Preparation before travel:
Design itinerary:
Book air tickets, train tickets, chartered cars:
hotel reservation:
Day 1 Guangzhou--Xi'an
The cost of tourism in Xinjiang is relatively high, especially the transportation cost, which will cost a lot if you want to, so you must plan carefully. It is too expensive to fly directly from Guangzhou to Turpan or Urumqi, so we choose to fly instead. The original 4,000 yuan one-way air ticket was compressed into about 4,500 yuan for the whole journey. But the journey is very twists and turns, first fly from Guangzhou to Xi'an, stop for a while, and then fly from Xi'an to Turpan, and start from Turpan. During the flight from Urumqi to Kashgar. When I came back, I flew from Kashgar to Urumqi, stopped and then flew to Shanghai, and then flew from Shanghai to Shenzhen. And taking into account the frequency of the Guangzhou subway when we came, we chose the plane at 8 pm. Flying to Xi'an, it was already past 11 o'clock in the evening. Moreover, the plane was delayed that night, and the 8 o'clock plane took off after 9 o'clock. So it was after 12 o'clock when we arrived. Fortunately, the hotel we booked was in Xianyang District, but it was already the second day when we arrived at the hotel. The day's trip ended happily in this way.
It is not bad to book Yanlaiju Inn today, there is a pick-up and drop-off service. Before 12:00 the next day, the pick-up and drop-off are free, one time per room, and the airport cannot be dropped off after 12:00. The layout of the room is also okay, the bed is relatively large, and there is a small living room. Due to the recent renovation, all the utensils are relatively new, we take a shower as soon as possible and then rest. There is still a trip tomorrow!
Day 2 Xi'an--Changyu Ruina Castle Wine Estate--Turpan
Because I slept more playfully last night, but because I have to go to a small scenic spot today-Changyu Rena Castle. This is one of the estates of Changyu Winery. Of course, it is also one of the urban agriculture projects implemented in Qinhan New City in the modern Xianyang New District, and it is also a national AAAA-level scenic spot. Tickets are booked on Ctrip, 96 yuan per person, including a ticket for wine tasting.
Walking into the manor, we can overlook the winery in the distance. The winery organically combines the main building of the castle with nature, combining milky white ivory-like chalk, red clay roof tiles, bright yellow wall coating, and vast The unique vineyards, jumping fountains, exquisite wall decorations, bright black ironwork, and the ruby glossy Reina dry red are blended together to form a warm, leisurely, elegant and romantic pastoral scenery. Exquisite sculptures and warm tones create a charming atmosphere full of artistic temperament, exuding a strong flavor of Tuscany, Italy. Let us appreciate the pure and unique European style without going abroad, and feel the joy of enjoying life immersed in the wine culture.
All kinds of grapes are planted here. Walking on the tree-lined path, looking at the grape racks next to you, you don't feel the hot and dry temperature in the northwest. Walk all the way to the winery, climb up the white steps, and enter the winery through a suspension bridge. Inside the winery is the introduction of wine culture, from grape planting to wine tasting, there are clear introductions, and some experience items are also set up, let us experience how to taste wine. During the interesting game, we also learned more about the culture of wine. Along the spiral staircase, go down to the underground wine cellar, and you can see bottles of wine in the cellar. Finally, of course, there is the wine tasting session. Finally, of course, is the sale of wine.
After visiting the winery, it was noon, and we walked out along the trail of the vineyard, and it was time for us to go back
up. Who knows, it is very difficult to take a taxi near the winery, there is no way. Only to call the innkeeper and ask them to pick us up. The boss is also very nice, he came to pick us up by car.
Last night, the place where we lived was the Folk Culture Village, the most beautiful village in Xianyang. We finished our lunch here, took a short rest and took the airport express bus to Xianyang Airport. Today we have to fly to Turpan. The local meals have their own characteristics. Regarding the food intake of southerners, we must not have one portion per person. Let's order one of each and try it together. Among them, the trouser belt noodles are the most distinctive. The width of the noodles is definitely not comparable to that of ordinary noodles. One noodle is a small bowl.
After lunch, you can take the shuttle bus to the airport. The special line car is 5 yuan per person, and it will be delivered to the opposite of the arrival hall of the airport. It does not take 15 minutes from the village to the airport. When you arrive at the airport, go through the security check as soon as possible and prepare to board the plane.
When we arrived in Turpan, the weather was so bad that a strong wind suddenly blew up. Our plane was circling at high altitude and could not land. This plane felt like a roller coaster ride. Looking at the sun in the sky as our plane circled, it always couldn't set in the sky, and it was a rare opportunity to see the wonders. After circling for a while, the plane finally landed. At this time, it was already 10 o'clock in the evening, and it was already dusk. When we left the airport, it was already dark. Fortunately, we have an appointment car to pick up the airport, otherwise, we should be worried.
As a result, when we came to the car, we didn't know what was wrong, and the car was complained that it couldn't pick us up. The police told us that this car did not have a tourist ticket, so she was picking up passengers illegally. This delay brought us to eleven o'clock. But the police still cared about us, registered everything for us and told the taxi driver he would pay a return visit. He also told us loudly that we should call the police if there is anything, and the police will be there in a minute, and let us take his phone. Let us feel safe in the midst of panic. Finally, we arrived at the hotel by taxi. It was a bit late, but we finally arrived safely.
Tonight we booked a hotel with Sogdian characteristics. When we came to the hotel, we found that there were many people waiting to check in. They said they had booked a room but there was no room. We were also a little scared, but fortunately, the room booked on Ctrip is more reliable. The boss must have said that we booked on Ctrip, so he helped us check in. The hotel does have ethnic characteristics, such as green brick kang beds, ethnic hanging paintings, etc., and the decoration is very good. But things are a bit old, and the water is not big. Of course, on the first day of check-in, the boss sent fruit, which is still very good.
Day 3 Turpan (Jiaohe Ancient City-Junwang Mansion-Sugong Tower-Grape Valley)
The weather in Turpan was not bad in the morning, but the weather at noon was not something we could bear. So we decided to go out early in the morning, come back to rest at noon, and go out again at 4 pm. But the driver and I made an appointment at 9 o'clock, because I went to bed late yesterday, so today is fine. Through understanding, in fact, due to the problem of longitude, although Beijing time is used here, in fact, there is a time difference of about two hours here, and the locals have their own Xinjiang time. Many people in Xinjiang do not go to work until 9-10 o'clock, which is equal to our 7-8 o'clock, which is already a very early working time.
The restaurant of the hotel opened at 8 o'clock. I took a breakfast coupon to the restaurant and found that the breakfast is also Xinjiang-style. Although it is a buffet, many of them are spicy. It is estimated that the only ones that can be eaten are steamed buns and porridge. There is no way, after a rough breakfast, it is time for the car to pick me up. Our first stop is Jiaohe Ancient City.
About half an hour's drive, we arrived at Jiaohe Ancient City. According to legend, the ancient city of Jiaohe was founded and built by the Cheshi people from the 2nd to the 5th century BC. The opening of the Silk Road made it prosperous and reached its peak in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. From the 9th to the 14th century, due to successive years of war, Jiaohe City gradually declined. During the Chagatai period at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, wars continued in Turpan. Jiaohe City was severely damaged and was finally abandoned. Thanks to the dry and rainless climate in the Turpan area, the main building of Jiaohe Ancient City, which has experienced thousands of years of wind and frost, has been miraculously preserved, leaving us a precious cultural heritage. Up to now, we can still clearly see that a central avenue running through the north and south divides the residential area into east and west parts. At the north end of the avenue is a large-scale temple, which forms the northern monastery area at the center. Most of the buildings are rectangular courtyards, and the doors of the courtyards face the adjacent streets and alleys. The southern part of the eastern part of the avenue is a large residential area, the northern part is a small residential area, and the central part is a government office area; the western part of the avenue is mostly residential areas, and there are many handicraft workshops.
(Note: When you come to the ancient city of Jiaohe, everyone must pay attention to sun protection! Before going to the ruins, there will be a small supply point selling sun protection tools. If there is no one, you can buy some there. The ruins are really as the owner said. Not a single tree, nothing to hide.
There are package tickets for the scenic spots in Turpan, and there are certain discounts for some scenic spots. However, there are a few things to pay attention to when buying discount tickets. One is that some attractions are not particularly visited by many people. It is forcibly bound to some attractions. If you really don’t want to go, you will spend a lot of money; Plan the itinerary of the trip, because the date of visit is on the ticket)
After visiting Jiaohe Ancient City, we went back to the hotel to avoid the sun after looking for a place to eat. We agreed with the master to start at 4:30 in the afternoon, and we went to the Junwang Mansion and Sugong Tower first. Junwang Mansion is the mansion of Emin Hezhuo, king of Heshuo County. This is a big mansion in Xinjiang, with a history of 300 years. Its owner, Emin Hezhuo, is the leader of the Uyghurs in Turpan and an outstanding patriot. He followed and surrendered to the Manchu Qing government, and assisted the Qing government in defeating the Junggar rebels and the Hezhuo rebellion to maintain the unity of the motherland. He has made outstanding contributions. For this reason, he was praised by Qianlong and named "Turpan County King" and "hereditary". Under his influence, his eight sons, except for the eldest son Nurmahamet, who died early due to illness and whose life is unknown, the other seven sons followed their father, made military exploits repeatedly, and were awarded and commended by the Qing government many times. The most distinctive feature is that there is an underground palace in the county palace, which is actually a very long underground tunnel. In the past, it was the place where the king of the county lived. Now, it is used to display the life of Emin and Zhuo. As soon as you enter the underground palace, you feel cool and cool. Everyone sighs that the underground in Turpan is the place where people live.
After leaving the Prince's Mansion, there is the Su Gong Pagoda next to it. In fact, I think they can be combined into one scenic spot. Why do you have to set up two points to collect tickets twice across a small road? It is a 37-meter-high earthen tower with a civil structure and a variety of patterns on the tower body, which has a strong Uyghur artistic style. It was built out of silver by Emin and Zhuo father and son in order to repay the favor of the Qing Dynasty, express their piety to Allah, and make their life's achievements known to future generations. Therefore, Sugong Tower is also called Emin Tower. The reason why it is called Sugong Tower is entirely because the tower was built by Suleiman, the son of Princess Emin, so it got its name from here. These two scenic spots have few tourists, are not popular scenic spots, and are generally not recommended to visit, but they still have Uighur characteristics. If you spend more time in Turpan, you can still go there.
The weather was too hot, and we made a mistake in choosing to go out at 4:30. Considering the 2-hour time difference, 4:30 was the hottest time at 2:30. Visiting in two unobstructed places is still a test of people's will. So we rushed to the Grape Valley. The two places are very close, and it only took more than 10 minutes to arrive.
Grapes are definitely a specialty of Xinjiang. The grapes here have thin skins and high sweetness, making them top-grade grapes. If you ask the people in Turpan what is their favorite and most impressive food, their answer is probably grapes and other fruits, where you can often take grapes or other fruits as a staple food and eat them all the way. This "fruit feast" is a unique feature of Turpan. Every August, Turpan holds a Grape Festival. Various colorful cultural activities are also held during the Grape Festival, such as thematic cultural evenings, folk songs and dances, summer evenings, famous wine tastings, a street of flavor snacks, a street of technology and commerce, and a street of grapes and fruits. Grape Valley is a canyon on the west side of Flame Mountain, like a green ribbon, flowing in the center of the basin.
There are many scenic spots in Grape Valley, including the deep grape corridor, the magical Qianleiquan waterfall, the century-old mulberry and the dazzling array of pearl agate - grapes. The dripping clear spring flowing out from the cliff of Qianlei Spring converges into a stream of spring water, the water quality is clear and sweet. In fact, there is a very poignant legend about Qianleiquan. Many, many years ago, an evil dragon appeared on the mountain here. Every year on the third day of March, it would go down the mountain and devour boys and girls. Method. So in order to protect their own interests, the local magistrate came up with a bad idea. We give it a pair of virgins and virgins every year, and when it is full, it will not come out to disturb it again. This unlucky thing is of course the turn of the common people's children. This is the case every year, and I don't know how many innocent children have been raped. Another year, it's almost the third day of March. People with children in the village hide and run, and those who can't escape have already been fed to the dragon. It's already March, and there are no boys and girls in the village. Another disaster is coming! On this day, a pair of young lovers came to the government and asked the government to give the man a sharp sword and the woman a bundle of ropes, and they were willing to go into the mountains to eliminate harm for the people. The magistrate was very happy when he heard this, and immediately prepared sharp swords and ropes for them. On the early morning of the third day of March, the two men came to the top of the mountain with weapons, and the dragon appeared. Taking advantage of the unpreparedness, the young man swung his sword and stabbed fiercely, while the girl took advantage of the situation and tied the dragon with a rope. But the boy was also seriously injured and died. The girl was distraught, tears fell like rain, and the tears turned into cliff springs, crying like complaints, and merged into today's Thousand Tears Spring. It is said that drinking the water from "Qianleiquan" and eating the grapes irrigated and cleaned by Qianleiquan can make girls more gentle and beautiful, and young men more brave and understanding. Hearing this legend reminds me of a similar plot in "Journey to the West"? Perhaps this is the blueprint for this one-name-gold plot.
Day 4 Turpan (Flame Mountain--Thousand Buddha Caves--Gaochang Ancient City--Karez)
Drawing on yesterday's experience, we chose to go out early today, hoping to end the journey and return to the hotel before two o'clock.
Today's first stop is the Huoyan Mountain. In fact, everyone said that the Huoyan Mountain is nothing interesting, just let everyone feel the limit of human body temperature acceptance. However, we still persisted in the past, Huoyanshan is so famous, we still have to check in.
Huoyan Mountain is called "Kiziltag" in Uighur, which means "Red Mountain". People in the Tang Dynasty once called it "Volcano" because of its heat. In the bald mountains of Huoyan Mountain, not a single blade of grass grows, and even the birds are gone. In midsummer, when the red sun is in the sky, the reddish-brown mountain is illuminated by the scorching sun, the sandstone is glowing, and the hot air is rolling up, just like a raging flame, and the tongue of fire touches the sky, so it is also called Flaming Mountain.
Turpan is far away from the sea, and the humid air mass in the ocean cannot enter, and the Atlantic water vapor from the west is blocked by the Tianshan Mountains. Its terrain is too low, and the foehn effect produced by the sinking airflow and increasing temperature makes this place dry and hot. The advantage of choosing to go to Huoyan Mountain in the early morning is that it is not so hot. After taking the photos that should be taken, it is about 10:30, the temperature is gradually rising, and the mountain is also a little red. Because the Huoyan Mountain is in the basin, there is also a zero-elevation stele in the Huoyanshan Scenic Area. The journey is a bit far, so we took a donkey cart to go there.
After playing there for a while, when you come back, the temperature will rise to almost 50 degrees, and you can experience the high-temperature roasting. If it is too hot, there is also a kind of ice cream in the shape of banana fans in the scenic area, which can relieve the heat.
After leaving Huoyan Mountain, we went straight to the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. The Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Cave is on the cliff on the west bank of Mujugou. There is a desert nearby. There is a village. The driver said that this was the filming location of Journey to the West, and even the white dragon horse came out of this village. The Thousand Buddha Caves are actually grottoes dug by Buddhists, with a total area of 1,200 square meters, divided into upper, middle and lower floors. It is the grotto group with the most caves and the richest murals among the existing grottoes in Turpan. It is not as spectacular as the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, but it is very close to Emperor Gaochang. It is considered a royal temple, so there are 83 caves, 57 of which are extant, and more than 40 of them have murals. Just walking in and looking, we were still taken aback. The murals inside have been almost damaged. Some Buddha statues are unclear, and their kind faces can no longer be seen. It is difficult for us to see the grand occasion here. Next to these afterimages, there will be a small sign saying that these cultural relics are now stored in a foreign museum: there are British, Italian, and German ones. It is really shocking to see!
I left the Thousand Buddha Cave with a heavy heart, and went directly to the nearby ancient city of Gaochang while I still had time. The current Gaochang ancient city site is the site of Uighur Gaochang Palace City. The internal and external buildings of the old city are in the shape and layout of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. The plane is rectangular, with a circumference of 5.4 kilometers and a total area of about 2 million square meters. There are three parts: the city, the inner city, and the palace city. The outer city walls are relatively intact, and the temples, palaces, and markets in the ancient city are vaguely discernible. The ancient city has a large area. In view of the temperature in Turpan, we still have to take a bus. The author's battery car walks around the city, and the car will stop at scenic spots such as the Great Buddha Temple and Ke Hamburg for us to visit. Walking into the historic site, you will find that it is different from the Jiaohe Ancient City that you visited before. Maybe it was later in the age, the buildings here follow the raw soil technology of the ancient Xinjiang area, but the inside is not completely made of raw soil, but the interior is still a brick and wood structure, and some architectural structures are relatively perfect using mechanics. The principle makes people have to marvel at the wisdom of the ancients again.
It was only 2:00 when we came out of the ancient city of Gaochang in the afternoon. Although we didn’t have lunch, we didn’t feel hungry yet. Before it was too hot, we went straight to Karez. Karez is a kind of storage and irrigation project invented by the ancestors in Xinjiang to combat the high temperature. Together with the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, it is known as the three major projects in ancient China. In Karez Paradise, it should be the coolest place in Turpan. There are more than 1,100 Karezes in Turpan, with a total length of about 5,000 kilometers, so there are many Karez-related scenic spots in Turpan. The person who sold the tickets said that our Karez Paradise is the oldest Karez, but the Karez we went to The park looks newly repaired on both sides, it doesn't look like an old place, I'm afraid it's still being deceived. However, one advantage here is that it should be a developed tourist attraction, with a karez museum set up, explaining the production principle of karez in detail, and some subsidiary products, which our ancestors invented when digging karez. Some methods: including oil lamp fixed point method, wooden stick fixed point method and so on. Through such an introduction, one can have a deeper understanding of Karez.
Day 5 Turpan - Shanshan (Kumtag Desert) - Urumqi
Today we are going to change places, first go to Shanshan, and after playing around in the Kumtag Desert, we will take the high-speed train to Urumqi. In other words, we only have one attraction today, but the time is still very fast. Because it takes 2.5 hours to drive from Turpan to Shanshan, and we booked the high-speed train at 1 o'clock, we can only set off as soon as possible. The hard-working master came early, we packed a breakfast, packed our luggage and set off. After going through several security checks and more than 2 hours away, we finally arrived at the Kumtag Desert around 10:00.
The Kumtag Desert is one of the eight major deserts in my country. "Kumtag" means "sand mountain" in Uighur, and this is a desert with sand mountains. It is indeed like its name. The Wannian yellow sand has formed high sand mountains under the action of the wind, and the shape is like a pyramid. In the desert, there are always many exciting projects, and this place is no exception. Take a traffic vehicle and pass through the sand prevention green belt next to it to enter the desert. There are experience programs such as camel riding, sand boarding, sand washing and sand therapy. Therefore, if possible, you can stay 1-2 days to play in the desert, and you can also camp in the desert.
If you want to be more exciting, you can go to the sand. If you want to experience the desert quietly, you can also ride a camel and walk slowly, or you can sit on the desert and bask in the sun. The sand flushing here is more exciting. The off-road vehicle clashes and advances on the undulating sand hills. Although sitting on an off-road vehicle, it feels like a roller coaster.
Since we had to go to the train station to take the high-speed train to Urumqi in the afternoon, we didn't enjoy ourselves so much, so we left in a hurry. In fact, it was already past 12 o'clock. Originally, I wanted to come to Shanshan to have a good lunch before boarding the train, but I was already in a hurry, and it was too late. We came to the train station by car, picked up our luggage and ran, rushing to the security check area at a speed of 100 meters. Although I always think that the train is used to catch up, but in the absence of an escalator, it is really not a good experience to sprint 100 meters with 17 kg of luggage. It is recommended that you arrive at the scene a little earlier. Of course, we were already late when we arrived, and this kind of thing may happen from time to time, so the time on the ticket should be much earlier. When we got to the platform, we waited for a while before the bullet train entered the station.
After more than 1 hour of train ride, we arrived in Urumqi on time, and the master of the chartered car was already waiting for us at the train station. Since we are going to take the small ring road the next day, we booked a hotel near the high-speed rail station for convenience today. After putting down our luggage, we asked the master to take us to the vicinity of the Hongshan Market. We made an appointment for the departure time the next day and we parted. (The masters here may take more long distances, which is different from the masters in Turpan. Turpan works according to Xinjiang time, so they usually start at 9 o'clock, and the masters here will tell us to start a little earlier, and make an appointment It will be around 7 o'clock.) We had pilaf for our lunch+dinner at the street near Red Hill Market. After eating, go to the Hongshan Market for a stroll. If you come nearby, you might as well go to the Hongshan Market. The shawls here are relatively cheap, and there are deals around 30 yuan.
Day 6 Urumqi - Kuitun (Kuitun Grand Canyon)
Today we are going to start from Urumqi, take a small ring road, go to Yining, and take the Duku Highway to return. Xinjiang has a vast territory. It basically takes 4-5 hours to go from one scenic spot to another, and it will take about 10 hours for the return journey. Thinking about it, I will feel stressful.
Today, the place we are going to is the Kuitun Grand Canyon, which is not too far from Urumqi. Depart in the morning and arrive at Kuitun at noon. After lunch in the city, you can drive to the Grand Canyon.
Depending on the terrain, the Grand Canyon on the ground in Xinjiang generally presents a grand momentum. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, a wide canyon was eroded by the melting water of snow mountains between the two mountains. Coupled with the effect of wind and water erosion for thousands of years, the mountain walls showed deep ravines. Whether people stand above or below the canyon, they will feel the magnificence of the world and the mighty power of nature. In this vast world, people will always unconsciously feel their own insignificance and powerlessness.
However, with the deepening of tourism development, people have developed many games that challenge nature. There are countless thrilling and exciting games such as ziplines, air bikes, and air swings.
It took more than 2 hours in the afternoon to wander around the Grand Canyon, and then spent half an hour back to Kuitun City, where we will be staying tonight. After settling in, we went out to find a good-looking pepper chicken restaurant, and ordered local specialties such as pepper chicken and meatball soup, and everyone tried it out. After a full meal, we bought a lot of fruit from roadside stalls on the way back to the hotel, and went back to the hotel to eat fruit.
The hotel floor is relatively high, and the night view of Kuitun City is quite good from the upstairs. At night, the lights in the city are turned on, forming patterns of wheat fields and harvests. It feels like returning to Guangzhou.
Day 7 Kuitun - Sailimu Lake - Jieyou Princess Lavender Garden - Yining
Although I went to bed very late yesterday, I got up early this morning, because today we told the master that we need to add an additional point, and we need to walk for an extra 2 hours. Fortunately, it takes 5 hours to go from Kuitun to Sailimu Lake, and you can sleep in the car without any pressure.
After about 5 hours, we ate something in a small shop on the way, and we finally arrived at Sailimu Lake at around 1:00. Sailimu Lake used to be called "Jinghai", I don't know if it has something to do with the fact that there are no fish in it. This Sailimu Lake is located in the Tianshan Mountains, a tectonic subsidence lake formed in the Tianshan orogenic belt. The lake is very large, and there are several scenic spots in it. You need to take a bus to visit various places. You can enter from the main entrance and exit from the east gate. Of course, if you have time, you can live there for a day and watch the sunrise and sunset here. This is the most beautiful scene on the lake.
It's a pity that we were on our way and couldn't stay here for long. After browsing the 4 major attractions in a hurry, we are about to leave from the east gate. Before leaving the east gate, the sky suddenly darkened, which really made us feel the changeable weather of the grassland. It was sunny just now, but now the dark clouds are covering the top, and there is still a faint sound of thunder in the black clouds.
After getting in the car, the master said that a friend opened a lavender garden, let us go to see it first. Of course, he said a lot of reasons, including that the lavender has reached the end of its flowering period and so on. We also went to see it as promised, but unfortunately, in early July, the flowering period has indeed reached its peak. Flowers are always vulnerable, and there is only a small piece of my friend's lavender garden left. In the end, I decided to go to Jieyou Princess Lavender Garden.
Jieyou Princess is now a brand of lavender and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tianyao Biological, a "national key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization". The scenic spots include lavender distillation furnace, colorful flower field, vanilla lover, vanilla variety garden, big windmill, Mr. Xiangshuai, Yiyiyuan, Zihai Yuntian viewing platform and aromatic cultural corridor where you can visit the production and processing process of lavender products. Lavender Street where you can buy products, etc. The colorful flower field has been carefully managed by the management staff. Although the flowers are about to bloom, it can still show its colorful colors.
It was already 6 o'clock when we left the lavender garden, and we drove for more than 40 minutes to the downtown area of Yining City. Yining was the political and economic center of the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains in the early 18th century. It was called "the metropolis of the Western Frontier", and it was a major supply point for the countries of the Western Regions after they left the customs. It is also the last bustling big city on the domestic border. Therefore, there are many kinds of people here. In the city, you can see people who look like Europeans with blue eyes and hooked noses, and people who look like Mongolians with square faces and big ears, but when they speak, they all speak Chinese, which is very interesting to communicate with.
Day 8 Yining - Nalati (Nalati Grassland)
I still set off in Yining in the morning, and today it takes about 5 hours to drive to the Nalati Grassland. In Xinjiang, which is full of Gobi, there are actually large grasslands, which is really a very miraculous phenomenon. This is a relatively typical subalpine meadow plant area. It has been a famous pasture since ancient times, and it is also a place where the Kazakhs in Xinjiang gather. "Nalati" means "green valley" in Wala Mongolian, and "Baiyangpo" in Kazakh. It is said that during Genghis Khan's expedition to the west, a Mongolian army marched from the depths of the Tianshan Mountains to Ili. At that time, it was just spring, and the mountains were still full of wind and snow. Hunger and cold made the army exhausted. I never wanted to climb over the mountains, but in front of my eyes was a lush grassland full of flowers, dense springs and gurgling water, as if I had entered another world. Just at this time, the clouds opened and the sun rose, and the setting sun was like blood. People couldn't help shouting "Nalati (white day), Nalati". Later, everyone called this place Bairi Slope.
Due to the large area of the grassland, and there are some experiential residential areas inside and beside the road, the tickets are valid for 48 hours, and you can enter the scenic spot twice. Tickets for scenic spots are divided into peak season (6.1-9.30) and off-season (4.1-5.31, 10.1-11.30) as well as three-tier tickets for special travel period (12.1-3.31 next year). The highest price is 95 yuan, and only 37.5 yuan is required at the most favorable time. In the scenic area, you need to take a shuttle bus, 60 yuan for a round trip on the grassland line, and 40 yuan for a round trip on the forest park line; there is also a shuttle bus that needs to be bought after you go to the grassland, and go to Snow Lotus Valley.
After buying the ticket, you can take the shuttle bus in an orderly manner and walk up the mountain road. The mountains and deep valleys that are constantly changing along the winding road are full of greenery. Let us, who have been poisoned by yellow for many days, feel cheerful. In the grassland area, there are many experience items, such as horse riding, camel riding, snow valley adventure, Kazakh costume experience, etc. Let everyone have a good time. There are also all kinds of delicious things such as handmade cheese.
Due to the lack of time, we divided into two groups, all the way to experience horse riding, and all the way to explore the Snow Valley by car. It takes 20 minutes to get on the minibus and go to Snow Lotus Valley. The snow lotus in the Tianshan Mountains is a very famous specialty. Of course, it is not so easy to find snow lotus in the Snow Lotus Valley. But because the altitude is relatively high and the temperature is relatively low, you should pay attention to prepare thin down jackets when you come up from July to August, and be careful not to catch a cold. Coming down from the mountain and passing through the plateau meadow, we also stopped halfway. Just when the sun was setting, the shepherd drove the cattle and sheep back. In the meadow we saw the herds return.
I live not far away, about 5 minutes from the Nalati Grassland Scenic Area. You can also eat roasted whole lamb here, but it's a pity that we can't eat a single lamb, so we can only roast a leg of lamb, a lamb chop or something.
Ninth Day Nalati - Duku Highway - Urumqi
Woke up early this morning, put on thick clothes and went out. Xinjiang in July is actually not cold, but today it needs to be fully equipped. The reason is that today we are going back to Urumqi via the Duku Highway. The drive takes about 10 hours, starting at 6 o'clock, and arriving in Urumqi after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In addition, the temperature of the four seasons along the Duku Highway really put us under a lot of pressure.
The so-called Duku Highway is a well-known highway in Xinjiang, from Dushanzi to Kuqa, running through the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. This road was completed and opened to traffic in 1983. Since then, the road between southern Xinjiang and northern Xinjiang has been shortened by more than half. It is known as "the landscape avenue running through the backbone of Tianshan Mountain". Because this road has more than 280 kilometers at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, we can see the scenery of the snow-capped mountains all year round, and directly touch the ice and snow in this hot summer; while the section with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters is warmer It is full of flowers and blooming like brocade. Throughout the road, the four seasons change, giving people a good visual experience.
It's a pity that it takes a long time to travel by car. Although the journey of more than 10 hours, although you can enjoy the scenery, it will also make you exhausted. It is a good choice to get off at more points and take pictures along the way. Especially when you touch the ice and snow, it is good to have a snowball fight. Yesterday, I didn’t help the driver to buy roast mutton at a familiar shop. Today, the driver’s service attitude is still a bit bad. He kept emphasizing to us that he was going to pick up the next team and wanted to send us back to Urumqi early. The speed of the car was also fast. many. We don't know if it's true or not, and we don't know. Anyway, at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, he returned to Urumqi, sent us back to the hotel where we were staying, and then he left in a hurry. Anyway, he was too tired, and we didn't bother to care about him.
After a short rest, we ate pot stickers and dumplings at a nearby snack bar, bought some fruits at the farmer's market, and went back to the hotel to rest. Walking down the small loop line is actually a very small loop line, and walking all the way down is also very tiring! It's hard to imagine how tiring it would be if you took the big loop.
