Hiding the deep blue of this lake, looking back no longer desolate

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Growing up on a small island in the southern tip of the motherland, which is like spring all year round, I am used to seeing blue skies, white clouds, coconut breeze and sea breeze. I always look forward to seeing different scenery and experiencing the great rivers and mountains of my motherland. Occasionally, I saw a documentary broadcast by CCTV in 2015 - "Hexi Corridor", and I was deeply attracted by the scenery of the Northwest and the culture contained in it...

The scenery of the Hexi Corridor includes "the solitary smoke in the desert and the setting sun on the long river", "the wind blowing for tens of thousands of miles across Yumen Pass", "the yellow sand wears golden armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be returned until it is destroyed"... The history of the Hexi Corridor , there was Zhang Qian who was on a mission to the Western Regions, General Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu, and Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty recovered the rivers and mountains... The civilization in the Hexi Corridor includes the Silk Road, Buddhist classics, and Dunhuang art that are famous both at home and abroad...

We chose the popular Northwest Grand Ring Tour route, starting from Xining by car and heading southwest through Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Delingha, and Dachaidan, then north through Dunhuang and Guazhou, and east through Jiayuguan and Zhangye , Menyuan and back to Xining, a total distance of more than 2,300 kilometers.

▲Map of Northwest Great Ring Road (Source: Baidu)

Preparing for departure

◆ Itinerary planning: Schedule, air ticket, hotel and vehicle reservation, luggage packing

◆ Valuable items: ID card, driver’s license, mobile phone, wallet

◆ Personal clothing: Pants, shorts, long sleeves, short sleeves, skirts, jackets, thermal clothing, shawls, socks, headscarves, canvas shoes, sneakers, slippers

◆ Skin care products: Body lotion, facial mask, sunscreen (50+)

◆ Photography equipment: Camera, multifunctional mobile phone data cable, mobile phone tripod, camera tripod

◆ Daily necessities: Hats, umbrellas, sunglasses (must bring, the ultraviolet rays are so strong that you can’t open your eyes), USB flash drive (download your favorite songs first), plastic bags (convenient to store) laundry), thermos cup, folding clothes hanger, clothesline

◆ Drugs: Glucose, Rhodiola rosea (to prevent altitude sickness), cold medicine, Fengyoujing, band-aid, Huoxiang Zhengqi water

(All items are prepared according to personal habits and preferences)

The first day's self-driving route: Xining - Kumbum Monastery - Laji Mountain - Riyue Mountain - Daotang River - Qinghai Lake Erlangjian Scenic Area - Heima River (Su Heima River), with a total mileage of about 260 kilometers.

Eight Treasures Ruyi Pagoda

Daotang River Monument

Erlangjian Scenic Area

Swipe left or right to see more

Departing from Xining city in the morning, the first scenic spot we arrived at was Kumbum Monastery. The drive was about 30 kilometers and the ticket for the day was 80 yuan/person.

Kumbum Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It is the activity center of Tibetan Buddhism in the northwest region. It is named after the pagoda and then the temple. Academies, main halls, and pagodas are irregularly distributed on the hills.

Seeing the believers on pilgrimage here reminds me of many plots and scenes in the movie "Kang Rinpoche". The simple and pious Tibetans, with different identities and occupations and aspirations, respect nature, pursue faith in life, and believe in life. Worship your faith and embark on a long pilgrimage together.

Since we don’t have a deep understanding of Buddhism, we took a walk around here to feel the atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism and appreciate the ancient Buddhist buildings before heading to Qinghai Lake.

Take the Beijing-Tibet Expressway from Kumbum Monastery, and then drive along Qinghai Lake, the largest inland lake in China at an altitude of 3,200 meters, and National Highway 109. On the left side of the highway are endless mountains, on the right side of Qinghai Lake are vast blue waves, and in the middle are herds of cattle, horses and sheep on the grassland. The snow on some mountains has not melted yet. When driving, you should always pay attention to whether there are cattle or sheep crossing the road on both sides and avoid them in time. The sky is high, the grasslands are vast, the lakes are quiet, and the vast land is peaceful and beautiful...

On the way, we passed Riyue Mountain and Daotang River...

Riyue Mountain, according to legend, Princess Wencheng passed by this place when she went to Tubo to get married. Here she looked back at the hometown she missed so much, and found that it was blocked by mountains, so she threw the precious mirror in her hand on two hills. The afterglow of the setting sun was reflected in the east. The rising moon shines in the west, hence the name Sun Moon Mountain.

The ticket for Daotang River is 40 yuan/person on the day.

"All water in the world flows to the east, but this water flows to the west." The water of the Daotang River flows westward due to the movement of the earth's crust. However, there are also legends that it was caused by the tears of Princess Wencheng who were homesick. In April, the water of the Daotang River was obviously dry. Looking at the prayer flags, Mani piles, and cairns of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by the river, it was also unique. Here you can also wear Tibetan clothes and take photos with yaks...

Say goodbye to Daotang River for now and head west to the most important attraction on the first day - Qinghai Lake Erlangjian Scenic Area.

Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland plateau lake and largest saltwater lake, means "blue sea" in Tibetan. It was formed by the collapse of the fault between the Qilian Mountains and the Qinghai Nanshan Mountains. The lake surface is more than 3,200 meters above sea level. These contents learned in middle school geography, as well as the location characteristics, hydrology and landforms, socio-economic conditions of Qinghai Lake, etc., are now here, and you can finally have a glimpse of its beauty.

There are scenic spots on all sides of Qinghai Lake. To the east are mainly sand island scenic spots, such as Riyue Mountain, Daotang River, etc.; To the west is Bird Island. According to the guide, there are hundreds of thousands of birds from April to June every year. Classes gather here; To the north are grassland scenery and memorial places, such as Jinyintan Beach, Atomic City, etc.; To the south is the main scenic spot of Qinghai Lake - Erlangjian Scenic Area, with a day ticket of 100 yuan per person.

The supporting facilities in the scenic area are relatively complete, including catering, accommodation, shopping, museums, entertainment facilities, etc.

You can rent a bicycle or take a boat tour in the scenic area, or Take a stroll on the wooden plank road built by the lake. Rent a bicycle and ride around the scenic area. The breeze is gentle, the lake is vast and boundless, and the lake and the sky are connected. Looking at the blue sky and the blue lake, the mood will be more comfortable all of a sudden...

There are flocks of seagulls by the lake. When you are tired of walking around, you can sit by the lake and quietly watch the seagulls spread their wings and soar or whisper...

It is said that Qinghai Lake is the fairyland of the legendary Queen Mother of the West, so here you can also see the statues of Fuwa and Queen Mother of the West waiting quietly in the lake.

After coming out of Qinghai Lake, we walked along the lake to Heimahe Town. I heard that this is the best place to watch the sunrise over Qinghai Lake, and it happens to be the place where tourists gather. It is relatively remote here. There are not many hotels in the town, and they are basically concentrated together, next to Qinghai Lake. There are very few restaurants specializing in eating in the surrounding area. The hotel has its own restaurant, where you can have three meals a day. It has pasta and rice, which is very convenient. You can also try yak meat and milk tea.

The first day of the trip gradually came to an end with the excitement of the cattle and sheep returning at dusk...

(The travel notes of 2018 have only been compiled now. It feels like I have traveled again~)

Hiding the deep blue of this lake, looking back no longer desolate

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