August 16, 2019 (Friday) Kashgar
Today's destination is the westernmost city in China - Kashgar
Aksu was sunny in the morning at 9:30. We set off from the hotel, filled up the fuel for "Dahei" and got on the expressway. We headed southwest along the soil and the expressway, parallel to the national border. Most of the deserts along the way, occasionally Danxia and karst landforms can be seen. On the left hand side of Kashgar City Road is the Kashgar Devil City (an abandoned old city with high and low walls of earthen buildings, where the wind blows at night, whistling like a devil fast wandering). The speed limit for the entire highway is 120KM/H, and the toll fee is 124 yuan for about 467 kilometers (the road condition is very good). Arrived at the hotel at about 15:20: the hotel translates as a beautiful garden, which was built in 1908 as the British Legation at that time. We have already traveled nearly 1/3 of the journey from home. After checking in, we took a nap and had a simple dinner at the hotel after recharging our energy: lamb tripe strips mixed with onions, dry pot yam, and leek box. Opposite the hotel is Kashgar Old Street. We took a walk while visiting the neighborhood with strong Uighur ethnic customs. The people here live and work in peace and contentment, and the public security is stable. Uighur grandpas and grandmas are very kind and peaceful. They have some difficulties in communicating with them. We bought some seasonal fruits and bought two hard rounds with a beautiful big-eyed Uighur girl. The round naan looks different from the Kuqa naan! Feel free to wander around the old town of Kashgar.
Id Kah Mosque, mosque tickets 45 yuan / person. This mosque has a great reputation and can be visited by tourists. The worship hall inside is also very simple. The green pillars and the white inner and outer walls are all civil structures of the Ming Dynasty, which can accommodate about 3,000 believers inside and out. There is also a pure wool handmade blanket hanging in the temple, which was woven by famous old craftsmen in 18 months. The pattern is the Kashgar city flower pomegranate and its branches connected: implying national unity and hand in hand.
It was getting late and we went back to the hotel to watch a song and dance party performed by the hotel staff. It has to be said that the Uighurs are a nation that is good at singing and dancing. It is easy and joyful to sing and dance at a party.
Seeing 10:30, we went back to the room to rest. Tomorrow, according to the schedule, we will go to Muztag Peak and Karakul Lake on the westernmost border of the motherland.
August 17 (Saturday) White Sand Lake, Muztag Peak and Karakul Lake
We had breakfast at 8:30 in the morning and headed southeast on the G314 National Highway. Following the guidance of Gaode, we have been traveling on National Highway 314. National Highway 314 is very magnificent on the rugged mountain road. The scenery on both sides of the panheng is constantly changing according to the mountain situation. The mountains on both sides gradually turn red, and the foot of the mountain is green and green. Grass, white alkali permeates the saline-alkali land on the river beach, the sky is tile-blue tile-blue, and white clouds are floating leisurely. Very ornamental.
On the way to Muztagh Peak, I met a couple of foreign men and women. They were walking in the same direction with us in full-length riding equipment. Passing by our parked car, my husband raised his hand to say "Hi!" The two hurried on the road "Hi!" Passed by us.
We continue our stop and go. Along the way, as the scenery continued to upgrade beautifully, we stopped to take pictures more and more frequently.
After crossing layers of mountains, there is a large open land suddenly in the turn: a blue lake with white water wanders quietly by the roadside! Baisha Lake, the legendary place where the Drifting Monk lived before he escaped into Buddhism. The white, blue and green three-color car is reflected on the lake, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance are quietly gazing at the lake, which undoubtedly shows the style of the Pamirs! pretty! ! ! I am so poor in words that I can't find an alternative word. Aloof and disdainful of the influence of the world, no matter who comes or not, the tranquility that never looks back! Staying here for thousands of years should not remain unchanged! Occasionally, unknown birds fly by, disturbing the lake surface, causing slight ripples, and quickly returning to calm. It is really not comparable to man-made landscapes. Of course hehe~~~, it is not a rank! It's really natural to carve.
After admiring the quiet beauty of Baisha Lake, we continued to go all the way to the southwest. The beautiful scenery along the way made us stop and go. Finally, at around 14:30, we felt that we should reach the destination of our trip, and we moved forward slowly. Gliding slowly for several hundred meters, Gothe said: "The destination is nearby, this navigation is over!" We both jumped for joy at the same time! "Ah! It's here, it's here!" Arrive at the destination according to the scheduled time: Karakul Lake VS Muztag Peak. Looking to the left of the car window, it looks like emerald jade, lying on the green and hairy meadow, and behind the lake are groups of towering snow-capped mountains standing in piles.
We quickly got off the bus to buy tickets, 45 yuan / person (guide card can be free of charge). Karakul Lake is located at the foot of Muztag Peak, the "father of glaciers". It is named "Kalakul" because of its deep and dark water: Black Lake (Kirgiz language). There is a grassland around the lake. According to reports, there are flocks of cattle and sheep, waterfowl, wild ducks, and occasionally swans on the lake. The lake is shining brightly under the sun, reflecting the majestic Muztag Peak, which is extremely gorgeous.
The lake water changes different colors due to the sunlight: clean and clear, white as a mirror; Orange is like being in a fairyland. The lake is bright emerald green under the noon sun, and the snowy peaks of the distant mountains are illuminated by the sun and reflect the light, dazzling like a mirror. It seems that the mountain and the lake meet here, rejoicing under the light of the sun. The waves of the lake beat the rocks like tides, and the rocks on the shore were washed to a yellow-brown light. I didn't see the legendary bird, maybe it was the wrong season. But the praises of the lake and snow-capped mountains in the legend are not exaggerated at all. Only by experiencing it for yourself can you know what it is like.
On the beach by the lake, I rode a camel happily for less than 10 minutes. It was a beautiful beast, lying obediently on the ground and waiting for me to get up and down. Its eyes were big and hairy, and it looked at me with gentle and gentle eyes. Dear, I love him even though his owner kicked me out to attract other guests, and I firmly believe that he is a female beast.
Just as we were leaving, a group of colorfully dressed people came from a distance, accompanied by accordion music and singing! A couple of Kyrgyz couples held their wedding ceremony here. More than a dozen bridesmaids all wore bright red dresses, and more than a dozen groomsmen all wore black suits and white gray woolen hats. The ceremonies were held one by one, accompanied by singing and dancing and laughing, and the groom was very shy. They are all red, and the bride is also in shape, looking shy. Witnessed by the blue sky, white clouds, green water, green grass, and snow-capped mountains, the wedding is romantic and warm!
Walking to the exit of the scenic spot, I met a little boy riding a horse who understands Chinese. He introduced us to the wedding of the Kirgiz people. The little boy shyly told his name, which was too long to remember. In order to thank the little boy, I took me in All the candies around him were given to him. Xinjiang is a place inhabited by many ethnic groups, Kirgiz, this is the first time I have heard of it. This place is the settlement of the Kirgiz people. Such a beautiful landscape also nurtures beautiful people. I am amazed at the magnificence of the mountains and rivers of the motherland!
More than 200 kilometers ahead is the westernmost border station in my country - Hongqi Lapu, and you can pass through Taxkorgan County on the way. Although it is worth a visit, considering other factors such as altitude sickness, I decided to return to Kashgar.
There is a total of 191KM from the hotel to the scenic spot, but it takes 4-5 hours to walk, why? Speed limit chant! One camera at 300 and 500 meters along the way, and speed measurement at 3KM and 5KM intervals, so that the self-driving tour vehicles dare not take a step beyond the thunder pool. My big black is heavy and powerful, and the accelerator is 80KM/H lightly. There is no way, facing the interval The speed test had to stop and wait at the end point. While watching the display, the average speed dropped below 60KM/h, and at the same time temporarily took pictures of the 314 National Highway in the sunset, and then passed the speed test point. Road sections without interval speed measurement are basically densely populated areas in villages, townships, and counties, and the speed limit is 40KM/H. However, if there is no speed limit in time, you dare not run. What if a person or animal runs out? It's too unsafe. On the way to the scenic spot, I saw a yak collided with a car just now. The yak was not dead yet, and the front of the car was bent. A truck and two men, one big and one small, were parked beside the accident car. Standing beside the accident car looked like a family of three. On the beautiful scenic road, it was extremely disharmonious. We couldn't bear to look any further, so we paused and passed quickly. I sighed: This is troublesome, and this happened when traveling by car! What a shame. It can be seen that the speed limit is justified!
Under the guidance of Gaode navigation, but the route is slightly different from the time when I came, I came back in four hours: G314, S391, Township 434. On the way back from Muztag Peak, because of taking national, provincial, county, and township roads, I walked through villages and villages all the way, and I didn't feel that southern Xinjiang was desolate. It's just that it's not very rich like Jiangnan, developed like the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta, but it's not poor either! It is quite different from the desolation originally imagined. In the season of summer and autumn harvest, the fields are busy, and the roadside fruits are piled up in piles. The scene is extremely prosperous. The Pamir Plateau lacks water and rain, so the plants are mostly covered with dust and the leaves are relatively sparse. For example, the biggest difference between poplar trees and the mainland is that the leaves only grow side by side on both sides of the branches, and the gaps are orderly. There are no dense leaves of poplar trees in the north of the mainland. , especially in summer and autumn when the leaves are at their most prosperous, clusters and clumps are densely airtight. Along the way, the trees on both sides of the road kept receding, and the wedding procession continued to be encountered in front of us. Generally, a pickup truck or a three-wheeled or four-wheeled agricultural vehicle leads the way with a person beating drums, followed by a float, followed by rows of vehicles for sending off relatives, pulling gifts, dowries, and people who welcome and send off relatives. It was very lively and extremely festive. I met no less than 5 or 6 wedding teams, until after 10 o'clock in the evening, I lay down in the hotel, and heard 2 weddings with drumming and dancing passing by the street downstairs. Dinner is at the hotel, simple: tomato eggplant + hot and sour cabbage + white rice, and then sleeps soundly. When playing, I don’t think it’s too tired to lie down...!
It seems that today is a good day!
August 18 (Sunday) Kashgar Old Town, Gaotai Residential Houses, Kashgar Central and West Asia International Grand Bazaar
Most of the old city of Kashgar has retained its appearance before the 1970s and 1980s. The new city of Kashgar is clean and lively, and the old city was not destroyed during urban construction. The more ethnic, the more worldly it is! There is a saying in Xinjiang: If you don’t go to Kashgar, you don’t go to Xinjiang, and if you don’t go to the ancient city, you don’t go to Kashgar! Although the old city is dilapidated, it seems that time has condensed 100 years ago, and it has not changed since about 40 years ago. Kashgar people believe that the old city is the soul of Kashgar, which represents the city's ancient past, long history, rich culture of more than two thousand years, unique customs, and a place where the four major civilizations gather. The total area of the old city is about 3.6KM2. Now there are more than 20,000 households and a population of more than 60,000. It is the ancient Shule Kingdom, one of the 36 countries in the Western Regions two thousand years ago, and it is also the site of the Kara Khan Dynasty palace one thousand years ago. It is a place with Islamic culture. An ancient city with strong ethnic customs. During the period, we can see the true appearance of Uyghur family life: customs and handicrafts, catering, clothing, humanities, etc., known as "the last western region, a living ancient city".
Before the welcome ceremony at the gate of the ancient city, I found an old man with a white beard, dressed in national costumes, with a personable demeanor and a strong sense of picture. At that time, the crowd was like a tide, shoulder to shoulder, and this old man stood out so abruptly from the crowd. It can be seen that extraordinary people are extraordinary everywhere. ()
Kashgar Old Town has an entry ceremony at 10:30 every morning, and the songs, music and dances show the warm welcome of the people of Kashgar to the guests.
Formal entry ceremony: a group of soldiers in gray clothes came out with guns (spears and shields); then a group of maids in pink and white dresses danced lightly; followed by a group of singing and dancing girls in red and yellow costumes With the music and dance, the above three teams were separated on both sides of the road at the entrance of the ancient city. Immediately afterwards, a man in Uighur national costume and beating the gong appeared, and the voice-over explained: "The housekeeper of the ancient city, introduce the products of the ancient city." The last four Kashgar historical celebrities appeared on the stage: Ban Zhao, Zhang Qian, Uyghur hero, and Concubine Xiang. The voice-over went on to say: "Follow the footsteps of the steward of the ancient city, and welcome everyone into the city..." The joyful music and dance sounded in time.
The south city of the ancient city of Kashgar is also an earthen house. With the development of tourism in recent years, the repaired appearance is clean and bright, and there are still residents living here. The northern part of the ancient city we visited the day before yesterday was centered on the Id Kah Mosque. Today we visited The most important is the south of the ancient city. The entire ancient city is like half a pancake. The eastern and western city gates in the south are respectively located on the horizontal strips of the pancake. The internal roads are crisscrossed and it is very easy to get lost. The Uighurs used to use it as a living room, but now most of the households place objects for sale. Behind is the living room and dining room. The houses in the ancient city of Kashgar are mostly inhabited by residents. The exterior is beautifully repaired and has strong ethnic characteristics. The earthy yellow walls are 3 to 4 stories high, row upon row, one by one, and the alleys are wide and narrow. The wide ones are 3-5m, and the narrow ones are about 1m. Every household has green plants, such as oleander and fig trees. If the door is opened, it means that only the hostess is at home. If the door is fully open, it means that the host is at home, and the cat is kept at the door to prevent mice. When I bought two tapestries, my husband visited a family store, which is divided into two living rooms, inside and outside. With characteristic carpets, the people sit around the kang table on the table, and various food utensils are placed on the table. The windows are also well-proportioned, but they are not as symmetrical as Han Chinese courtyard houses or modern residential buildings. Therefore, it looks interesting and irregular. The male lead's wife works in the hospital, and he has five children, two boys and three girls, all of whom are studying. This is probably also a factor for the relative economic constraints of the Uighurs!
