In your life, you must take the green Gansu Ring Road once.

In your life, you must take the green Gansu Ring Road once.

In my lifetime, I must go to the northwest and take a big loop. The big loop I'm talking about is the Qinggan big loop. Why do you say that? The beautiful scenery that looks very different all the way, all ancient, all gathered on this route. Gobi, desert, mountains, lakes, grottoes, Ya Dan, Danxia, no man's land, salt lakes, grasslands, flowers, temples, snow-capped mountains, etc. The Great Ring Road spans Qinghai and Gansu provinces, with a total length of more than 2,650 kilometers.

It's been some time since I came back from Qinggan Great Ring Road. I still want to write something, especially some small details on the road. The only way to keep this good memory is to move my pen. Actually, think about it. Life is too short, we are all passers-by. Why not slow down, let the pace of life slow down, then slow down, and record some happy times and beauty?

If you like my travel notes, please pay attention, thank you! )

The first day (June 28th, 2020): Xining-Sun Moon Mountain-Qinghai Lake-Chaka Salt Lake-Chaka Salt Lake lived in Mongolian yurts.

On June 28th, 2020, I flew to Xining. It's cool to get off the plane, from 37 degrees in Shanghai to Xining 18 degrees. God, it's so comfortable. I have to cover myself at night. The driver who picked us up said that hotels in Xining are not equipped with air conditioning, and summer is "worthy of the name".

The road from the airport to the city runs through the valley, and the mountains on both sides of the road are bare. In fact, the mountain is green, but for people living in the south of the Yangtze River, it still looks bare and barren.

However, I didn't think about the trip for the next few days before I really knew what desolation was and what it was like to be barren. The hotel had a rest and couldn't wait to find something to eat.

Mojia Street is an old food street. When we went, influenced by COVID-19, many of them didn't open the door, but they ate a lot around them. The most famous restaurant is Ma Zhong Hotel, which has many varieties, such as roast mutton, sheep neck, narrow noodles of narrow intestines, mutton offal, yogurt, stuffing skin and fried bean jelly. Even if you are picky, there will always be something to suit your taste.

Xining has a unique flavor of food, especially ethnic dishes and local snacks. The most famous is stuffed skin, which is soft, smooth and sour, appetizing and refreshing. In fact, many people think that it is a special snack in Shaanxi, but they don't know that the rolling dough in Xining has its own unique production technology and flavor. I checked the information. Niangpi is a unique pasta. The method is simple but very particular. Mix a certain amount of alkaline flour into wheat flour and make it into hard dough with warm water. After several times of kneading, the dough is fine and smooth, and then it is continuously kneaded in cold water to wash off the starch until the dough becomes a honeycomb soft gel. This kind of dough is called gluten. After the remaining batter is precipitated by water, pour it out and shovel the precipitated batter.

Skinny master said that hand-grabbed mutton and braised mutton and sheep are also representative flavor foods in Xining. Hand-selected lamb ribs, such as white strips, are stir-fried White-striped finger food is boiled mutton with clear water and dipped in special burnt salt. It tastes better if you eat it with garlic. As the saying goes, "Eating mutton without garlic reduces nutrition by half." Among braised mutton, mutton is the top grade. The method is to cut the mutton into 3 inches, pour it into the pot and stir fry, then add seasonings and vegetables. The entrance is not greasy. Why do you say that going out to play will make you fat? It's strange to see delicious food without getting fat. I only ordered food and stuffed skin. People in the northwest are really heavy. Unfortunately, there is no place to put many delicious foods.

A few days later, after returning to Xining, I went to Qian Xin Night Market recommended by my friends. Qian Xin Night Market is on the ground floor of a commercial building, which is very popular and crowded.

Unforgettable beef bone sauce, absolutely delicious.

There are seedlings, which are a little expensive, 20 yuan each. They are delicious.

What impressed me even more was that the Hui proprietress was very beautiful, wearing a headscarf, tall, fair-skinned, slightly fat, solemn, noble and with a decent smile, which completely echoed my imagination of beautiful women. Sorry to take pictures, it's a pity. I have observed it in the streets of Xining. Young women in Xining are generally fair-skinned, have a particularly good figure, wear beautiful headscarves of various colors and dress solemnly. Other, very expensive feeling. This left a deep impression on me.

On June 29, the big list began. Buick's business car is very comfortable, and there are four other friends. The driver is very young, and the northwest man is very shy and just got married. But I've been in this business for seven years. Unfortunately, the driver didn't talk much and lost a lot of fun.

As soon as the Qinghai-Gansu Great Ring Road was started, the scenery in the northwest was presented after passing through Huangyuan County. It's really hard to see a tree, a low grass, and take a closer look at the small holes full of groundhog rats on the hillside. The groundhog here is very small, and this guy has done great damage to the ecology. Locals used to eat it. Our driver said they often ate it, which was delicious, but there was a plague one year and no one was there.

When we arrived at Sun Moon Mountain, the scenery in this area was very shocking. Standing on the mountainside and looking into the distance, it is empty, far away and quiet, which makes people feel like they are on the horizon. As a southerner, this is how I felt when I first saw such a landform.

There is a new Princess Temple on Sun Moon Mountain, but we didn't go in. It is said that Princess * * once climbed the mountain when she married Ganbu. Looking at the top of the mountain, she felt sad when she was far away from home. She couldn't help but take out the "Sun Moon Treasure Mirror" sent by the Queen when she left, and the charming scenery of Chang 'an suddenly appeared in the mirror. The princess was sad and happy. She accidentally broke the "Mirror of the Sun and Moon" in half and landed on two hills. The east of the mirror faces west, reflecting the afterglow of the sunset, and the west faces east, according to the rising moonlight, hence the name Sun Moon Mountain.

After leaving Sun Moon Mountain, we walked west along the national highway 109 for another three hours. Far, far ahead, we saw a dark blue wall, like a wall. On the distant horizon, the driver didn't introduce us, and we suddenly realized. Isn't this Qinghai Lake? Everyone in the car cheered.

In the distance of sight, a dark blue wall, with no boundary and no horizon, gives people an unreal feeling. We are so lucky, the weather is clear, there are large golden rape flowers by the lake, and the yellow flower sea is matched with the blue lake water connected with Tianshui, and the scenery is beautiful.

Qinghai Lake, also known as Cuowumbu and Bihai in Tibetan, is the largest inland lake in China and the largest saltwater lake in China. Qinghai Lake is located in the plateau, and the average daily temperature in July and August is only about 15 degrees. At this time, Qinghai Lake is the most beautiful, wild flowers and rape flowers are in full bloom on the alpine pasture, and countless cattle and sheep are fat and strong. A well-deserved summer resort. The annual cycling race around the lake is also held at this time.

Qinghai Lake, an unforgettable lake, is in front of us. We can't wait to go to the lake. It's weird. It looks very close, but it's still far away. Isn't there a saying? Watching the mountain run to death means that the mountain looks very close, but all the horses have run to death and haven't reached the foot of the mountain yet.

But when I arrived at the lake, I was not shocked, which I never expected. Please remember my friend, from a distance, Qinghai Lake is the most beautiful.

Reluctantly, I left Qinghai Lake and had lunch in the Reflection River, which is actually a post station, all of which are restaurants. We went to a restaurant to cook Sichuan food, which was a bit expensive. The boss is from Sichuan, and his wife is local, with beautiful facial features. She is about 30 years old, but her face is wrinkled, which is related to the windy and dusty weather on the plateau. At first, she said that Cordyceps sinensis belongs to their best quality here. In the mature season, she will dig Cordyceps every day and earn about 500 yuan every day. The tourist season is only a few months. In fact, people who work hard here are, after all, plateaus where life is very inconvenient and living materials are scarce. It's really not easy, they will pay more.

The next stop, Chaka Salt Lake, was named as "one of the 55 places that life must visit" by National Tourism Geography magazine, and it has the reputation of "the land of the sky". Chaka Salt Lake is a natural crystalline salt lake in the Qaidam Basin, and its salt yield can be used by the people all over the country for about 70 years. There are many salt sculptures in the scenic area to watch, and you can also take a small train to visit the depths of the salt lake. Visitors can walk barefoot to the lake, watch and photograph their reflections. If they are lucky, they can see the mirage formed on these rivers during the day. We didn't see it.

In this scenic spot, special attention should be paid to sun protection. I observed groups of little girls, dressed in bright clothes, tossing back and forth, tirelessly taking beautiful photos, peeling off their arms layer by layer and soaking their feet in salt.

In my opinion, Chaka Salt Lake is a very famous scenic spot. I don't have a particularly deep feeling for the sky. Go to the west to play, in fact, the scenery is on the road I can't see a tree or an animal for days, and I can't see green plants for hours. This is the scenery in my heart.

Living at night is a little special, yurts, and it rained a little at night. It was 37 degrees when I came out of Shanghai, and the temperature of tea and salt was 15 degrees, which was simply a roller coaster ride. Unfortunately, I didn't go to Delingha. Delinghai poet Haizi passed by several times. And wrote the famous poem "Sister, I am in Delingha tonight", which is a must for many young people to enter Qinghai. Maybe next time.

The next day (2020070 1): Dachaidan-Ghost Town-Dunhuang-lived in Dunhuang.

I am looking forward to Da Chaidan. First of all, I think the name is interesting. In the vast desert, there is such a small town. The administrative area is called Hangwei, a county-level unit with a permanent population of more than 8,000. Dachaidan has a large area, but 99% of the population in the whole area live in this town and chat with local people. Many people here have bought houses in Xining and will live in Xining after retirement. Although Dachaidan town is small, there are more than 8,000 hotel beds, and it is hard to find a room in the peak season. This shows how hot the peak season is. Several broad avenues are lined with tall trees, which is unimaginable in the desert. Shulin Road has a special water irrigation system. Take care of it every day.

I found that the small towns in the west are very neat and well planned, which is inseparable from the assistance policies of the state and local governments. Standing on the edge of the town, there are beautiful roads in the town on one side and endless deserts on the other, and it feels wonderful.

In the afternoon, I visited the Emerald Lake in Dachaidan, which is still a virgin land with undeveloped original scenery. From time to time, I met cattle and sheep crossing the road to the pasture. After all, this is their territory. We are passers-by Don't honk your horn when you meet cattle and sheep, wait for an opportunity to pass, or you will be easily frightened. The consequences will be very troublesome)

This is actually a salt mine site of an enterprise, because the lake is rich in boron, lithium, salt, potassium fertilizer, mirabilite and other elements, which makes the lake appear green, sapphire blue and amber yellow, and the color will be different in different periods. It's beautiful from high altitude. Not many people come to play and tickets are confiscated. The weather in July is a little cold. Ya Dan needed an extra day of water travel, but we didn't go.

The next stop is the ghost town of Ya Dan, Qinghai, where the Ya Dan landform is one of the top ten Ya Dan landforms in the world and a paradise for photographers. Due to the peculiar terrain, mysterious wind in Changsheng City, rich iron in local rocks and strong geomagnetic field, it is easy to make the compass fail. It is called "ghost town" and "the place most like Mars on earth". The mountain is not high, and the most overestimated is 100 meters.

Standing on one of the hilltops and looking out, it was very shocking. At first glance, there is no trace of life in the endless yellow land. I can't even find a grass. When all is silent, it seems very ethereal and mysterious. This is really a magical place, and such a harsh environment has a very special shocking beauty. The driver said that if you go further inside, you will soon get lost, and even the locals can't come out alive. By the way, there are few toilets along this road, and some are dry toilets. Be prepared.

After the U-shaped highway in Dachaidan and the place where network celebrities punch in, there are Gobi, desert and Ya Dan no man's land on both sides. You should be very careful when taking pictures in this place. Too fast. The photos taken here on the internet are beautiful, and we can't get that effect.

The next trip to Dunhuang, from Dachaidan to Aksai, was almost deserted. There was no grass for a while, but something strange happened. Less than five seconds after getting off the bus, the driver was bitten by a large group of mosquitoes and had several big bags on his head. The driver said he had never seen it. Mosquitoes in the desert hate the driver Don. We want to know how mosquitoes survive without water.

After entering the territory of Gansu, the ecology is slightly better, and it passes through the mountains. The oil city has arrived.

Aksai, an important oil town, was once the county seat of Aksai, but it has been abandoned. This scenic spot has been charged now, but it is very informal and poorly managed. It is very novel. "Decisive Battle Behind the West Wind" was filmed here, and there were bullet holes shot by Wu Zhenyu on the stairs on the second floor of the government building. I don't find it interesting. Continue to Dunhuang, and beautiful deserts begin to appear along the way. Later, I copied it badly on the internet. I went to the toilet and drove to the expensive trailer. This is what I said.

In the evening, I arrived at the famous city-Dunhuang.

Day 3 (202007020): Dunhuang-Mogao Grottoes-Mingsha Mountain-Living in Dunhuang.

Dunhuang is a city where Chinese and western cultures meet. The two scenic spots are so famous. Early in the morning, we went directly to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center. As the Mogao Grottoes are world-famous artistic treasures, tickets for the Mogao Grottoes must be reserved. We booked a first-class ticket of 238 yuan/adult. Including digital movies, 8 holes and tour buses. You need to make an appointment when making an appointment, and you can't be admitted to the hospital after making an appointment. The first of the two films in the Digital Cinema is about the history of the Mogao Grottoes, and the second is in the Ballscreen Cinema. When watching the second movie, be sure to sit in the back row in order to see the whole movie to the maximum. After watching the movie, you can take a tour bus to visit the Mogao Grottoes, with a guide and a pair of headphones to explain the whole process.

Known as the "Oriental Louvre", the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Cave, have artistic treasures that have been handed down for thousands of years. Those carefully carved Buddha statues and carefully painted murals are precious gifts left to us and the world by craftsmen of all ages. The Mogao Grottoes is a classic that can't be missed during the trip to the northwest.

The Buddha statue in the cave is very beautiful, and the cassock sits on the lotus platform, and the folds of the cassock covered on the lotus platform are clearly visible. The paintings on the murals are very shocking, as if they were in 1000 years ago. Most murals depict the Buddhist world and some Buddhist allusions. I am not a Buddhist and don't comment on stories, but murals give people a sense of art, exquisiteness and transcendence of time and space. In particular, the works of each dynasty and period have their own style of painting, which cannot be described in words. We can only sigh the artistic creativity of the craftsmen in the past. The murals in caves are all pigments and colors made of precious stones and metals. After thousands of years, it is still colorful. Photographing is not allowed in the cultural relics protection cave. The experience of this scenic spot is very good and the tickets are worth it.

In the afternoon, we went to Yue Quan in Mingsha Mountain and climbed Mingsha Mountain. The normal way to play is to climb to the top along the sand ladder made in the scenic spot. We didn't follow the sand ladder as usual and began to climb with both hands and feet. At first, we felt very tired, but after climbing a third, we felt exhausted. The slope was too steep to watch and have a rest. Climbing and crawling found that climbing sideways would be very labor-saving, and slowly climbed to the top, and the whole person collapsed directly on the beach.

To tell the truth, the lyrics of Tian Zhen's Crescent Moon Spring are wonderful: the mirror of the sky, the eyes of the desert, and the paradise where the stars bathe. Standing on the top of Mingsha Mountain overlooking the Crescent Moon Spring, the sunset glow is sprinkled on the sand mountain, showing a brilliant golden color. After a short rest, the beautiful scenery in front of you is still dazzling, especially when standing on a high place, which makes people feel deeply touched and full of thoughts. In fact, it is not very difficult. Nature is so magical, and our life is so beautiful and completely relaxed. In fact,

Tian Zhen's songs have been lingering in my ears, as if bringing people into a dreamlike dream, and hope has been in the dream!

The night market in Dunhuang has to be boasted that it is not only large in scale, but also clean and well managed. There is so much delicious food that I can't help it. My stomach won't allow it. I can only hang up the ophthalmology department, only blaming us for staying too short.

The fourth day (20200703)- Dunhuang-Passing through Guazhou-Zhangye-Colorful Danxia-Living in Zhangye

After leaving Dunhuang, the road was full of desert, and we only stopped in Guazhou service area for a short time. Guazhou is famous for its sweet and delicious melons and fruits. We tasted a big circle for free, full of praise and satisfied.

After the Jiayuguan Great Wall, we didn't go in to visit. Go directly to Danxia Town, Zhangye.

In the afternoon, I arrived at the seven-color Danxia, the most famous scenic spot in Zhangye, and was selected as "one of the seven most beautiful Danxia in China" by chinese national geography. Piled up like a mountain, covered with colorful ribbons layer by layer, just like the palette that God dropped on earth.

Although it is controversial whether Zhang Ye's Danxia is "Danxia" or "Colorful Mountain", the reputation of the scenery is still not controversial. The expressway from downtown to the scenic spot is being renovated. I think Zhangye's scenic spot construction is very successful, much better than I expected (I saw a lot of negative information on the Internet before).

Standing on different slopes and looking out, Danxia stripes really look like neat jets on the plane. The huge color changes on the hillside alternate with parallel lines, changing the depth under the sunlight. I was deeply moved. Facing this touching beauty, I know it will be difficult to meet again without it.

Day 5 (20200704) Zhangye-Qilian Mountain-Menyuan-Xining

In Zhangye, the charm of Jiangnan was slowly formed. Trees are everywhere, and large areas of farmland are full of vitality. But it can't surprise me anymore, because the scenery here is not much different from that in our south. Maybe it's aesthetic fatigue, and we began to doze off. But as soon as we arrived at Dabanshan in Menyuan, our hearts began to bloom again, and our eyes were full of surprises.

Standing on the observation deck of the magnificent Grand Canyon, a large area of blooming rape fields, empty valleys, flowing clouds under the light and shadow of the sun, sometimes dark and sometimes bright, distant hazy villages, and cattle and sheep scattered everywhere in the valleys, I can't describe the beautiful scenery in front of me in words, and the beautiful plateau pasture customs shocked us again!

In the evening, I returned to Xining.

The Qinghai-Tibet Great Ring Road ended perfectly and the harvest was full.

The Great Qinghai-Tibet Ring Road, this road, towering snow-capped mountains, grasslands of Liao Dynasty, golden temples, colorful lakes, vast Gobi, deserted no-man's land, colorful Danxia and beautiful cave paintings are all unique symbols and memories of this place. I travel in the middle of the night, get wet in the sun, climb over sand dunes in the afterglow of sunset, and look up at the bright starry sky in the vast desert.

The beautiful scenery enjoyed along the way, whether it is the distant snow-capped mountains, lakes, Gobi and deserts-or camels on the roadside, or the lovely northwest people you met, all met inadvertently. Grateful to the northwest, grateful for the most beautiful meeting.

Qinghai-Tibet Great Ring Road, an unforgettable trip!

If you like my travel notes, please pay attention, thank you! )