Original link: http://battlele.com/xinjiang/
I finally made up my mind to write a travelogue in Xinjiang. Before, I was traveling alone. This time I traveled with my girlfriend and it was the first long-distance trip for more than a week. No matter from which point of view, this is an unforgettable experience. journey. Even though a few months have passed, things have changed, and I broke up with my girlfriend, but the story of the journey is there. Think about the original intention of writing your blog, and don’t let your memories become worthless past.
Before I set off, I spent a long time planning the route, which took a lot of time and energy. I also thought about whether I should pay a so-called travel consultant to help me complete it, but after reading a few cases, they were all average, so I simply wrote it myself, and I chose the places I went, so I don’t regret it.
First decide whether to go to southern Xinjiang or northern Xinjiang. I have thought about this issue for a long time. Xinjiang is still cold in April, and most guides recommend southern Xinjiang. But they all landed in Urumqi, and to go to southern Xinjiang, you have to fly from Urumqi to Kashgar. Considering the cost and time, you should go to northern Xinjiang first.
It is not yet June, and the Duku Highway is not open, otherwise the route will be made into a closed loop. The whole self-driving tour starts from Urumqi and ends at Yining City in Ili Prefecture (it is very important to return the car in another place without service fee). In terms of model selection , other old-fashioned off-road vehicles are expensive, old models, and the condition of the car cannot be guaranteed. So I chose the more cost-effective tank 300, and later found that there are many cars of the same model on the road.
Now that the route is determined, let’s put together the puzzle from the place names one by one. I read a lot of information, Ctrip, Xiaohongshu, Zhihu, and even the Lonely Planet Lonely Planet series: Xinjiang .
A total of eleven days, ten nights journey, put on the itinerary map:
D1: Shanghai Hongqiao → Urumqi
D2: Urumqi→Fuhai Sea Devil City→Beitun City
D3: Beitun→Hemu
D4: Hemu → Kanas
D5: Kanas → Burqin (Colorful Beach) → Karamay
D6: Karamay → Sailimu Lake
D7: Sailimu Lake → Bole
D8: Bole → (via Guozigou Bridge) → Yining
D9: Yining→Kurdening
D10: Visit Kazanqi Scenic Spot in Yining
D11: Go to catch the plane early in the morning
Originally, the flight departed from Hangzhou to Urumqi, but the flight was canceled and changed to Shanghai Hongqiao, which increased the cost a little. The route did not go to the Tianshan Mountains in Urumqi, and did not stay long in Urumqi. I didn’t go to Keketuohai either.
The plan always fails to keep up with the changes, and we are forced to change the itinerary for the next day. Later, I didn’t go to Sailimu Lake Ski Resort, and I changed my trip to Huocheng County to Kurdening Scenic Area.
D1 Fly to Urumqi
As usual, I did not sleep well the night before the trip. This spell has never been broken. After a long five-hour flight, I finally landed at Urumqi Diwopu Airport from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. This is the longest flight I have ever taken. I took a taxi to the hotel, and the driver drove fast. On the highway, the city seemed no different from the inland cities. You could see the snow-capped mountains at the end of the horizon in almost any direction. On the highway, you can find that off-road vehicles and SUVs are the mainstream choices here.
You need to go through the security check to enter the hotel. Although I have heard it before, it is very inconvenient. The Holiday Inn Express Hotel I stayed at is near the train station, which is relatively empty, and it feels different from the traditional train station in the downtown area. Holiday Inn Express has standardized design and decoration, and the room rate is much cheaper than that of first-tier cities.
After a five-hour flight, I was still quite tired. I had to pick up the rented car the next day, so I took an online car-hailing service to go to the nearby “Grand Bazaar”. Bazaar means bazaar and farmer’s market in Uighur. There is a great temple in Shaanxi, which is closed, the streets are very windy and sandy, and armed police with real guns and ammunition can be seen everywhere, and you will definitely feel that you are not in your own city. Taking the subway is also very troublesome. Real-name registration is required to buy tickets. It is recommended to bring some cash to facilitate ticket purchase. I had a pain in my lower abdomen, I found the restroom, but I had to buy a ticket and go down to the platform level, which was really embarrassing (of course I hope there are WCs in the station hall and platform)…
Choose to eat at a restaurant next to the Grand Theater. The consumption of this restaurant is not low, and it should not represent the average level of Urumqi.
Seeing the diners is also the feeling of the local middle class (my own guess). The taste is not bad, it is very suitable for me who like beef and mutton but not pork. After eating, I took a taxi back home. I was not in a good condition. I had a fever that night. I couldn’t help but worry about what to do for the next trip. Fortunately, under the careful care of my girlfriend and my strong will (to brag), I was fine the next day More than half, let’s go.
D2 was forced to change the route and stayed overnight in Beitun City
There are quite a lot of people dining in the hotel. It’s normal to have breakfast at ten o’clock haha. Tomato egg noodles are delicious, I ate two bowls.
After eating, the people from the car rental company also delivered the car, checked the condition of the car, confirmed several existing car damages, and took a video .
It is easy to get familiar with the conditions of getting off the car, the interior is simple, and the materials are mainly plastic, but all the necessary functions are complete, such as wireless CarPlay (the built-in car holder is a white belt), 360-degree video, and seat heating.
In the rain, in order to facilitate the luggage, I parked the car in the garage and registered with my real name. Purchase some supplies, such as mineral water, drinks, snacks, etc. at nearby small shops. Starting north, you have to pass through Wujiaqu City. Although it is only 50 kilometers away from Wujiaqu City, the license plate here is a new B. According to the administrative plan, it belongs to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Sixth Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
The wind and rain on the highway are very strong, which adds to the adventure of the journey. As soon as I set off, I saw “Please maintain the car” popped up on the dashboard. I asked the car rental company and said that it had been serviced, but the fault code was not cleared. Fortunately, nothing happened all the way.
I originally planned to take the Awu Expressway to Burqin, but who knew that just after leaving Wujiaqu City, there would be a sandstorm and traffic control. Either wait or change the route. We thought about it, and the sandstorm would not end for a while, so we chose to take a detour to Fuhai County, take the Kui-A Expressway , and missed the desert road.
It was raining in the first half of the highway, but there were few cars, and it was very comfortable to drive. There was a luggage rack on the roof, and there was an unpleasant howling sound when the wind blew through. The NVH performance of the tank 300 was not good.
There are light grasslands along the way. After all, it is still winter, and most of them are areas with no signal during the period. The measured Gaode is better than Baidu map. You can see flocks of cattle and sheep on the side of the road at any time, and you don’t see a shepherd. I wonder how they all go home?
The roads in Xinjiang can experience four seasons in one day. It was still raining just now, and it was even snowing outside after a while. The outside temperature is near 0 °C, it is very cold without a cotton jacket.
I bought something to eat at the Fuyun County Tourist Service Center (service area). It was not expensive, and it was delicious. I had lunch. It was already 4:30 in the afternoon, and there was a time difference with the mainland, almost just after noon.
Going further north, the sky began to clear, the road was dry, and everything we saw brightened up. One thing to remind friends who want to travel to Xinjiang by car, pay attention to the fuel level of the car, many gas stations are closed, no, at a place 100 kilometers away from Fuhai, they are forced to get off the highway to find a gas station.
After a period of broken roads in the countryside (this is why it is recommended to drive an off-road vehicle), I finally came to a gas station. “Of course” you need to show your ID card to enter the gas station, and you need to swipe your ID card once at the refueling machine. “Double verification “. I feel that the oil here is not very good (there is no proof), and I don’t even want to add #95. If it’s a tram, uh… I came to the wrong place. After refueling, continue on the road. Sometimes the navigation is very unreliable, and I have to go back and forth a few times before finding the right high-speed exit, but it doesn’t get in the way. I drove 400 km on this day, and the magic is that I don’t feel tired.
We didn’t go straight to the hotel, but went to the “Sea Devil City” which is located on the east bank of Jili Lake and the mouth of Ulungu Lake, commonly known as the East River Estuary. The scenic spot is not open. We found an open space and watched the sunset by the lake. It was very cold outside, and we couldn’t stand it after staying for a while, so we could only watch it in the car. After nine o’clock in the evening, the sun finally set and told us that we would meet tomorrow. It was also my first time -lapse photography of sunset. After the sun set, I had to drive in the dark, and it was nearly 100 kilometers to the hotel.
Before passing the checkpoint, I stopped to go to “wild release” (relief). When passing the checkpoint, the armed police questioned me a lot, what did you do just now, I asked and answered the truth, and let us go after carefully checking our ID cards. There are no street lights on the country road, and there are high beams of the other car. It is very uncomfortable to drive this section.
I finally came to Beitun City and found a restaurant called “Yushang Tianshan”. The price was slightly cheaper than the one in Urumqi the night before. Of course, prices vary in different regions. After checking into the hotel, I felt tired all day. I drove 877 km that day and didn’t go to bed until two o’clock.
D3 Beitun to Hemu
After breakfast, I packed several boiled eggs, fearing that I might not eat them on the way. We set off at 11:30, and the temperature outside was zero degrees Celsius that day. But the sun is shining and you need to wear sunglasses. According to the navigation, all the roads are provincial roads. I really like the S319 asphalt road that connects to the S232 behind. The scenery is good, and you can stop as you want. There is a policeman not on duty in front of you, and you are speeding along the way.
The landform here has no vegetation, and it feels like a desert road. There are many windmill motors in the distance. This place already belongs to Burqin, which is where we originally planned to arrive.
Based on yesterday’s experience, this time I filled up the oil first, and it’s less than 30 liters. The ¥92 oil costs ¥225, which is not cheap. The most expensive part of this journey is postage and accommodation (homestay). . After passing through the colorful beach, I did not go, and then went all the way north. At one o’clock in the afternoon, the temperature rose to 4 °C.
Then go to S232 and watch the snow-capped mountains in the distance become more and more clear. The provincial roads here are quite good, and there are no tolls but the experience of expressways. This road is quite a huge project.
Going further north, there are already snow-covered mountains on both sides. Before two o’clock in the afternoon, we finally came to the entrance of Hemu (that is, the entrance of Kanas scenic spot), and the temperature was only -1 °C. In the off-season , you can buy a ticket and drive into the scenic spot. This is also the benefit of our visit this season.
Passing the toll gate is just the beginning, and there is still a 90 km mountain road behind, which takes two hours to drive.
Although there are wreckers driving across the road, some sections of the road are already icy, thanks to the snow tires we asked to replace when we rented the car. First climb to an altitude of 2000 m, and then go down the mountain. The road down the mountain is not easy to drive.
The Hemu River is not frozen, and the river flows through the forest. This kind of scenery will only be amazed after seeing it. Just take a screenshot of the wallpaper.
At 3:30 in the afternoon, we finally came to Hemu New Village and came to the cabin (Jingzhi Residence). It is said that this is the best cabin in Hemu. Once we entered, the floor heating had already been preheated and it was comfortable.
It was still snowing outside the window at this time, so I felt it! Hungry, I quickly asked the boss to cut a catty of mutton, which costs ¥200 per kilogram. At first we thought it was expensive, but it was actually the same price. The white-cut mutton is authentic and delicious. After eating it, go to the village.
There are some tourist buses here, and many middle-aged and elderly passengers get off. It seems that we are not alone. There is also a very primitive caravan here. The guide leads the horse to take the tourists through the secret place where cars are difficult to pass. In winter, no one walks, and the ground is full of horse manure.
We climbed the steps to the viewing platform, overlooking the distance, the whole village is like a snow-covered village in a fairy tale world, with a feeling of independence from the world. There is no one to clean the viewing platform, the snow is very deep, if you step on it, half of you will fall, it is very exciting, but you will get yourself wet.
It’s a bit cold and there’s no sun. Go down the mountain to “Stable Coffee” to have a cup of hot. The shop lives up to its name. Before entering, you need to cross a large muddy depression and a lot of horse manure. I adjusted the off-road mode of the tank 300 to a low-speed four-wheel drive to barely pass, but it was fun, it kept slipping and shoveling mud. After entering the store, I asked the proprietress how she got in, and learned that they lived here and never went out, no wonder.
I’m afraid not many people come to drink coffee in this off-season, it’s still a bit desolate. Watching the sunset in this coffee shop, the sunset of this day is not so clear, hiding in the clouds.
In the evening, I found the beef noodle shop that was mentioned in the Lonely Planet Xinjiang Raiders and was still open. So it has been open for at least seven or eight years. But after eating it, I was very disappointed. The environment and taste are not very good. In the depths of this mountain, the price is indeed expensive. Seeing that two workers came here and asked for a few white buns and instant noodles for dinner, I was a little sad (I have no right to sympathize with others, it was just my feeling at the time). It was already dark at this time, and when we returned to the cabin, it was still snowing, and the traces of the snow we had stepped on looked like craters on the moon under the reflection of the dark light. The bed in the cabin is also heated, otherwise it will be unbearable in the second half of the night. The hot water supply for bathing is a bit tight, and it takes a long time for one person to have hot water after washing.
D4 Hemu to Kanas
I just opened the door this morning, and there was a wow sound. The door almost couldn’t be opened. The snow was at least 30 to 40 centimeters thick. The boss had already told the boys to start sweeping the snow. I walked to the parking place and my shoes were wet. I ate several beef stuffed buns in the morning (I like beef), and I don’t need money to eat more buns haha. The boss is nice, he asked the young man to help us clear the snow from the windshield of the car. I looked down and saw that there were strings of icicles on the chassis, and there was a sound of ice falling when I drove it. We set off for Kanas, but before we left the village, we were stopped again. Because of the heavy snow last night, the mountain was closed and we had to wait for the release.
We turned around and walked around the village again, and went to the ski resort that has not yet opened, and it is still under construction. If it is completed in the future, the number of tourists will double again. After staying for less than two hours, I was about to sit down and have a cup of coffee to spend the long day. I heard word of mouth from the tourists that it was possible to pass, and the efficiency was quite high, so I left. At high altitudes, you should pay attention to sun protection. After driving for a while, your face will be uncomfortable in the sun. Sunglasses are also necessary, otherwise your eyes will be too dazzling.
A police car leads the way at the front, and a green hybrid car cannot overtake. A long line of people follows behind. The scene is spectacular, and most of them are off-road vehicles. The wrecker had just swept it, and the snow traces were still fresh and not completely cleared away. I held the steering wheel and let the wide-to-flat tires press up, smoothing the snow and making it easier for the cars behind to pass.
Kanas
Most people go out to the scenic area, and our itinerary is to go to the adjacent Kanas, change a road at a turntable and continue down the mountain. There is no police car to press the speed in this section, I can drive faster, and the snow is less than that of Hemu. Before actually entering Kanas, there is a small town, which is probably the tourist distribution center in peak season, and the buses are collectively buried in the snow.
Nearly four o’clock in the afternoon, the sun gradually rose, and the scenery was just right. We drove through the “three bays” of Kanas in turn, which were Wolong Bay, Moon Bay and Shenxian Bay in turn. Unlike the photos taken during the peak season, the snow-covered Sanwan is a bit monotonous, and it is indeed not as amazing as summer.
Kanas is more famous than Hemu, and has more tourists, but I like the village of Hemu, and the hardware in the cabins here is also poor. Can you imagine? To enter the cabin, we need to walk a pile of rotten muddy roads. The proprietress helped us carry the boxes and barely passed. Lunch starts at 6:00 pm. The price and quality of the dishes here are better than the beef noodle restaurant in Hemu yesterday. There are also infrastructure such as hospitals and schools. After all, there are aborigines living there.
After eating, we continued to stroll, and we drove west to the famous Baihaba, which should be the most northwest of our country. But it was a bit late, and we didn’t apply for a border defense permit, so we didn’t go there, which is a little regrettable. I saw a little fox when we were playing on the mountain. He was not afraid of us at all. We even wanted to rub the camera when we took pictures.
Then we went to Kanas Lake again, but in this season, the lake was covered with ice, and it looked completely white, which was indeed monotonous. At that time, the sun was gloomy and very cold, and the road under my feet was not easy to walk. The Salomon XT-6 was prone to slipping on the ice. I crawled back to the parking lot like walking on thin ice, and almost fell down. I saw a dog quarreling with an eagle and barking at the sky, Xiao Hei, you are not afraid of being picked up by an eagle.
Afterwards, we wanted to find a place to watch the sunset. My girlfriend said that she had noticed a place when she first came and went there, but the sunset that day was relatively light, and we didn’t see the landing. When we went back, something thrilling happened. My girlfriend said, don’t walk the way we came here, let’s go directly under the snow. I said it was risky, but I did as she said, but after driving a few meters, I got stuck in the snow and got trapped.
But don’t panic in case of trouble. Fortunately, there is still a signal, and it’s not dark yet. I quickly made a video call to my friend who is an experienced off-road gunner. After describing the situation with him, he asked me to see how much snow there is, which is almost half the hub. , he said don’t panic, you can get out of trouble. I asked if there was a winch and a trap board on the car, but there was none, let alone an engineer shovel, and there was no air pump 
. But there is still a way out.
According to his instructions, the first step is to go back to the right direction and lower the tire pressure one by one starting from the left rear wheel. The original tire pressure was 250 psi, but it was reduced to 200 psi or even lower, but this was not enough. Adjusting to the 4L sand mode requires high torque output, shifting from D gear to R gear instantly , driving the body by inertia, moving back and forth non-stop, and stepping on some new pits (if you have an engineer shovel, just plan it).
After feeling the snow surface is loose, switch to 4H off-road mode, step on the accelerator linearly to the end (do not step to the end), and rush out in one breath.
At that time, I didn’t dare to step on the accelerator deeply. I could smell the burnt smell of the gearbox clutch plate, and the car showed signs of movement, so I let off the accelerator. Still stuck. Take a deep breath and try again. This time I fully focus on the accelerator pedal under my feet, and pay attention to the dynamics of the car at any time. When the car starts to reverse, I will go all out and continue to hit the accelerator. Hold the direction with my hand and follow the ruts, just like this rushed out and escaped successfully. I was really happy at that moment, 27 minutes of self-help. Although there is no place to inflate in Kanas, it is enough to drive out.
There was no place to eat supper that night, just like that, after a whole night, I didn’t cry hungry! Ha ha.
D5 Kanas to Karamay
I went to the restaurant where I ate last night for breakfast. I ordered a bowl of beef noodles, a bowl of milk tea and a few beef buns. It was delicious. Although I had given up milk, I couldn’t help but drink two bowls. I also ate several steamed buns stuffed with beef. If I remember correctly, the breakfast for one person costs ¥80, which is not cheap, but it is comfortable to eat.
After eating, I went out of the mountain and walked outside. The altitude became lower all the way, and green gradually replaced white as the theme color. It was still the S232 when I came here. I drove for two and a half hours. Driving in Xinjiang, two hours is just a basic unit. Back to Burqin again, this time I went back to Wucai Beach to have a look. According to the strategy I made before, I didn’t enter the Wucai Beach Scenic Area. I drove the car to a chain bridge next to it. There was even a sign on the riverside saying “poisonous snakes, please stay away.” , it’s scary, but when you think about winter, you’re all hibernating…
This chain bridge can be driven through, but it is very narrow, so it was abandoned. It was said that there were still people guarding it, and only fellow villagers were allowed to cross.
We ate in Burqin. This is a relatively large county. We have been driving and have many shops. No wonder the Raiders recommend staying here. I had lunch at three o’clock in the afternoon, and I ordered a large plate of chicken. It looked scary, but there was not much to eat. The baked naan sprinkled with cumin is actually delicious. After eating, find an auto repair shop to fill the tires back to 240 psi, and continue our road trip.
After passing a tollbooth, there is another long section of “no man’s land” road. We even deviated from the navigation route and went to a small road. We saw a big man with a mask on a motorcycle in the desert. We were a little nervous at first, but he just stopped on the side of the road to rest. The scenery here gives me a sense of “Dune”. The drive was long on this day, and the two of them took turns driving non-stop. During the period, they passed the Urho Devil City, but they didn’t go to play. Arrive in Karamayxi at 7:30 in the evening. The strategy was not done well, and I went directly to the city, without seeing those spectacular “kowtow machines”-oil pumping machines.
Karamay is extremely rich, and the hotels here are a bit more upscale. After putting down our luggage, we went to Jiulongtan Scenic Area to watch the sunset here. Looking at this city, you may not even think that it is an inland city. In fact, it is far away from the sea. There are quite a lot of cars in the evening rush hour here, and it is a little congested. It is the first time I have to find a parking space in so many days.
I ate Aluo Xinjiang cuisine at night. I strongly recommend it. This restaurant is a chain with modern decoration. The key is that the food tastes good and the price is affordable. Even at ten o’clock in the evening, there are many diners. I drove for seven and a half hours that day, covering 528.7 km, and I was not very tired.
Due to the space, it is divided into the first and second parts, and the second part, which will be added when I come back from a business trip (unexpectedly, it took me six or seven hours to add pictures in six hours).
This article is transferred from: http://battlele.com/xinjiang/
This site is only for collection, and the copyright belongs to the original author.