Genghis History Qinghai-Gansu Circular Travel Notes

Because of the support and encouragement from netizens, I decided to share all the beautiful scenery I have visited in recent years.

In the midsummer of 2020, high temperature weather continues in most parts of the country. In this season, the most beautiful scenery and the most suitable climate are in the northwest region of the motherland. The current Xinjiang epidemic situation presents a high-risk situation (2020), and severe Control foreigners from visiting. Only Qinghai and Gansu are the most suitable places to travel in midsummer.

On July 25, I drove my car with my wife and set off. The first stop was Min County, Gansu Province. It rained lightly along the way, the temperature was cool, and we were silent all the way. We arrived safely at the Wanguo Hotel in Min County. Traveled 641 kilometers in a single day. There are many Shaanxi motorcycles parked at the Wanguo Hotel in Minxian. Motorcyclists have a lot of fun traveling by car. I think Genghis Khan also had a lot of fun riding a horse.

The destination on the 26th is the Rapeseed Flower Scenic Spot in Menyuan County. Menyuan Rapeseed Flower is a well-known place for Internet celebrities to check in. It is the largest rapeseed flower base in China, covering an area of ??hundreds of thousands of acres. The golden rapeseed flowers all over the mountains and plains along the provincial road are very beautiful and spectacular. There are many gardens on the roadside that are enclosed by local herdsmen for a fee. If you want to enter the garden and take photos, you have to pay a fee. You don’t have to pay to stand on the roadside. I can take pictures, but I don’t have the feeling of being among flowers. It is 606 kilometers from Min County in Gansu Province to Menyuan County in Qinghai Province. After filling up the tank, it can still run 440 kilometers with remaining fuel. The fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 6.5 liters and half a tank of fuel is left. This old guy is going to be a monster. According to the current oil price, it is only 0.39 yuan per kilometer.

The second stop is Zhangye Danxia Landform Scenic Area. Danxia Scenic Area is located in Danxia Town, Linze County, Zhangye City. The most beautiful time to watch Danxia is at sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening, when the sun slants. The sun shines on the mountains in the scenic area, showing colorful colors. It is really a paint board that God has knocked over. Danxia Scenic Area has very standardized entry and exit routes and tour methods. The ticket fee includes the transportation within the scenic area. The cost is 73 yuan per person. Compared with the ticket fee of more than 300 yuan in some domestic scenic spots, this is a really reasonable price.

The third stop is Dachaidan Emerald Lake. Compared with the reputation of Chaka Salt Lake, Dachaidan Emerald Lake is not well-known, but the advantage of Emerald Lake is that the scenic area is much larger and there are many more salt lakes. There is no embarrassment of crowded tourists taking photos, and the Emerald Lake has not been developed on a large scale, and there is no charge. Another advantage is that you can drive to the lake by yourself. It is not to mention how beautiful it is to take a photo of your car with the Salt Lake, but it is currently It is estimated that there will be a fee for building the gate of the scenic spot soon, and it is hard to say whether the car can be driven to the lake. After all, if the fee is charged, management will be standardized. It was cloudy that day. If it were sunny and sunny, the scenery would be more beautiful. However, it will be very hot when the sun is in the sky, so be prepared for sun protection.

The fourth stop is the famous Qinghai Lake. This scenic spot has long been famous, but it was our first time to go there. Qinghai Lake is very big and is the most famous saltwater lake in China and synonymous with the scenery of the Northwest. , the length of the national highway along the lake reaches hundreds of kilometers. On the south bank of Qinghai Lake near Xining, there are large rapeseed and lavender gardens close to the lake. Under the blue sky and white clouds, golden rapeseed flowers and purple lavender set off the deep blue lake water. , it is refreshing to see such beautiful scenery, and the fatigue of driving thousands of kilometers is gone. There are many tourists in the scenic spot, and many police officers maintain order. Whenever everyone is most relaxed, it is our police comrades who are most relaxed. Even though it's hard, fortunately the scenic area along the lake is very large and there won't be any crowds. Here you can pay a fee to take photos in the garden, or you can take photos on the roadside without paying. Many people are flying drones. There are many herdsmen here to solicit tourists to ride horses. It seems very close from the road to the lake, and it is only a short walk. It takes more than 20 minutes, and horse riding is also a wonderful experience.

I also encountered something memorable during this self-driving trip. I encountered a sandstorm on the highway from Zhangye to Dunhuang. Because it was my first time to encounter a sandstorm, I can’t comment much. The standard is amazing. When the dust is at its peak, the visibility on the road is only about 30 meters, and the wind is about level 8-9. The local cars slow down. I also slowed down at the beginning, but later I felt that the car was very stable and not affected. So I kept the speed at about 110 kilometers and was able to drive at high speeds in strong winds and sands. This was due to the stable chassis of my German SUV, good body aerodynamics, and low wind resistance coefficient, which gave me the confidence to drive at high speeds in strong winds and sands.

So far I have experienced heavy rain, blizzards, strong winds, hail, and driving in ice and snow. This time I have experienced driving in sandstorm weather. My driving experience in various weather and road conditions has been completed. It is time to go home. The eight-day, seven-night, and more than 4,300-kilometer self-driving tour of the Great Northwest ended successfully. Total expenses for 8 days and 7 nights:

Meals: 829 yuan, an average of 118 yuan per day.

Accommodation: 1523 yuan, an average of 218 yuan per day.

Fuel cost: 1864.35 yuan, 0.43 yuan per kilometer.

Toll: 1392.74 yuan, 0.32 yuan per kilometer.

Tickets: 145 yuan.

Miscellaneous expenses: 65 yuan.

Total: 5819.09 yuan. Per capita is 2,909 yuan. The daily average is 647 yuan. Daily per capita: 323 yuan.