Xinjiang Travel Notes 03 – Beautiful Sailimu

In the afterglow, I returned to the room. Xiaoxia was resting in the room. After saying a few words, he said that he went to chat with some familiar drivers. He usually stayed in the driver's room. He traveled a lot and everyone became familiar with him. , this will go to brag. I put things in order, charged my camera battery and mobile phone, then took a shower and washed clothes. Just after I finished, Xiaoxia came back. I asked him why he came back so early, and he said, early tomorrow morning If you want to get out of the car, it’s better to rest early.
I was worried that Xiaoxia would snore. I didn’t hear his snoring all night, and I didn’t hear his snoring during the rest of the trip. It was already very bright outside the window at 6 o'clock. I couldn't sleep anymore, so I got up quietly, put on my clothes, picked up my camera, and went to take pictures of the sunrise.
It was a bit cold in Bole in the early morning. I was glad that I wore a thin jacket when I went out, but it was still a bit chilly. There was no pedestrian on the road, and I didn’t know how big the city was, so I decided to go to the wetland where I had watched the sunset the day before to take pictures of the sunrise. There was a large open water area to the east, which should be suitable for taking pictures. Soon we arrived at the wetland, the blue sky was covered with clouds, and the sunrise was approaching. But an insurmountable problem was discovered, that is, the sunrise is in the north-east direction, and there are relatively tall buildings in that direction, blocking it. Later, I checked the map and found that just a short distance to the north, I left the city. There were farmlands and even low mountains where I could take sunrise photos. There were no clouds that day, so even if I walked in the right direction, the sunrise would not be very exciting.
It was still early, so I walked around the water area and returned to the hotel door at about 7:20. I met the two friends who were traveling with me and walked out of the door. They asked me how my sunrise photography was, and I told me about my regrets. They invited me to walk east together. There were lush trees on both sides of Delhi Street, and there were low houses not far away. After walking for a while, I said I hadn't washed my face yet and wanted to go back to the room. The two said in unison, men, it's okay to be rough. So we continued forward, and there were quite a few houses being built on both sides of the street, but they were only a row facing the street and disappeared as we went inward. After passing three blocks, we came to a mosque. The clouds had completely disappeared. I saw that it was almost time to eat, so I walked back.

After dinner, Xiaoxia helped us put our luggage neatly into the car, and the day's trip officially began. The main attractions today (June 24th) are Sailimu Lake and the lavender manor in Huocheng. We will stay in Yining for the night. In addition, we hope to go to Horgos at our own expense, and Xiaoxia happily agreed.
Yesterday, on the Bole Expressway, I felt that the low mountains on both sides were quite beautiful, and I kept taking pictures. Now that I have come out, I don’t feel so good. Maybe I know what it is like, and I lack it. Novelty. There is no toll on the expressway to Sailimu for a short distance. The roads on both sides are relatively desolate, the grass is not high, just a little bit close to the ground, and there are continuous wind turbines. This can be regarded as another way to make the best use of everything.
The car was speeding on the highway, and gradually some snow-capped mountains appeared in our field of vision. We were about to reach Sailimu Lake. The weather was sunny and unusual, with only a few white clouds on the horizon.

Sailimu Lake is called "Sailimunaoer" in Mongolian, meaning "the lake on the ridge". It is located at the northern foot of the West Tianshan Mountains, the southwest end of the Junggar Basin, the southwest end of the Xinjiang Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, and 520 kilometers east of Urumqi. , 160 kilometers south of Yining City, the capital of Yili Prefecture, and 86 kilometers away from Horgos Port. Sailimu Lake has many names. In ancient times, it was called "Western Pure Sea". "Sailimu" means blessing in Kazakh and "peace" in Turkic . Because the Ore Tubomu Military Platform (i.e. Santai) was built on the east bank of the lake in the Qing Dynasty, the locals called Sailimu Lake Santai Haizi. Legend has it that Sailimu Lake was formed by the tears of a pair of young lovers who died for love, so it is also called Tianchi and Ruhai.

The bank of Sailimu Lake has been an excellent summer pasture since ancient times. Ancient ethnic groups such as Sezhong, Yueshi, Wusun, Yueban, and Turks all used to nomadically hunt and thrive here. Since the Tang Dynasty, this place has become the only place where the Silk Road in the northern grasslands must pass. For thousands of years, the shores of Sailimu Lake have been imprinted with the footprints and records of many immigrants from all over the world, both ancient and modern. Sailimu Lake is a graben-style intermountain fault basin formed by the combined action of Himalayan orogeny and Quaternary glaciers. It is formed by the collection of 26 mountain springs and more than 20 seasonal mountain streams in the basin. Alpine lakes and grasslands with the natural ecological landscape of lakes, wetlands, grasslands, forests, and snow-capped mountains as the main features, and the main activities include sightseeing, ecological leisure, historical and cultural exploration of the northern part of the ancient Silk Road, and the experience of ethnic minorities such as Mongolia and Kazakhstan. It is a national-level scenic spot with a total area of ​​1301.4 square kilometers. The lake has an altitude of 2073 meters, a water area of ​​about 458 square kilometers, a length of 29.6 kilometers from east to west, and a width of 25.7 kilometers from north to south. The water transparency reaches 10-12 meters, and the water depth is 92 meters. Sailimu Lake integrates mountains, glaciers, forests, grasslands, green lakes and rare birds. It is majestic, strange, quiet, beautiful and open. It is the highest mountain lake with the largest area in Xinjiang and enjoys the reputation of "coming from the west". It is known as a strange place and a spiritual soil outside the world. The lake was frozen in late December, with ice thickness of 1 to 2 meters, and thawed in May of the following year.

In addition to the spectacular scenery of Sailimu Lake, the surrounding mountains are far and near, high and low, severe, beautiful...all with different characteristics.

Sailimu Lake Hunan District is located on the northern slope of Koguqin Mountain, starting from the southwest bank of Sailimu Lake in the north , in the south by the Keguqin Ridge and Huocheng County, and in the east by Wuyi Highway borders Hudong District. Kogurqin is a Kazakh language, meaning "emerald green" or "dark blue". The spruce trees in the continuous peaks and ridges are dense and tall. "The towering pines are as straight as a straight pipe. The forest is more than a hundred feet long, and thousands of trees are leaning on each other." Yu Cangcang" (Qiu Chuji's words). The blue sky and white clouds in the distance, the spruce forest nearby reaching the lakeside, the mountains, forests, grasslands and lakes merge into one, the scenery is deep and quiet , over the pine trees, you will find Guozigou .
Sailimu Lake West District starts from the north-south lakeshore of Sailimu Lake and its northward extension in the east, and borders the ridgeline of Chahanwusu Mountain and Hot Spring and Huocheng counties in the west. It is the largest of the four scenic spots on land in Sailimu Lake Scenic Area, with the most undulating terrain, the richest landform types and vertical belt spectrum, and the richest grassland folk customs. Chahan Wuxun Mountain stands majestically at the northwest border of this region. It has high mountains and steep slopes, with alternating ridges and valleys, and a large height difference. The highest peak is 4165m. There are a small number of permanent snow-covered glaciers above 3600m. There are hot springs north of the ridge line, and there are a large number of glaciers distributed in the two counties of Huocheng. In midsummer, the snow is white and the silver light shines. The top of Chahanwusu Mountain faces the moist airflow coming from the west. It is surrounded by clouds and mist all year round, with rain and snow. It is the main source of clouds and mist in Sailimu Lake. Sailimu Lake West Lakeside Grassland (Xihai Grassland) is one of the largest summer pastures in Xinjiang. On the plain, there are luxuriant pastures, tents dotted with tents, cattle and sheep everywhere, herds of camels and horses, and there are black, white, brown, variegated and other colors on the hillsides and valleys. Thousands of cattle surged, and the endless green fields carried tens of millions of white sheep feeding.
Hubei District is a narrow strip extending from east to west, located in the north of Sailimu Lake. It is bounded by the ridgeline of Gangjige Mountain in the north and Wenquan County, in the south by the northeast and northwest banks of Sailimu Lake, and by Wuyi Highway and Chagan Gol Valley in the east and west of Sailimu Lake, respectively, with Hudong District and Huxi District. demarcation. This area not only has a large number of historical sites and cultural landscapes such as Wusun Ancient Tomb, Sailimu Lake Alpine Water Diversion Project, Genghis Khan’s Dianjiang Platform, and ancient tombs, but what is even more valuable is that it contains and records relevant information about the depths of the Tianshan Mountains. There are a lot of scientific secrets and information about the changes in the earth's crust, the origin of Sailimu Lake and the rise and fall of the lake water, the advancement and retreat of Quaternary glaciers, and the evolution of the ancient and modern environments, which have great scientific research and tourism value. In addition, there are ancient rock paintings, Obo and other places of interest.
Husumuqige Mountain on the east coast of Sai Lake is a tall mountain with symmetrical slopes and extremely rich landscapes. The main peak is 3,596 meters tall and is covered with snow all year round. Looking east across the Sai Lake from the Haixi Prairie, you can see that the mountain is in a very regular cone shape. The peaks are straight into the sky, and the top of the mountain is surrounded by white clouds. It resembles the dignified and beautiful Japan's Futu Mountain, forming the "Fuji East View" among the ten scenic spots of Sai Lake. "One scene. This view is a distant view, with a panoramic view of the lakes and mountains of Sai Lake, giving people a sense of a "thousands of miles across the sky" and a "broad sea and sky".

At about 10:20, we arrived at the Sailimu Lake Tourist Service Area. The service area is located in the southeast corner of the lake, nestled next to the national highway, and the transportation is very convenient. The parking lot in the service area was empty, which surprised Xiaoxia because there were so many tourists on weekdays that parking was difficult. We are very happy about this situation. If there are fewer tourists, we will have more fun.
Xiaoxia helped us get tickets for the scenic spot and Jingjiao bus, took us to the entrance of the scenic spot, and made an appointment with us. He would wait for us at the south gate at about 2 p.m., and he would also use the time to wait for us in the car. Get some sleep. The temperature was a bit low, and many staff members were wearing military coats.
The Jingjiao bus is a bus with more than 40 people. We were the first people to get on the bus . There were no other tourists behind us for a while. The driver is a tall woman in her forties. Her appearance is not Han, maybe Mongolian, or Kazakh. She is smartly dressed and speaks good Chinese. She may be a leader. She told us that it is 90 kilometers to circle the lake. The Jingjiao bus goes around the north side of the lake and 45 kilometers to the south gate. It takes 2 hours to travel. Depending on the schedule, it needs to run 2-3 times a day. The last return bus from the south gate was past 10 pm. There were so many tourists and we were very tired. She told us that the Jingjiao Bus uses a pass. You can get on the bus with your ticket, get off at the scenic spots, and roam freely. After that, you can take any bus in the same direction to the next scenic spot. When returning from the south gate, you will not stop along the road and go back directly. East gate.

Soon, a large group of people came. Not only was our car full, but two other cars were also used. The tourists come from all over the world. Judging from the tone of their voices, there is a small group of about ten people from Shanghai and Zhejiang. To be honest, I don’t like the company of Shanghai tourists. They are too selfish and self-righteous. They chatter all the way. Not keeping time. The driver got on the bus and informed everyone that the car-following system was adopted. When a car arrived, people went to play and came back at the same time. Then they all returned to the car and went to the next attraction.
The first scenic spot is "Moon Bay", which is only a few hundred meters away from the parking lot. We waited for the bus long enough to walk here. There is a row of mushroom-shaped grass pavilions on the shore. With the blue sky, white clouds (the cloud cover has increased at this time), the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the lake nearby, they look very elegant. I rushed to the front and walked along. While holding the camera, I finally left one or two "clean" photos. I changed to a better angle and was about to press the shutter when a man in his fifties or sixties with a camera and tripod on his shoulder walked directly into the camera, then stood three or two meters away from me and turned around. Come on, speaking in Shanghai dialect, I said loudly to the three or two ladies far behind, "What a scene..." I had to walk quickly in front of him and recompose the photo. After taking the photo, he was still there. He didn't move, and he didn't even realize that he was hindering others, but he didn't gain any benefits. We met this situation again at the end of our journey on the Duku Highway. We still didn't get any benefits for ourselves but were harming others. Our accent was still from Shanghai. I was really speechless.
The lakeshore is very wide. With just a few tourists, they can freely choose the scene to take pictures. I chose a few lenses according to my own habits. The water in the lake is so clear that if it weren't for the slight waves, it would have been empty. Looking at the snow-capped mountains in the distance, they are in sharp contrast with the blue sky and blue sea. The color of the lake in the distance is indigo, and the sky is light blue... Looking into the distance, I feel relaxed and happy.

I got back to the bus about 2 minutes early, and there were already three or five tourists on the bus. After 5 minutes, none of the people with Shanghai accents had gotten on the bus yet. After 10 minutes, they still hadn't arrived. Although they were late, they all had good reasons and were very arrogant, without any sense of guilt. After getting on the bus, I found that some people hadn't arrived yet, and immediately started to blame those people for not getting on the bus. The man with the camera finally got on the bus, and was scolded by the woman with the same accent. Then he called the two "showy" women who were still behind and asked them to get back on the bus, but they were still swaying, which aroused dissatisfaction in the whole car, and there were accusations everywhere. I just watched the show.
The next attraction was a sea of flowers. I forgot the name of the attraction, it seemed to be X Flower Terrace. The driver once again emphasized the importance of observing time and allowed us 10 minutes more time than usual. He also said that we didn’t have to visit every attraction, but just a few major ones and spend more time at each. No one had any objection to this.
There are large patches of purple flowers on the grass, and a stone block more than ten meters high stands on the waterside, like a sail. The lake is azure blue, the sky is clear, there are many white clouds, and the distant mountains are dark blue, with snow-capped mountains on the top. The waves gently lap against the lake shore. At this moment, you don't need to think about anything. You can just enjoy the beauty in front of you like a fool.

The sun is very hot, making you want to find a shade place to hide, but there are only low flowers and plants here, so there is no way to hide. The temperature is not high, and there are still some tourists wearing thin down. Beautiful women and handsome men were happily taking photos and photos among the flowers and on the waterfront, completely ignoring the exposure to the sun and the low temperature.
I was walking by the lake, looking at the distant mountains and the lake. The lake was so far-reaching that I didn’t know whether it was melting into the blue sky or the distant mountains. It was so far-reaching that it seemed that there was no need to distinguish which mountains were which. It's the sky, not the water.
I returned to the car 2 minutes early, and my companion sat on the seat before me. However, those people with Shanghai accents were 15 minutes late, so they all asked the driver to dump them and let them take other cars. The driver reassured everyone that it was not easy to go out to play, so we should be considerate of each other.

The Jingjiao bus moved forward again, and several cars that started slightly later than us had already arrived in front of us. The driver once again reminded those people to be on time, and his tone was no longer so polite. The car drove all the way to Dianjiangtai. On the way, we saw a long waterfront plank road and a large high mound. In the middle there were shallow water beaches, Wusun Mound Tomb, Film and Television City and other attractions. I felt It was the driver who had no choice but to push away. Every time these friends with Shanghai accents lowered the quality of the tour for themselves and all the tourists in the car. The boarding time for the stage was exactly the time when the large-scale dance started. The stage was on the lakeshore below the road. When the time came, I simply took a short video from a distance and got on the bus. This time, everyone finally arrived on time. Just as the driver was saying, let’s set off, a Shanghainese accent suddenly asked, “Where is the toilet?” Everyone in the car was completely speechless, and the driver had no choice but to let him go, which was delayed for another three or two minutes. The driver told everyone the location of the toilet when he stopped, and there was a big sign. Everyone was really convinced.
Our seat was on the lake side. The driver told us when we first got on the bus. After leaving the visitor center, the spruce trees on the hillside on the other side of the car are endless, piercing straight into the blue sky, which is very majestic. After turning to the west bank, the spruce trees retreated significantly, forming a large pasture, where the Naadam Conference was held. The west shore of Sailimu Lake is low-lying, with contiguous swamps and numerous lake branches, making it a habitat for swans, gray cranes, red shelducks and other birds. This is a good place to watch the "swans enjoying water" in Sailimu Lake. Unfortunately, I didn't see a single swan.
In 1219, Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongolian people in Mobei, led his army to the west. They crossed the Altai Mountains, passed through Buxel and Emin, and ended up at Alakuri Lake in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Then they went south and crossed Alatau Pass reached "Buzi" City (today's Bole City), and the fruit channel was opened. At that time, Genghis Khan commanded an army of 200,000, drank from Masetkul Lake (today's Sailimu Lake), built a platform to point generals, inspected the Mongolian cavalry, and then crossed the Tianshan Mountains from Songshutou, marched westward to Ili, and then occupied the entire Central Asia. On the west bank of Limu Lake, there remains the Genghis Khan's General Commanding Platform with a history of more than 700 years. It has been worshiped by the Mongolian people for more than 700 years. When you climb up to the Dianjiang Platform, you can still feel the majestic momentum of Zuihe Jinjia Dance, thundering mountains and rivers, and gold-armed and iron horses leaping over the Tianshan Mountains. Now, it is a place for tourists to play and entertain.

At about 12:50, the bus arrived at the end of the tour - Keleyongzhu. The south gate is not far ahead and can be reached on foot. This is a lake bay. There are many mountain springs exposed in the lake bay. The spring water gurgls out from the gravel layer of the lakeside like a string of pearls, jumping happily on the colorful pebble lake bed, shining like pearls. "Kele" means "all springs" in Kazakh language. There are two symmetrical sand spits with soft and graceful lines at the mouth of Kele Bay guarding the bay. The water outside the bay is as green as dye, and the water inside the bay is rippled. The spring water is sweet and sweet, and is also known as "Kirkeldike Spring".
There are wide grasslands on both sides of the road. There are not many tourists. There are only a few dozen people on the lakeside plank road that stretches hundreds of meters. We can fully experience this beautiful scenery. I walked quickly to the lake, and the two ladies walked slowly behind.
I was the only one on the plank road going east by the lake. Across the vast Sailimu Lake, I looked eastward at Husumuqige Mountain. The peaks were wrapped in rising white clouds, which looked like galloping horses and huge clouds. Hammer, and like naughty children playing, very wild. People say that here you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Husumu Qige Mountain "Fuji East Stand", and you can also see and feel the ancient water outlet of Sailimu Lake disappearing on the horizon, that kind of "thousands of miles across the sky" ", the vast beauty of the "broad sea and sky" can't be seen now. In fact, I haven't figured out the names of these mountains and waters. I only know that they are horizontal.

In the grassland outside the plank road, there are mountain springs exposed in many places. The springs gush out from the gravel layer of the lakeside like strings of pearls. The grassland is a bit like a swamp. The wild flowers on the green grass were very eye-catching. The two ladies finally found a grassland that was not a swamp and enjoyed the beautiful scenery there.

After lingering for about an hour, the two ladies finally walked to the south gate of the scenic spot with satisfaction. Xiaoxia had already been waiting for us at the gate.
Outside the gate, there is also a beautiful scenery - golden flowers and purple flowers, the grassland on the southwest shore of Saihu Lake, which is the pasture of herdsmen, in spring, here there are luxuriant grasses and a field of flowers. The main colors are yellow and purple, hence the name "Golden Flowers and Purple Flowers". There is a double-layer barbed wire fence separating it from the road, but there are several passages to enter. There are several rocks and protruding promontories here, which are more suitable for wedding photos than the scenic spots in the scenic area. When we left, there were several couples taking photos there .

Legend has it that a long time ago there was a Mongolian shepherd girl Qida, who was born like a beautiful flower on the grassland, and fell in love with a young man herding horses on the grassland, Xuedike. He didn't want Qida's beauty to be known to the lustful devil, so he used violence to snatch Qida into the palace and make her his princess. Qida refused to give in, so she found an opportunity to escape from the palace with the help of kind-hearted palace servants, and went over the mountains and ridges to find her sweetheart, Xuedek. The devil came after him on horseback, but Xuedek was hiding on the road. Shooting the devil to death with one arrow, he quickly turned back to find Qida. Qida thought that the person who came to see her was the devil, so she jumped into Sailimu Lake. After Xuedike killed the Demon King, he also jumped into the water. The two became two evergreen islands, nestled in the center of Sailimu Lake. People call the island Lover's Island.