buying at the port, but some small gas stations and night markets in small cities are worth shopping for, such as local honey, rose essential oil, and lavender. Essential oils, corresponding rose and lavender hydrosols, lavender pillows, handmade soaps, pure plant facial oils, hair dyes, and a pure plant extract that is said to be able to grow eyebrows and make eyelashes and eyebrows longer... These are all very interesting , and they are all extremely cheap, and most of them are purely handmade. Those who want to bring dried fruit home must go to Turpan, and express delivery is included. The Urumqi Grand Bazaar has a lot of things and everything, bargaining, and the price/performance ratio is not bad.

In short, if you see it and think you like it, buy it, and if you miss it, you will lose it.

I bought my lavender hydrosol at a local shop next to a small gas station, ￥20/bottle! ! ! When the elder sister sells pure dew, she always finds a mineral water bottle, then carries a knee-high oil drum full of pure dew, and pours it directly into the mineral water bottle! The old man is so unrestrained... Seeing the pure dew pouring out makes my heart ache... 

 

Alright~~ This is the end of the trip to northern Xinjiang! There are so many words, you can see that the current ones are all cultural people~ You must have found the fun in it^_^

More travel notes please see here

#7天自车欢迎海河沟冰川和四少女山#: https://you.ctrip.com/travels/sichuan100009/4042223.html?isAuthor=true###

Southeast Yunnan-Rapeseed Flowers in Luoping/Yuanyang Terraced Fields/Jianshui Ancient City/Puzhehei and Shennongjia are updated on the way...

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