September 26, 2022

After canceling the Ili itinerary code on September 17, we arrived in Burqin (see "Xinjiang Trip - "Raising Horses""). However, Kanas Scenic Area does not accept tourists with itinerary codes from other areas, so we have to raise Bozhou horses here. By September 21st, our Bozhou code was one day away from disappearing. When we were about to set off to the Kanas Scenic Area, traffic was suddenly restricted and the Kanas Scenic Area was also closed. Later we found out that a case was found in Qinghe County, more than 300 kilometers away from Burqin. Then we waited at the Burqin Colorful River parking lot for the Kanas Scenic Area to open. On September 23, we went to the checkpoint in Baihaba and failed once to pass. Kanas Scenic Area is close at hand but cannot be entered. We have been in Burqin for 9 days today. The weather forecast says that it will rain and snow in Kanas Scenic Area from tomorrow. Scenic area still has no sign of opening. If it rains and snows again for two more times, will all the yellow leaves still fall off? Besides, the weather in Burqin is already very cold. We decided not to wait any longer, packed up our things and prepared to leave Burqin for the Hami Sea Channel tomorrow.

At 21:57 in the evening, rider Shaanxi AJ0J42 suddenly sent back a message from the 72km checkpoint in Kanas: "You can enter at Gate 72!". We were overjoyed by this news and immediately changed our plans to enter Kanas Scenic Area tomorrow. Many thanks to rider Shaanxi AJ0J42 for sending back the news about the opening of Kanas Scenic Area as soon as possible.

Finally, the Kanas scenic spot opened, but the good weather that lasted for many days has passed. Although the weather forecast for the next few days is rainy and snowy, the weather is very bad. But we dare not wait any longer for good weather. The epidemic situation changes every day, and the scenic spot may suddenly be closed again.

72 mouths can be entered!

September 27, 2022

After arriving at Kanas Scenic Area today, I left my car at the gate of the Jiadengyu Ticket Station (self-driving is not allowed in the scenic area) and took the scenic area shuttle bus to Kanas Scenic Area in the rain. The car drove along the Kanas River, and the blue river and the yellow autumn leaves on both sides quickly passed by the car window. During the bumpy ride, we captured the dreamy, hazy light and shadow of the Kanas River through the blurred rain and fog in the car window, which marked the beginning of our trip to Kanas.

The dreamy hazy light and shadow is the prelude to our trip to Kanas

When the bus arrived at Kanas Transfer Center, it still rained. Let's find a place to stay first. Most tourists to Kanas stay in B&Bs in the old village, because the old village is only a few hundred meters away from the tourist center. On the way to the old village, you will pass the starting point monument of the new 219 National Highway. The new 219 National Highway runs from here (Hemuhanas Mongolian Township, Burqin County) to Dongxing City, Guangxi. This is the starting point of of the new National Highway 219. New Route 219 is 10,860 kilometers long. It is currently the longest national highway in China and a magnificent landscape avenue.

Monument at the starting point of the new National Highway 219

The old village is called Hanas Village, where the Mongolian Tuva people live. A main road in the village connects the transfer center to Kanas Lake. There are wooden houses on both sides of the road, a few of which are for the owners to live in, and the others have been transformed into B&Bs for tourists. These wooden B&Bs are in perfect harmony with the surrounding natural environment. The front and back of the house are surrounded by golden trees.

Primary school in Hanas village

B&B integrated into nature

Due to the epidemic, there are very few tourists. B&B prices are only a fraction of those in previous years. The price on the roadside is basically 200 yuan per room per day. The Hubinshan villa where we stayed needs to be reached through a wooden plank road. It is invisible from the roadside and the price is only 150 yuan at the port. The conditions are similar, with heating, bathrooms, and very clean. In fact, Lake Villa is in a good location, only 100 meters away from Kanas River and less than 3 kilometers away from Kanas Lake.

Lakeside Villa

corner of room

By 16:00, the rain had subsided a little, so we put on our raincoats and went out. The sky was overcast and the lighting for taking pictures was extremely poor, but it did not affect our interest at all. It's getting late today, so Shitou and I walked around the area, and tomorrow we'll take the scenic transportation bus to visit the scenic spots on the tour map.

From the back door of the small courtyard of Lakeside Villa, you can walk for two minutes to the Kanas Old Wooden Bridge over the Kanas River. The old wooden bridge spans the green Kanas River. The bridge body and piers are all made of wood, which is primitive and simple. The river flows quietly under the bridge. About 500 meters downstream of the old wooden bridge, a new cement bridge was built. The new National Highway 219 goes out from this bridge and runs into the distance.

Old Kanas wooden bridge

New Kanas Bridge

The light rain is silent, and the autumn colors are in my eyes. Not a single tourist. Red grass, yellow trees, flowing water, and dead trees are all silent beside the quiet river. There are no stunning scenery, only pure nature.

Red grass, yellow trees, flowing water and dead trees are all pure nature.

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After walking across the old wooden bridge, on the hillside on the other side of the river, a forest has shown the rich golden color of late autumn. Although this rich autumn color lacks sunshine, it still warms my heart.

The rich autumn colors warm my heart

We walked upstream along the plank road along the river. The wet wooden plank road is covered with golden fallen leaves, which makes people reluctant to step on them. The coniferous trees on the roadside have lost half of their leaves, and small raindrops are hanging on the dry branches and needles.

golden fallen leaves

There was no one on the plank road. As we walked in the rain, all we could see was the green Kanas River and the scenery on both sides of the river. Green spruce, yellow birch and metasequoia spread out along the gentle slopes on both sides of the river. They are both gorgeous in autumn and still full of vitality in summer. Although the lighting is not good, the scenery is still endless.

It has the splendor of autumn but still retains the vitality of summer

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The naturally fallen dead tree lay motionless on the rocks on the river beach. Red grass grows luxuriantly beside the dead trees, blowing out flame-like enthusiasm into the wind. The green jade-like river water flows past them, and white waves are pushed out by the stones in the river bed. Renewing the old and absorbing the new is the eternal vitality of nature.

vibrant nature

The end of the boardwalk is the starting point of the Kanas River. The source of the river is the blue Kanas Lake, from where the Kanas River meanders through the autumn forest.

Starting point of Kanas River

blue kanas lake

The Kanas River meanders through the autumn forest

Climbing up the road from the river, the rain has not stopped, and we are going to take the scenic transportation bus back to our residence in the old village. Before I even reached the station, I saw the transportation bus just leaving. Because there were so few tourists, it took a long time for the bus to come, so we stopped waiting and walked back. Food trucks in scenic spots along the roadside were lined up and all were closed. Worthy of being a 5A-level scenic spot, the star-rated public toilets are in a beautiful environment like a villa. On the roadside, the cows in the village were leisurely and carefree as if no one was around.

All food trucks in scenic spots are closed

Star-rated public toilets are located in beautiful scenery like villas

Cows relaxing on the roadside

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Back at Lakeside Villa, a flowered cow greeted us on a hillside covered with rocks.

September 28, 2022

When I woke up in the morning, I saw a beam of red morning light shining on the opposite mountain top, and morning mist rising from the valley behind the spruce trees. The morning in Kanas is so beautiful and intoxicating.

The morning in Kanas is so beautiful

The beautiful morning scene passed quickly, and it rained again. We don't care about the weather. Today we will visit the highlights of Kanas Scenic Area: Shenxian Bay, Moon Bay and Wolong Bay. As for the fish viewing platform, it was closed yesterday due to rain and snow, and there is not much hope today.

Highlights of Kanas Scenic Area

Shenxian Bay is famous for its morning fog. It rained today, so there is a high chance of fog. However, the transportation buses to the scenic area don’t leave until 9:30. By then, I’m afraid the fog will have cleared. Walking there is 5 kilometers away, which is also time-consuming and laborious. Gu Lina, the owner of the B&B, took us to the village in her car to get nucleic acid tests done, and then sent us to Shenxian Bay.

There is indeed fog in Shenxian Bay. Although it is not the iconic advection fog, it is enough to be called a fairyland. The ever-changing fog makes the river and woods ethereal. What a Shenxian Bay.

Wonderland of Sanctuary Cove

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Under the fog, the blue Kanas River turned milky blue, the sandbanks in the river lost their edges, and the layers of autumn forests were hazy. The blue of the river and the yellow of the autumn trees appear and disappear through the mist, like phantoms. The whole world became extremely gentle.
The morning mist makes the whole world become extremely gentle
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Just after putting away the drone and wiping the rain off the camera, the scenic traffic vehicle arrived. In scenic spots with few tourists, the intervals between buses are very long, and if you miss one, you have to wait for a long time. We lost no time in getting on the bus and headed to Moon Bay.
Moon Bay is a name card of Kanas Scenic Area. Among the three bays, Moon Bay is the most well-known. Visitors standing on the observation deck can see several reverse S-shaped bays formed by Kanas River here. The curved river bay makes the scenery vivid. Today, the thick fog was shrouded, and Moon Bay was shyly hidden. I held my camera and waited patiently for the river bay to emerge from the thick fog. It was really I took a few photos of Moon Bay when the fog was dispersing. It felt like a green ribbon floating in the forest, but I didn't know where the end of the ribbon would end.
Moon Bay is like a green ribbon falling in the forest
We walked from Moon Bay to Wolong Bay. You must choose a walking trail between the three bays to fully experience the charm of Kanas. We chose to walk from Moon Bay to Wolong Bay because this section is only 2.2 kilometers and is downhill, so it is not difficult.
The river surface of Wolong Bay is calm, the water flow is gentle, the water is green and clear, and there is a sandbar in the center of the bay, which looks like a giant dragon lying quietly in the water. Wolong Bay is named after it.
The sandbank is like a crouching dragon
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On both sides of the river bend, there are lush forests. Above the forest, there are mountains and mountains upon them. One source of vitality, hundreds of colors. Light and shadow interact, perfect coordination. Nothing is more beautiful than autumn, nothing more beautiful than the autumn of Wolong Bay.
Nothing is more beautiful than the autumn in Wolong Bay

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Take the scenic transportation bus from Wolong Bay directly back to Kanas Transfer Center. With the last glimmer of hope, I asked if Guanyutai was open. The answer was still that the transportation to Guanyutai was not open. I asked if I could go on foot, and a person in charge there took out her mobile phone to show me the live scene on Guanyutai Mountain. I saw snow on the mountains, rain and thick fog. Even if we could hike 9 kilometers to get there and climb the mountain, we still couldn't see anything. What's more, she said that the fish viewing platform has been closed to tourists due to bad weather. From the fish viewing platform, you can overlook the entire Kanas Lake. It seems that we can only leave one regret, which will give us another reason to come to Kanas next time.
This trip to Kanas was hard-won with twists and turns. Although it was rainy for two days in the scenic area, we were very satisfied with the beautiful scenery. Kanas on a rainy and foggy day lacks bright colors, but is a bit more dreamy.

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