Walking, Korla, Xinjiang
April 2021 is a particularly busy time. The four-day trip to Korla, Xinjiang, from April 18th to 21st, made the original busyness become paralyzed, and I could only take one step at a time, and nothing was bothering me.
There is no direct flight from Nanjing to Korla, so it must be transferred in Xi'an, Lanzhou, Chongqing and other places. In this way, the journey must take two full days. There are two days left, three half-day activities, and half a day on the way from Korla to Heshuo. This kind of itinerary makes me feel lingering fear.
On the morning of the 18th, flying from Nanjing to Xi'an, there was a gray scene outside the plane window from beginning to end, which was quite boring. Only when we were approaching Xi'an, the sky outside the window began to become transparent. I closed my eyes and rested my mind all the way, including more than two hours in Xi'an.
In the afternoon, flying from Xi'an to Korla, the scenery outside the window began to be charming. The Qilian Mountains were covered with snow and covered with clouds and fog. More than an hour before arriving in Korla, the windows on the plane were closed as required, and we continued to close our eyes and rest.
In the evening, after a day of running around, I finally came to Korla. There is a two-and-a-half-hour time difference between Nanjing and Korla, and the sun was still in the sky at 8:30 in the evening. We came to Oudan Cuisine on Jianguo North Road to taste Xinjiang cuisine with local characteristics. After a day of tossing, food education is particularly good. As soon as I came up, I came up with two bowls of delicious local noodles, so that when the super-large-scale mutton skewers, lamb chops, and large-plate chicken came up one after another, I could only stare at the food in a daze. In this way, this dinner was very refreshing.
During the day on the 19th, there were activities in the morning and afternoon, non-stop, and there was basically no rest at noon. In the evening, the group went to Korla Old Street and continued to taste local delicacies in Haierbag. It's hard to tell which one is more distinctive, Oudan Cuisine or Heilbag, it can only be said that the decoration and taste have their own characteristics. With yesterday's experience, I tried my best to control my food intake at the beginning, so that when the super mutton platter was served at the end, I could still maintain a relatively strong fighting power. This meal was more refreshing than the first night's dinner.
On the morning of the 20th, starting from Korla, along the Tuhe Expressway to Heshuo, the whole journey is 100.6 kilometers. The original journey of less than 2 hours was delayed by nearly 1.5 hours due to a flat tire. Fortunately, the place where the car leaked air was near Tash's store, so I made good use of this hour and a half to take a good look around Tash's store. Tashdian, Uyghur translates to stone post station, and the Huola Mountain, a branch of the Tianshan Mountains, is nearby. I went to an unknown canyon nearby to experience this veritable stone post station. Then go to Tashdian Town to have a look. In the town, the Kongque River originates from Bosten Lake, enters the urban area of Korla from Tashdian and Tiemenguan, and flows into Lop Nur through the Tarim Basin. I walked around the Kongque River at will, looking at the nearby villages and farmers, and passed by without knowing it for an hour and a half. It can be said that meeting Tashdian was a kind of chance.
At noon, arrived at Heshuo. The geomorphology of Heshuo County belongs to three geomorphic regions: Tianshan Mountains, eastern Tarim Basin, Kunlun Mountains, and Altun Mountains. There are mountains, basins, rivers, lakes, Gobi, deserts and plain oases in the territory, but this time I came in a hurry and used more than an hour before the afternoon activity to walk around the city. Go along Qingshui North Road all the way, and then turn to Wenhua 2nd Street to Binhe Park on the west bank of Qingshui River. It can be said that this trip to Heshuo is not worth a visit.
In the evening, rush back to Korla from Heshuo and go straight to the old street. Korla Old Street is not an old street in the true sense, but specifically refers to the old city of Korla. It can be said that this night in the old street was the only night in Korla during the four days that belonged to me alone. First, at dawn, I went to Korla Unity Mosque and the nearby Peacock River; then I went to the Grand Bazaar to visit the gourmet night market. This time I completely indulged myself and ate whatever I wanted until my stomach couldn’t fit it. Many of the snacks were delicious. It was the first time I saw it, and it was delicious in the world, as evidenced by pictures; finally, I went to Kongque River Park, enjoyed the night view by the Kongque River, watched the neatest square dance, and enjoyed my own night.
On the morning of the 21st, depart from Korla and return to Nanjing via Xi'an. When boarding the plane in Korla, I was accidentally told that my seat had been changed to the window seat in the first row; The window panes are extraordinarily bright... These accidents allowed me to see the most beautiful snow-capped mountains in Qilian Mountains, adding surprises to this busy itinerary.
