It took half a year before I logged in again.
Why is there no update? It’s definitely because of work! Unlimited jobs! !
Looking at the calendar, it turns out that it has been 8 months since my last trip. During these 8 months, it seems that everyone on the trip has made new progress in their lives, which is also a happy thing.
Well, I can only slowly recall this journey through photos.
Before traveling, I checked a lot of information, including referring to various other people's routes from Taobao, Xiaohongshu, and customized tours. The more conventional routes are usually the most famous scenic spots: Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Dunhuang (Mogao Grottoes, desert), Zhangye Colorful Danxia, Oil Town, Da Qaida Emerald Lake .
But the reason why I wanted to go to Qinghai in the first place was purely because I was attracted by the picture of Aiken Spring (Devil’s Eye), so I insisted on going to this scenic spot. Later, when I was looking at some customized tour routes, I saw that Oboliang and Hoh Xil were also very beautiful, and I silently thought about these two places.
I almost signed up for a customized tour called "Going Wild" because one of the projects included camping in Oboliang to watch the stars. I have wanted to take pictures of the stars for a long time.
Later, I took another look and found that the temperature in Qinghai area can reach subzero in the middle of the night in winter, so I gave up the idea of camping.
I wanted to go to those niche attractions but also wanted to arrange my time freely, so I found a chartered car on Taobao. As for why I didn’t rent a car and travel by car, the reason is very simple. People who are afraid of death are afraid that they will suffer from altitude sickness halfway, and they probably can’t bear to drive. A more conservative plan was chosen. =. =
The final route was as follows:
DAY1: Xining - Qilian Prairie - Colorful Danxia - Qicai Town (accommodation in Qicai Town)
DAY2: Qicai Town-Jiuquan-Golden Pagoda Populus euphratica Forest-Jiayuguan-Dunhuang (accommodation in Dunhuang)
DAY3: Mogao Grottoes-Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring-Dunhuang (accommodation in Dunhuang)
DAY4: Dunhuang - Mars Camp - Mangya Emerald Lake - Devil's Eye - Mangya (accommodation in Mangya)
DAY5: Mangya-Shuangse Lake-Shui Yadan-Dongtai Jirnai Lake-315U-shaped Highway-Golmud (accommodation in Golmud)
DAY6: Golmud - Kunlun Pass - Ice-free Spring - Wuji Gym - Suonandajie Protection Station - Golmud (accommodation in Golmud)
DAY7: Golmud-Chaka Salt Lake-Tianjun (accommodation in Chaka Town)
DAY8: Tianjun-Qinghai Lake Cliff-Huanhu West Road-Huanhu South Road-Xining
After confirming this route with the Taobao store, the quotation we got was 6,700, including all expenses for the driver and car, including airport pick-up and drop-off. After some discussion with the store, the price was agreed to be 6,500, and oxygen and drones would be sent for use. The model is Honda CRV.
Here, I would like to advise everyone that if you want to go to Devil's Eye, you must rent a Babo. At that time, you could not find it on Taobao. It seemed that the most high-end models were only CRV models, and the cheaper ones were domestic brands. Because the road from Mangya to Devil's Eye is extremely bumpy for at least an hour! Along the way, we can only move forward at a speed of approximately 30km per hour. Since the scenic spots have not been developed much and there are no large groups of tour groups entering, the roads have not been repaired.
The average altitude of the Great Northwest Loop is about 3,000, so you need to bring oxygen and medicine with you just in case. Many scenic spots require a drone to take a bird's-eye view of their beauty, so a drone is a must.
In addition to the harsh environmental conditions of this route, the body will also be physically strenuous along the way. You need to ride for 4-6 hours every day, and you have to change accommodation almost every day. In order to rush, it is inevitable to get up early, so if you can't bear it, give up the idea. .
At that time, one of the four of us was employed and needed to go to work, so we arrived in Xining in batches. The other three people who don't have to go to work went to Xining city two days in advance to have fun and adapt to the environment.
We bought a ticket from Guangzhou to Xining in the afternoon, Shenzhen Airlines, 16:30-19:55, 780, and watched the sunset on the plane.
After getting off the plane, the temperature was so different from that of Guangzhou. I was shivering from the cold. I put down my luggage at my accommodation, put on my coat, and immediately went to a small shop on the street to eat some local dishes. I can’t remember some of the names, but the one I remember most is a bowl of hot haggis soup. The peppery taste was so strong, I loved it!
After getting up the next day, I went to the famous Mojia Street in Xining City to look for food! Breakfast was haggis soup + pancakes, which cost about 20 yuan. The pancakes had to be soaked in the soup before eating, but because the pancakes were too hard, I couldn't bear it, so I only finished the haggis soup.
After that, I bought a must-eat old yogurt in Qinghai. Delu yogurt is a time-honored brand. In my memory, this kind of yogurt cost a few yuan a piece.
The yogurt in Qinghai is different from what we usually eat. There is a layer of yellow oil-like substance on the surface of the yogurt, but it is not greasy. The yogurt is rich and sticky, and it is also sour. I ate a lot in Qinghai. Then I took a wander around Xining’s urban area.
In the afternoon, I went to Xining Dongguan Mosque. The whole building was green. It seemed that that day happened to be Sunday, and I encountered Muslims worshiping. But what was very strange was that among the pair of people who poured into the mosque, there were only men and no women. The reason was not clear. After I asked the driver, it seemed that women could just pray at home. On this day, there were so many peacekeepers around the mosque that I have never seen before. Maybe this is the difference in border areas.
In the afternoon, we went to the famous Qianmen Night Market and drank a huge cup of highland barley milk tea.
There is actually nothing special about highland barley milk tea, except that the material at the bottom of the tea is not pearls, but highland barley. It has a little bit of wine flavor and tastes like wheat.
In this night market, if you go to the upper floors, you will see the newly built mosque.
Later, I took a taxi to Wanda Plaza in Xining and took a stroll at Xiaohongshu Internet celebrity bookstore and Cave Bookstore, which looked similar to a bookstore in Chengdu.
At around five o'clock, we went to check in at a very famous local restaurant called De Xiao Kang Meat Shop.
I specially ordered a dish we have never eaten before, called antlers, which is eaten cold and tastes similar to cloud fungus. It is estimated that vegetables with leaves will not be eaten in arid and desert areas!
Milk and egg fermented glutinous rice
Yak yogurt
When I first arrived in Qinghai, I always felt bloated. It might be a problem with the air pressure. It was difficult to sleep normally at night like I did in the plains.
On the morning of the next day, after meeting up with the last arriving partner, we officially started the Great Northwest Loop.
What was a bit confusing was that the car specified on Taobao was a CRV, and the one we ended up with was an RV4. I didn’t pursue it too much, and the time was tight, so we started the trip.
DAY1: Xining-Qilian Prairie-Colorful Danxia-Qicai Town (accommodation in Qicai Town)
Starting from Xining, I have forgotten how long it took to reach the Qilian Prairie. The grass is all yellow in winter. Highways, snow-capped mountains, grasslands, I couldn’t help but be excited when I got off the car, they were so beautiful! After taking photos here for a while, I immediately got in the car and rushed to Zhangye.
I also encountered someone herding sheep on the road. When the sheep were crossing the road, they blocked traffic on both sides. Because they walked so slowly, they still had time to lower their car windows and secretly take photos of the herders.
It was already around 6 o'clock when we arrived in Zhangye, and the sky was already dark. We entered Colorful Danxia Park at about the time when admission was about to close. It takes about 20 minutes to take a loop bus to get to the observation deck. There are 4 observation decks in total. The first one we went to was the most famous No. 4.
The colorful Danxia you saw after walking up to the Observation Deck No. 4 is still very beautiful. Of course, the color is lighter than the one in the picture. The power of nature is still unmatched by man-made efforts.
There were so many people, especially the aunts and uncles vying to take pictures. After looking at it for a while, we decided to go again the next morning. The ticket can be used to enter the park twice, but you need to pay an extra 20 yuan for the sightseeing bus when you enter the park for the second time. The hotel we booked happened to be not far from the Geopark. The two boys who were very determined went to see the sunrise early in the morning, while the remaining two of us didn't enter the park until about ten o'clock.
That night, I found a very local and secluded restaurant within walking distance of Qicai Town for dinner. The proprietress was so pretty, she ordered a lot of dishes, and the average person was only forty or fifty. Finally, I had the scrambled eggs with green onions that I had been craving for.
Below are photos taken the next day when we went to see the colorful Danxia. You can ride hot air balloons and helicopters for a fee. The hot air balloon seems to be 200 yuan, and the helicopter is 800 yuan. But this hot air balloon is held by four ropes, and it doesn’t feel satisfying at all. The helicopter seemed to fly non-stop for 20 minutes. If I wanted to play this kind of project, it would be more enjoyable abroad, so I didn’t go up.
I sincerely advise you to wear sunglasses when going to the Northwest. The sun there is extremely dazzling. When taking pictures, it is difficult to look good when you face the light source.
DAY2: Qicai Town-Jiuquan-Golden Pagoda Populus euphratica Forest-Jiayuguan-Dunhuang (accommodation in Dunhuang)
Since we spent time in the colorful Danxia park for the second time in the morning, Jiayuguan was the attraction we did not go to. According to friends, it is only a small pass and has been renovated. The entrance fee is more than 100. Even if you go there, it is only recommended to fly around with a drone. So I decisively canceled this spot and went directly to Populus euphratica forest.
The ticket price for Populus euphratica seems to be 75 per person, and if you drive in by car, it will cost dozens more yuan. There is actually nothing special inside, and the Populus euphratica forest is not very golden, but the arid place and the plants are quite nice to see.
It feels like the filming took 40 minutes here! I took extremely artificial photos of everyone.
Walking on the wooden bridge, we arrived at the most famous lake in the Populus euphratica forest. There were too many people. Basically there is no vacancy anywhere near the lake.
Afterwards we went to the swamp to take pictures, the reflection on the lake was very beautiful!
Populus euphratica is just such a park, nothing more. Then I went to the restaurant and ordered a cold dish that I had never eaten before. I vaguely remembered it was called cold pork rinds or something like that. It was frozen, had a good taste and was not greasy.
The driver we were traveling with was a Muslim. Since the restaurant we chose was not halal, he had to find another place to eat. If it doesn't say halal, they can't eat it. This makes me very confused. If they travel, there won't be halal restaurants everywhere, so what will be the solution? The driver didn't give a very clear answer. He just said firmly that it would be halal. Then he took the instant noodles with the word halal written on them that we purchased in Xining earlier and found a place to eat them by himself.
If these constraints of religion limit an individual's ability as a human being to experience food, places, and customs in the real world, should it change as human civilization enlightens?
On the way, I asked the driver how he could ensure that he could pray at a fixed time when he was out of work, so he said that now there is no need to fix a fixed time for praying, he just needs to make up for it.
Therefore, under secular conditions, faith still gives way to making a living. This is the interesting part of culture.
Ah, I’m so tired after typing so many words, and there are so many beautiful pictures.
Then just wait for me! I’ll continue writing the next episode if I have time!
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