Self-driving 3500 kilometers, the northwest route of super "Liao" people

As the saying goes, China is beautiful, with the northwest accounting for seven points. Personally, I have always had a soft spot for the scenery in the northwest. Finally, in August, I took a few friends to charter a car and went on the road in the northwest. The 8-day trip, including air tickets, room and board, is about 6000 yuan, which is worth the money and highly recommended!

I did my homework in advance for this hard-won trip. Start to handle some documents, draw up the departure date, determine the means of transportation, and formulate some travel strategies and route planning in detail.

The journey lasted for 8 days, from Lanzhou-Erlangjian Scenic Area of Qinghai Lake-Xihai Town/Gangcha-Around Qinghai Lake-Heimahe/Sunrise-Chaka Salt Lake-Delingha-Qaidam Basin-Dachaidan-Northwest Highway 1- Ya Dan Ghost Town-Dunhuang-Water.

Because it is go on road trip, the steps of renting a car are essential. So I searched Ctrip for the merchants who posted the information about chartered cars, and used them to book the vehicles and drivers. (As long as merchants who have settled in professional travel platforms such as Qunar, Ctrip and Mawei are qualified, third-party platforms are guaranteed.)

I got off the plane from Lanzhou and went directly to the car rental place to book a Cruze. When I got there, I was told to change it to Passat. The boss told me that I didn't have a car, so I was temporarily upgraded. I must be very happy to have such a good thing!

Everything is ready. We drove from Lanzhou at 6: 30 the next morning. Although we were tired from getting up early, we were still in high spirits on the first day of our trip. We talked and laughed all the way. Five hours later, we finally arrived in Qinghai Province. After having a rest in Ta 'er Temple to replenish our strength, we continued to drive to Qinghai Lake.

Just 30 kilometers away from Qinghai Lake, there is a traffic jam! The road was once blocked to doubt life! From 3 pm to 7 pm! I want to cry without tears. After Erlangjian Scenic Area, the traffic eased a little, so our time in Qinghai Lake was not long, and all the time was spent in traffic jams and roads. It is suggested that friends who come to travel in the peak season must remember to avoid weekends!

Because we decided to go to Heimahe to watch the sunrise the next morning, we chose to stay in Heimahe County and fly all the way to Heihe County. When we arrived, it was already past twelve in the morning. We were exhausted, so we found a hotel to stay at. Although the conditions are average, we can only make do with it. The temperature difference between day and night in northwest China is large, and it is particularly cold at night. At this time, it is good to have an electric blanket and a blanket for a warm sleep.

At 5 o'clock the next morning, we got up and ran to the lake to watch the sunrise. It really takes character and luck to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the weather is not beautiful, and the clouds block most of the scenery, which is not spectacular. I am a little disappointed, but the process of waiting for the sunrise is still spectacular. We witnessed the alternation of day and night, and we sat by the lake chatting and slapping each other, which also diluted the dull atmosphere.

After watching the sunrise, we went straight to Chaka Salt Lake. Interestingly, there are always cattle and sheep in the way. They walk very slowly, so we will stop and wait for them to pass before driving. We didn't have breakfast because of the long journey. Fortunately, the car has prepared dry food, and the key moment is to save the straw.

After driving for 3 hours, I finally reached the mirror of the sky in my fantasy! It's beautiful, and finally there is a decent scenery. The most satisfactory scenic spot in these two days is Chaka Salt Lake.

Without any modification of the original ecological scenery, the blue sky and blue lagoon blend together, and large clouds float overhead, as if within reach. This is a place where you can take a large film without a filter, so it is natural to take some beautiful photos!

Reluctantly leaving Chaka Salt Lake, we rushed to Dunhuang. The whole journey is about 800 kilometers. Because the journey was too long, we had a rest by the side of the road. We were thirsty, so we bought a melon by the roadside. The melons in the northwest are simply delicious. The melon water is super sweet and tastes great.

Considering the safety problem, we stayed in Dachaidan town for one night after dark. The accommodation environment in Dachaidan was good and clean, but I was very angry because there was no hot water. I took a cold bath at night and immediately got into bed.

I got up early and continued to drive to Dunhuang, passing the northwest 1 road, comparable to the American 1 road. There are endless scenery along the way, cattle and sheep, flowers, terraces, wind chimes ... This straight road leads to the horizon, and every frame can be a screensaver. But there are quite a lot of people, so it is quite difficult to find a self-portrait angle without anyone.

I'm going to Dunhuang, passing through Jiayuguan and Yangguan. Because I have done enough raiders before, I directly ignored these two places, because these passes were rebuilt by later generations, but they are not real monuments.

After arriving in Dunhuang in the afternoon, we collectively rushed to Mingsha Mountain. There are really many people in the peak season. Fortunately, I booked a ticket online in advance.

Entering the scenic spot, we finally came to the long-awaited desert, perhaps the children who grew up by the sea, and we also enjoyed the yellow sand. The most interesting thing is that we had a great effort to climb the sand dune and then slipped down from it. It was super exciting. Of course, we ate a lot of sand. ......

Climbing the sand dunes made us exhausted, and it was cloudy that day. We didn't stay to watch the sunset at night, so we drove back to Dunhuang!

After staying in Dunhuang for one night, we all relaxed on the last day's trip, so we deliberately avoided expressway and chose a path to the Qilian Prairie. It's a little pity that we didn't go to the Mogao Grottoes because our fellow friends are not fans of historical relics.

This section of the road to Qilian has unlimited scenery and is really a feast for the eyes. The endless grassland, dotted with yaks and sheep, full screen of golden rape flowers and Hongshan Ya Dan, looking out of the window, listening to "If there is an afterlife" in the car, vaguely thinking about the upcoming journey, can't help but linger.

Finally arrived in Lanzhou, this journey is a full stop. Happy times are always short. Even if there are so many praises here, it only presents one tenth of the beauty. It is lonely and enthusiastic; It is silent and romantic. It is better to give yourself a chance to walk between the northwest and the north, and let your heart have fun in this pure land.

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