When a friend asked me to travel to Xinjiang, I hesitated. Is Xinjiang really safe?

ya ke xi mu sei z

(Hello!)

re he mai t

(Thank you!)

man sei z ni ya h xi kyue le man

(I like you!)

I didn’t know much about Xinjiang before, I just knew that Xinjiang is the northwest of the motherland The stars in Xinjiang are beautiful, the fruits in Xinjiang are sweet, and the Xinjiang cuisine is famous. Recently, young people are always rushing to check in and taste the delicious food. When a friend asked me to join a group to travel to Xinjiang, I was still hesitant. Is Xinjiang safe? I heard that Xinjiang’s epidemic prevention policy is very strict, and what about tour groups? It’s definitely fun to drive by yourself!

But a friend said that it is the first time to go to Xinjiang by car. It may take about a month to travel by car and without a local guide, traveling in Xinjiang can only scratch the surface, because many places cannot be found on the map.

I actually arrived in Xinjiang on the afternoon of April 12th (a small city in the 18th tier, where the local epidemic is under control). I got off the plane and had my nucleic acid test done. I called the travel agency and learned that the pick-up staff had been there early. Waiting at the airport, holding a big sign - Xinjiang China International Travel Service.

Finding an organization in a foreign land makes me feel more at ease. When we arrived at the hotel arranged by the travel agency, we saw that the room was pretty good, a standard suite. In the car, I asked the young man who picked us up. He said that this hotel is very close to the International Grand Bazaar. If you are not tired at night, you can go shopping first. That's exactly what we mean.

When a dozen of us actually walked in the Grand Bazaar (it’s called so locally, which means market, similar to a pedestrian street), we suddenly felt that we were not in a foreign land but in a foreign country. There were too many high-rise buildings on the street. The beauties with big noses and eyes, the handsome guys, and even the vendors selling fried skewers all look like TV stars. My friend wanted to take a photo with a young man who was grilling barbecue. The young man was very shy, but of course he finally agreed to take a photo and gave us a skewer of grilled gluten.

When I really started to visit the bazaar, I found that there were not many people. Because it was not the peak tourist season, some shops were closed. The only shops that were open were already dizzying. Local traders told us that there is a magical grass in Xinjiang called Osman (probably the name). This grass can be applied on the hair to grow hair. The local ethnic minorities have been doing this since they were young, so their hair is very good. We bought a shampoo made by Osman and the lady bought an eyebrow pencil and kept using it to see the effect.

Because several friends in our group had motion sickness, we didn’t have dinner, but the size of the Bazali barbecue was really the largest I have ever seen before, and it was baked with a latte stick. Look It tastes delicious.

With the unforgettable smell of barbecue, we returned to the hotel and had a good night's sleep. We got up early in the morning (Xinjiang goes to work at 10:00 in the morning). The team was not ready to set off yet, so we bought simple soy milk and fried dough sticks. . When we returned to the hotel, we saw the tour guide already waiting in the lobby. When he saw us holding fried dough sticks and steamed buns, he said, "How about your first meal in Xinjiang? You have to eat some Xinjiang specialties! I'll take you to drink milk tea and eat thin-skin steamed buns another morning!" When we heard this , this is not bad, so I started chatting with the tour guide. After a short chat, I found that the quality of this tour guide is really good. If nothing else, he has a rich reserve of local knowledge and knows everything you ask.

On the first day, I got on the bus and drove from Urumqi (the capital) to the first stop, Keketuohai. This place has been famous for a long time, but what really shocked me was that I could see the vast snow-capped mountains along the road! You can always see it in the city. The tour guide said it is Bogda Peak.

The car drove for a long time, but it was magically not tiring, because everything along the way was novel. The Urumqi we left was basically green and blooming. The further we walked, the less green it seemed, but everything The scenery is all stunning.

I told the tour guide countless times that I wanted to get out of the car and take pictures. The tour guide laughed for a while and said, are we going to take pictures now? Where is this? The real beauty is yet to come.

Sure enough, as the tour guide said, the real beauty is always refreshing. Kanas on the third day, Hemu and Burqin on the fourth day were a bit cold, but it was really a fairy-like beauty. Staying at Jiadengyu at night, everything is quiet. After recalling the beautiful scenery during the day, it is the first time that I feel that my choice is so right. It is the first time that I realize that the scenery during the trip can shock the soul everywhere.

On the fifth day, we went to Devil City, and from the sixth to the eighth day, we visited the Ili area. Before coming to Yili, I only heard about the strict epidemic prevention policy in Yili not long ago. Only after coming here did I realize that the beauty here is worth it even if I am quarantined for a hundred days!

Nalati, Bayinbuluk, Sailimu Lake, Guozigou Bridge... after seeing a set of beautiful scenery, we enjoyed it not only with our eyes, but also with our spirits.

An elder sister who was traveling with me said that it was the first time I felt a sense of joy! I didn't expect that I would feel like a teenager at this age. When I went to Nalati Grassland, I really felt like I was "rejuvenated".

When we arrived in southern Xinjiang, the beautiful scenery began to shrink, but it made people feel that the trip was even more worthwhile. !

Before I came here, it was for the legends and beliefs, but after I came here, I would definitely only have Zanyan! Our screams never stopped along the way. Unexpectedly, I was screaming like I have never seen before the whole time! But this is my truest feeling, "magnificent", "beautiful", "lonely", "open", "vigorous" and "beautiful".

Wakhan Corridor, Panlong Ancient Trail, Pamir Plateau...

I will never forget this trip again in this life, and I will never forget these short 14 days in this life. For the rest of my life, I will persistently miss every plant, tree, mountain, water, sand and stone in Xinjiang.

Returning to Urumqi again, the tour guide took us to eat thin-skinned buns as promised. In fact, we also ate pilaf, barbecue, yogurt rice dumplings, and roasted whole lamb on the way, but the promise that was remembered was always so warm. Heart.

This is the end of our Xinjiang tour. None of the dozen of us wanted to leave. We also made an agreement with the travel agency to come and eat the sweetest grapes in the summer. After all, we haven’t gone to the Flame Mountain yet.

In May, Xinjiang is waiting for me!

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