When we were in high school, Goddess and I always held "China National Geographic" in our hands every day, and then kept saying: Let's go here to play together in the future! It's also good to go here! As a result, from high school to university, university to work, our common travel itinerary was only me going to her school to find her once.
After work, our contact topics were basically limited to civil servant exams or wandering in big cities. travel together? nonexistent! (Note: The goddess is currently working as a civil servant in Laigu, and I am a dog in the entertainment industry.) This summer, when I was about to take a project vacation, I tentatively asked the goddess: Do you want to go to Xinjiang together? I didn’t expect the goddess to come in this itinerary.
Without any hesitation, she booked the ticket on the third day. The speed was beyond my imagination. After all, my train ticket is still in the process of grabbing tickets.
It’s really a trip that just goes away!
Let me give you some travel tips in northern Xinjiang first, just as a small guide~
Expenses: Excluding round-trip transportation, 6,000 per capita.
Places to visit: International Grand Bazaar, Sailimu Lake, Nalati Grassland, Duku Highway, Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Kanas, Turpan
The best rated place: Duku Highway, a road that experiences four seasons, with diverse landscapes, you can stop at any time, the experience is perfect, it is recommended to choose the road tour around Duku. Transportation: 4 days chartered tour, the rest of the train + car
The most cost-effective: Turpan, the most ethnic place in this trip, fun and cheap
Food recommendation: eat mutton skewers with eyes closed, noodles with eyes closed, kavas to the heart, melons and fruits
Temperature: In summer, the temperature in northern Xinjiang is basically around 20 degrees. In Kanas, it can reach several degrees in the morning and evening, and thicker clothes are needed; in Turpan, it can reach 40 degrees.
Security: The security is extremely high, basically you need security checks wherever you go, there are police officers on duty, just bring your ID card.
first few pictures
First impressions of Day 1: Lost in the hustle and bustle of foreign countries
At around 5:00 p.m., I arrived in Urumqi first and started a solo Urumqi tour. I got on the bus to the most famous market in Xinjiang ----- International Grand Bazaar. The bus was full of people talking to each other in words I couldn't understand. They have deep eyes ten times bigger than mine, high noses, curly hair, and the children are as beautiful as dolls. Suddenly, I felt as if I had gone abroad.
But when I actually arrived at the International Grand Bazaar, I was quickly dragged back to China from abroad. All are familiar faces, crowding shoulder to shoulder in front of each food stall, just like any food street. But if you take a closer look, these snacks are still exquisite. They are not the Internet celebrity delicacies that can be seen in every scenic spot, but authentic items such as roasted naan, roasted whole lamb, roasted buns, and lamb lungs with Xinjiang characteristics. If you want to try something new, you can taste it one by one. But the price is not very friendly. I ate 4 kebabs, bought two baked buns, and had a drink. It was almost a hundred. Compared with the normal snack street, the price is not too expensive, but when we really went deep into the county and town later, we found that the food that is really worth spending money is definitely not in the Grand Bazaar.
DAY2: The tears of the Atlantic Ocean, only flow to bright sunny days
The first stop of the official tour, we arrived at Sailimu Lake, which is known as "the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean". Its sightseeing car has more than a dozen stops, driving from the north gate to the east gate, and then from the east gate to the south gate. If you can drive the car directly, it is very comfortable to walk around the lake. However, private cars are prohibited in Sailimu Lake. If you want to drive by yourself, you can only rent a scenic car. If there are four people, renting a car is still very cost-effective (the rental fee is 400 yuan, and the sightseeing car is 75 per person). It's a pity that there are only two of us, so we can only take the sightseeing bus obediently.
Self-driving route recommendation: East Gate—South Gate—Songshutou—Xihai Grassland—Homesick Flower Sea—Dianjiangtai—Movie City—East Sea Tingtao—Moon Bay—East Gate
The first few scenic spots are crowded with tourists, and the grass by the lake is all withered. It is impossible to see the lake full of wild flowers in the promotional photos. And the beautiful scenery can only be seen on sunny days, but from the time we set off to the sightseeing bus, it was always cloudy, and we felt faintly disappointed.
We decided to play forward from the last stop, because the scenery at the south gate is the best, and there may be surprises. As the car continued to drive inward, a miraculous thing happened, the sky became better and better, and the dark clouds basically dispersed to the opposite side, reflecting the purer and brighter sky on the side of the lake. Sailimu Lake has finally begun to exude charm. Light blue, dark blue, and dark green, she uses various colors to approach people in turn. She is a mysterious woman who cannot be guessed or understood.
When we arrived at the south gate, the lake there was like a bright and beautiful heroine in full bloom, with a penetrating and deep blue, firmly occupying all our sights. Xiaochao and I took the time to take a few photos of tourists, and then hurried back to visit other spots. Unexpectedly, not long after getting on the sightseeing bus, the sky began to change again. The dark clouds swept away the blue sky, and the whole lake became silent. We are so lucky~
Playing until eight o'clock, the temperature by the lake has reached more than ten degrees, no matter how cold you are wearing a summer skirt. We returned to the car tremblingly, and drove to the yurt we had booked in advance. There is an important difficulty in booking accommodation in Sailimu Lake, that is, there are no hotels nearby, only yurts, and the conditions are very general. But in order to watch the sunrise and sunset, we decided to stay.
The location of the yurt booked online was not accurate. In the middle, we met a Kazakh uncle who came to attract customers. When he found out that we had booked accommodation, he didn’t turn around and ran away. Instead, he rode a motorcycle and took us for nearly a kilometer to find the way.
When we arrived at the reserved yurt, we found that the quilt was still stained with dust, the door could hardly be closed, and there was no heating as promised. Everyone had to share a bathroom and changing room. Even in such an environment, tourists still come and go, quite a feeling of occupying the mountain as king.
We reserved a bed room for the driver, but the boss has been slow to arrange for the driver. We also argued with them through Ctrip, but he thought that the number of reservations for bed rooms was not up to expectations, and there were still many people waiting to book yurts, so he was unwilling to arrange yurts for the driver. In the end, we really had no choice but to get a refund from Ctrip, and rushed to the town to stay overnight at 10 pm.
We also lost business, but what the old man left us was the simplicity and kindness from the Kazakhs, while the owner of the yurt was a mean face of a profiteer. The experience of this night was really special.
Finally, I would like to provide a tip: the accommodation in Xinjiang scenic spots is too little and too expensive. If you drive dozens of kilometers away, you can often find good and cheap accommodation. We basically stayed in an express hotel at half the price of a yurt. Nearby Qinghe Town and Huocheng County are both good choices.
Day3: Yili - a paradise on the tip of the tongue
For this day's itinerary, we are going to the most famous grassland in Xinjiang ----- Nalati, but the driver said that what is more special about this trip is that there are melons and fruits all the way. Ili's melons and fruits are the best in the whole northern Xinjiang. Xiaojiangnan, where the water and soil are luxuriant, has a large temperature difference between day and night, and the yield of melons and fruits is high, and the taste is excellent.
At the town market in the morning, we tasted slices of melon, which were like eating honey. The point is that the price is very cheap, 90 cents per kilogram, and you can take away a 10-jin large melon for 5 yuan. If I can, I want to buy the whole car of melons!
On the way to Nalati, there are orchards everywhere, and many farmers sell fruit at roadside stalls. Freshly picked dried apricots, packaged sweet watermelon that costs 1 yuan per kilogram, crispy, sweet and delicious apples...you can't be too happy if you eat it all the way.
In addition to melons and fruits, Yili's food is also superb. At noon, the driver took us to a restaurant in the county where Nalati is located, called Aiwakuai (mark the key, remember the name).
We randomly ordered some Xinjiang specialties such as mutton skewers and noodles, mainly focusing on satisfying our hunger. The mutton kebabs were served first, and they were fatter than the mutton kebabs I had eaten before. The color looked burnt and black, which was not attractive. In the first bite, there is the salty aroma of the slightly charred outer skin wrapped in chili and cumin, followed by the tender and juicy inner meat.
Then came the spicy pork noodles I ordered. Scattered to see, it is ordinary stir-fried beef with peppers and tomatoes, and hand-rolled noodles that have been scalded with water. But when the spicy meat is mixed with the noodles, a wonderful reaction will come. Each noodle has absorbed the sweetness of the tomatoes, the spicyness of the peppers, and the salty aroma of the beef, and the noodles are very chewy. The more you chew, the more delicious Son. And the spicy meat that comes with it is also very enjoyable to eat. The beef itself has been marinated in sauce, and fried in oil, the meat is full of fragrance, and then absorbs the flavors of tomatoes and peppers. Every bite is an ultimate taste bud experience with rich layers. I swear it's the best noodles I've ever eaten in my life! And the portion is huge, I can be full after eating half of it, but because it is so delicious, I just ate a whole bowl.
The drinks in the store are also very delicious, especially the Xinjiang specialty drink - kavas. The iced taste, the sweetness of fermented honey, the stimulation of bubbling bubbles, and the slight alcohol content make it no problem to drink a few cups. Sure enough, it is love wow fast, it is a shop that can make people fall in love quickly with one bite!
With nostalgia for food, we finally arrived at the Nalati Grassland. Nalati is listed as one of the six most beautiful grasslands in the country, but it is different from the grasslands in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai. It is not a sweeping plain, but a human grassland with skeletons and flesh. The high place is a green meadow as dense as matcha, which makes people want to lie down and sleep. In the middle is a towering coniferous forest, layer upon layer. The lower part is lush weeds, mixed with white and pink wild flowers, and wild apple trees are interspersed in the middle from time to time, which has a feeling of Wizard of Oz. It's a pity that you can't get off the car to watch these places, and the places where you stop are still inferior to the scenery on the road.
However, when the sun is setting, the grass is filtered, and the portraits are shot with soft light. Everything is beautiful. No wonder it is called the Little Oriental Switzerland. The scenery is full of comfort.
Day4: Surprise Duku spanning four seasons
The Duku Highway is known as the most beautiful highway in the country. The whole journey is 562 highways, spanning forests, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, and canyons. After four seasons, the scenery is super spectacular. We didn't have much time, and we mainly went back to Dushanzi from the Nalati Grassland, but it was also very beautiful!
We have always regretted not being able to go to the grasslands full of flowers before, but Duku is full of such grasslands. Climbing up the slope of the grassland, along the way, purple, yellow, and pink wild flowers are dotted on the grassland, mixing into a floral tapestry hanging in mid-air. However, it is more difficult to find an angle for taking pictures, because the wildflowers are not low or low, and the distribution is not concentrated, and the number of flowers taken is far less than it looks. It would be so much fun to be a flower picker. I picked a bunch of different types of flowers along the way, and I picked a large bunch. There are almost 12 kinds of flowers in total. The goddess’s wedding bouquet is just it. !
It was this beautiful bunch of wild flowers that shocked heaven and man, but was abandoned by the goddess in the end, hum~
This is an artificial flower sea near Nalati, which is also beautiful
The river surrounding Duku is mainly composed of snow-capped mountains. It is clear and cold, so it is no problem to drink directly. We put the cantaloupe in the car on ice in the river, and after five minutes, the whole melon has become an iced version. One bite is sweet and icy, sweeping away the fatigue of the journey!
After crossing the grassland, we came to the snow mountain area. The snow on the snow mountain has almost melted away, leaving only its spine. The towering mountains are pierced into the clouds, majestic and majestic, only the remaining white snow on the top of the mountain tells us its former glory.
Going further outside Duku, we arrived at the Gobi Desert in Dushanzi. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening, and we had no choice but to drive out, unable to stop to see it. When I arrived at Dushanzi in the evening, Dianping found the most delicious large plate chicken in the area, called Yongqing Shawan large plate chicken. Awarded the No.1 title of Dapanji! Recommend everyone to eat!
Day5: behind the happiness is the price of blood
On the last day of the chartered car, we went around the Dushanzi Grand Canyon and then returned to Urumqi. The Dushanzi Grand Canyon is not the same as the scenery we have seen before. On the opposite side is the rugged mountain range. When you bow your head, you will see the abyss, which is extremely dangerous. It is suitable for all kinds of heart-pounding games. The scenic spot is also developing these projects. Projects such as high-altitude bicycles and high-altitude swings are in preparation. Tourists on the high-altitude trail are already trying the adrenaline-fueled adventure.
But for the construction workers of the Grand Canyon Project, this is no longer a simple game. Not long after we arrived at the scenic spot, there was a sad cry from the glass plank road area under construction opposite. If you look closely, you can see a middle-aged man crying bitterly on the outside of the glass walkway without guardrails. Tourists quickly formed a group, talking about new things in the trip. An aunt said that she saw with her own eyes a construction worker stumbled and fell off the glass plank road. But apart from the crying man next to him, the other workers didn't seem to have any abnormalities. They were still working normally, rushing to complete the task, and no one even pulled away the crying man next to him who was also in danger of slipping.
Not many people saw the accident with their own eyes. Everyone took a few glances with the mentality of joining in the fun, and then continued to have fun. But Xiaochao and I no longer dare to play, the price of blood is too heavy, who can guarantee that these facilities are safe enough.
After leaving the scenic spot, the driver showed us a piece of news: Duku Highway was closed last night due to mudslides, and the mudslides broke out shortly after we left yesterday. For us, this is the good luck of traveling, but our good luck to see the beautiful scenery is based on countless bad luck. The construction of the Duku Highway connected southern and northern Xinjiang, shortening the original distance by half, but at the same time, 168 people died during the construction process, most of them died of accidental avalanches and mudslides. I remembered that when we passed the Qiaoerma martyrs cemetery built for the construction of the road yesterday, we didn't even go in because of the general scenery. Thinking about the worker who lost his footing today, I feel shivering all the time. It turns out that people are far more indifferent than I imagined. The little girl who once heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood would cry because her grandmother was eaten by wolves has begun to be indifferent to the lost life.
Day6: Colorful Kanas, its beauty was cut by chaotic management
Back in Urumqi at night, we took the train to Beitun directly. Arrive at Beitun early the next morning, and then take the bus to Kanas. I thought it would only take two or three hours from Beitun to the Kanas scenic spot, but because of the speed limit, it took us five hours to reach the scenic spot.
On the road from Beitun to Kanas, the scenery is good. I encountered a particularly open and blue lake, and there were sunflower fields smiling at the sun. If we could just stop and take pictures, we should be able to do it for quite a while. If you have time, you can also go to Burqin, a small county with a sense of exotic fairy tales.
There was a drifting boss in the car with us, and the tourists wanted to try to get some different strategies from him. The owner of the scenic spot said with a sneer, Kanas is not fun at all. The driver who is also a local added a sentence, it is better to go to the grassland on the other side of the mountain.
For the scenery that the locals disdain, a huge crowd of people at the entrance of the scenic spot waited in line for the scenic bus under the scorching sun. With our boarding luggage, it took more than an hour before we finally boarded the scenic bus. It took another hour from the scenic bus to the transfer center of the scenic spot, and another half an hour from the transfer center to our booked homestay. Back to the cabin where we stayed, we ate some food we brought ourselves. It was past three o'clock before we finally started to play.
We first went to the nearest Kanas Lake. Compared with Sailimu Lake, which has to wait half a day for emeralds to be seen, the beauty of Kanas is much more exposed. The lake water is not a thick blue, but a fresh light blue, which is good for taking pictures.
The scenic spots in Kanas are very scattered and the transfer is very complicated. After watching Kanas Lake, we thought we could go to some other scenic spots, so we hurriedly took the bus back to the transfer center. As a result, the transfer center was overcrowded with people leaving the park. The transfer centers of other scenic spots are either out of service or there is no return arrangement.
At that time, it was only five o'clock in the afternoon, which was three o'clock in the afternoon relative to Beijing time, but I couldn't go to any of the attractions I wanted to visit, which was very inhumane. Our real arrangement in Kanas is only two days, including the round trip, we really can't bear to let it down. We endured the pain and chose the most luxurious means of transportation in the scenic spot-horse. 200 yuan per person, riding a horse into the forest.
It is not the first time for me to ride a horse. I have ridden it several times before traveling, and there is nothing new about it. The goddess kept screaming because she was riding a horse for the first time, even though the elder brother who took us to ride was sitting on her horse. For me who is familiar with horse riding, it is very pleasant to ride a horse slowly to see the scenery. But not long after, the elder brother who led us to ride started to slap the horse, and the speed suddenly increased. The mountain road became more and more rugged, and the road of riding a horse became more and more rough. I kept telling my horse to slow down, but I couldn't stand my elder brother's instructions, so the horse ran faster and faster. My internal organs seemed to be loaded into a perpetual motion machine, constantly bouncing up and down. At the beginning, I was envious of Huanzhugege, watching Little Swallow and her good friends riding horses and galloping on the grassland, sharing the time in the world. But I really tried riding a horse and galloping before I realized that it was so upside down.
After bumping all the way, I came to a birch forest. The eldest brother finally asked us to stop and enjoy the scenery. Just when the sun was setting, the afterglow of the setting sun hit the treetops, and the whole forest seemed to be inlaid with gold, shining with light, with a beautiful, shining, quiet and mysterious beauty.
We walked along the woods, looking for the ringing spring that the guide told us. In fact, we don't know what it is, but the guide said it is very beautiful, we must see it. But there are forests all the way, and I really don't know where the so-called Xiangquan can appear. There are basically no tourists in the woods. There is a sense of pleasure that the entire forest is contracted by us, and there is also a sense of insecurity that bad guys can take us away at any time. The two of us held the heart that 200 yuan could not be spent in vain, and continued to walk in nervously. After walking for nearly 20 minutes, we finally saw the legendary Xiangquan. In fact, it is just a mouthful, unattractive spring with an area less than the size of a tire. The only feature is that as long as you shout at it, it will bubble. In order to vent the anger of being deceived by the guide, we shouted loudly at the spring water, watching its bubbles gurgling upwards, it is also a pleasure.
Day7: Invisible sunrise, replace it with morning fog
Due to the terrain, Kanas cannot see the sunrise. To see the sunrise, you have to go to the nearby Hemu Village, but the morning fog is the most unmissable scenery in Kanas in summer, and we naturally cannot miss it. The alarm clock for getting up early was set on the first day, but it took us a long time to get up. It was almost nine o'clock after packing up and going out, and there was little hope of seeing the morning mist. The first stop was Shenxian Bay, the sun was already rising on the opposite side of the mountain, and the situation was very bad.
When walking further in, a white gauze suddenly floated from the top of the mountain, "Look, look quickly", everyone in the car woke up from their tired sleep. The white gauze began to thin, and Shenxianwan also arrived. Some people went forward with their arms in their arms, and they didn't get off the car because the morning fog must be thicker. We got out of the car in a hurry with the hope that if we don't look at the morning fog, we will be gone.
The morning fog in front of us is not as spectacular as the photos we saw, because the fog has almost dispersed. But the thin layer of white gauze is hidden among the green trees and mountains, which also adds a bit of immortality to Shenxian Bay.
After finishing shooting at Shenxian Bay, we walked forward. Sure enough, the morning fog had disappeared, and the sun had already climbed halfway up the mountain. But Moon Bay is just as amazing. The water of Bilan Lake is like a crescent moon, interspersed in the dark green woods, the colors are strong and public, making people unforgettable.
For the last stop in Kanas, we went to its most classic scenic spot, which is the ascending fish watching platform. There you can overlook the entire scenic spot, and it is also the place where you can see water monsters in the legend. Climbing to the top, I found that Kanas Lake is far more open than imagined, and the winding tributaries flow into the open Kanas Lake. The lake reflects the tall trees and the snow-capped mountains in the distance, blue and green , White heartily intertwined, shocking beauty!
In order to avoid detours for everyone, I recommend a two-day tour of Kanas
Day1: Beitun - Gate of Kanas Scenic Spot - Guanyutai - Kanas Lake - Accommodation in New Village or Old Village
Day2: Accommodation - Sanwan Morning Bus - Shenxian Bay - Moon Bay (with a walk) - Wolong Bay - Accommodation - Return
Day8: endless grapes, endless wind and sand
For the last stop of the tour, we chose Turpan, which is an hour away from Urumqi by train. Turpan is very rich in tourism resources, deserts, volcanoes, historical sites, and the distance between the attractions is very close, you can get there by taxi. There are many Uighurs in Turpan. Many houses in the urban area are khaki mud houses or brick houses that can withstand the wind and sand. Every household has a yard with a small grape shed, which is very ethnic.
We first went to Jiaohe Ancient City, which is the best-preserved and oldest adobe building in my country, and some well-preserved houses can be seen on the site. Along with the feeling of the vastness of history, it is the strong wind in Turpan. The temperature at that time was over 40 degrees, and the strong wind did not bring coolness, but a burst of heat. Xiaochao and I endured the high temperature and took a few photos, then retreated, but spent a while in the nearby Jiaohe Ancient Village.
Jiaohe Ancient Village is a folk custom exhibition hall developed by the scenic spot. You can see some displays of Uyghur ethnic characteristics, and there are also many places suitable for taking pictures with concave shapes.
Then we went to the world historical sites - Karez. The temperature of Karez is very pleasant, and the surrounding area is full of grapes, so you can shoot a lot of movies without going to the grape valley. You can also fill a bottle of well water, which tastes sweet and cool, which is very refreshing.
Next time, let's go to Xinjiang together
The two-person trip between me and the goddess has a lot of beautiful scenery and a lot of ups and downs. I lost my wallet, and my phone broke on the fourth day. It was all up to the goddess to check the route and navigation. In order to play with my mobile phone for me, the goddess also gave up the time to video with her husband, and almost delayed the schedule by accompanying me to repair the mobile phone.
When meeting a pig teammate like me, the goddess did not express any impatience. The goddess said that she was impatient, but after this trip, she was never in a hurry with me, because our choices were surprisingly consistent. If we said horse riding, we would ride horses, and if we said we would leave, this is probably the tacit understanding of old friends.
It is said that whether a couple is suitable or not, you will know when you travel together. Although the goddess and I are destined to break up, we have already started arranging the next appointment in Xinjiang! ! !
