Xinjiang Travel Notes | Entering Xinjiang for the first time, feeling friendly and cautious

On the evening of June 1, 2018, we chose to stay in Dahongliutan, which already belongs to the Hotan region of Xinjiang. It is recommended that everyone go to the gas station to fill up the tank when we arrive in the evening. The reasons will be discussed below.

The accommodation conditions in Dahongliutan are average, with large and small accommodation outside, no running water, and power outages on time in the middle of the night. It is still winter here at the end of May, and we often encounter bad weather . Without the blessing of an electric blanket in the second half of the night, I can obviously feel cooler outside the quilt. His cold cheeks looked like he was sleeping outdoors.

I got up early the next day, snowflakes were falling outside, and I just had a simple bowl of noodles for breakfast. I heard from the boss that the place would not be allowed to pass until 10:30, reminding us to drive in advance and queue up on the road. I glanced out the window and saw the endless motorcade. I thought I might as well forget it. I could leave later.

This is why it is recommended that everyone fill up the tank when they arrive at Dahongliutan on the same day. It’s a little difficult to get up in the morning to refuel, because some large vehicles line up directly after arriving at the Dahongliutan checkpoint the night before, and then find accommodation or spend the night in the car.

We were the last few cars to pass the Dahongliutan checkpoint. From here you can see the faces of Xinjiang. To be precise, they look more like foreigners, with prominent features and deep eyes, really beautiful.

Not long after leaving Dahongliutan, we could clearly see the Karakoram Mountains in front of us. We have seen a lot of snow-capped mountains, but few are as stunning as the Karakoram Mountains. Maybe it's because of the high altitude, but I always feel that the snow-capped mountains are within reach. Not only can I see her appearance clearly, but I can also touch at any time.

The road from Shiquanhe Town to Dahongliutan is relatively flat and has an average altitude. However, after entering the Xinjiang border, the ups and downs of Daban follow one after another. Sometimes there is the illusion of snow-capped mountains under the car.

Every checkpoint in Xinjiang requires handwritten registration, and the driver is required to hold his ID card and stand in front of the car to take photos and leave traces (his face is so tanned) .

At first I was a little "scared" when I saw the Xinjiang-looking police officers, but later I found that they were cute, talked funny, had a gentle attitude, and were quite handsome.

This is the first time I have been asked to take a group photo by the police. We originally wanted to take a group photo, but we were new here and planned to give up based on the mentality of obeying the rules. Unexpectedly, we were asked if we could take a group photo. I looked at my white teeth. Just know how happy I am. The middle-aged woman behind me is the "Kunlun Goddess" (self downloaded from Baidu)

I really admire these cyclists.

The road conditions in Xinjiang are not very good. The roads are relatively broken. You must be careful when driving. Cars with bottom chassis are prone to punctures.

Wild camels can be seen on both sides of the road, but they are just about to lose their hair and look a bit ugly.

From time to time, you can see patrolling motorcycles on the road, planting a small flag, working in pairs, and they always respond enthusiastically to greet you occasionally.

Of course, there were also patrols who stared at us with cautious eyes, holding sticks in their hands, as if they would rush at us if we made any move. At this time, we usually pretend not to see them and run away quickly.

When we arrived in Kudi County, the sky gradually turned gray and visibility was very low. When we were going through the Kudida Ban, the road conditions were very bad and there was a lot of floating soil. Sometimes we couldn't see clearly whether there was a car on the other side, which made us nervous.

Before entering Yecheng, we passed by a small village. We were so greedy looking at the grilled mutton skewers on the roadside that we couldn't help but want to get out of the car and grab a few skewers. After getting out of the car, I looked longingly at the store asking for prices.

The store owner is from Xinjiang, and there is a little girl standing next to us. Faced with our desire, the store owner and the little girl only responded with defensive, unfriendly, and cautious eyes. Under this gaze, our desire to eat meat was beaten away. Let’s go to the city to eat. Of course, leaving after asking for a price will be looked at even more unkindly.

At about 9:30 pm, we finally entered Yecheng. The air outside the window was just like Beijing, gloomy and giving people a stuffy feeling.

There is a two-hour time difference between Xinjiang and the mainland. It was not completely dark when we entered Yecheng County.

Our first priority was to find a hotel to have a good rest, but there were very few hotels that could be seen on a certain review software, so we had to go into the city and look for them. But when we entered the county seat, we discovered that there were military camps on the right side of the road and hotels on the left side.

We kept driving along the main road. On the one hand, we wanted to see what hotels there were, and on the other hand, we also looked for opportunities to turn around. But we didn't expect that we were almost out of the county town as we drove. There were many traffic police checking the car near the county town. As expected, we were stopped.

The traffic police said we didn't put the insurance sign on and would punish us. We showed him the electronic insurance policy we applied for in Beijing and a printed State Council announcement on electronic insurance policies. We thought there was nothing wrong with it, but he didn’t even look at it and said we were breaking the law and would issue a fine.

My husband got out of the car and argued with him. The traffic policeman turned on the law enforcement recorder and asked my husband, "Is there no insurance sticker?" and only asked him to answer yes or no. My husband continued to explain to the traffic policeman. The traffic policeman turned off the law enforcement recorder and said to her husband: "I ask you, you answer yes or no, do you understand?", then turned on the law enforcement recorder and asked "Is there no sticker?" Insurance mark?”

The turning on and off of the law enforcement recorder makes us feel that this seems to be a bit out of context for fishing law enforcement. The husband immediately stopped talking to him, turned around and walked towards the person who looked like the leader nearby. Although he was stopped by the special police with a gun, he still caught the person's attention.

My husband explained the situation to him and showed him the relevant documents. After hearing this, he made a phone call and seemed to be asking someone.

Because we were the first wave of vehicles to apply for this kind of electronic insurance policy, it was okay to be on the road for such a long time. I didn’t expect that we would be investigated for this matter in Xinjiang.

Soon the person who looked like a leader came out and told us pleasantly that there was no problem with this, but he hoped we could print out an electronic insurance policy on A4 paper and stick it to the upper right corner of the car!

Isn't this a joke? If I print out such a big piece of paper and stick it to the glass, can I still see the road? Moreover, it would be strange if he was not the first to be checked by the traffic police again. Isn’t this because there is no silver in this place?

Unfortunately, after all this trouble, it was already completely dark, and I didn't want to continue to be entangled like this, so I agreed with him.

Later, when we came to Xinjiang for the second time, we were stopped because we didn't have an insurance sign. We just told the traffic police verbally about the situation, and the traffic police let us pass before we even took out the printed electronic insurance policy. It seems that it will take some time for the central government’s policies to reach Xinjiang!

My husband’s eyes have astigmatism and he can’t see the road clearly when driving at night. I had to find a hotel and look at the road. I was really busy at that time. Finally, I asked my husband to park on the side of the road and I went to look at rooms in a hotel that looked pretty good. Not long after entering the hotel, my husband called me and asked me to hurry up. He said that a special police officer warned him not to park on the roadside and asked me to leave immediately.

Fortunately, we are outsiders and don't understand the rules here, so we are asked to quickly look at the room and leave the main road after confirming it.

Deciding on a room and driving the car in are also a test. The yard here is surrounded by iron fences and the entrance is very narrow. It was already past ten o'clock when we finally settled down.

That night, after washing up in the hotel, I went out to eat ramen. I felt very uncomfortable being stared at by the people at the ramen restaurant. I ate in a hurry and went back to rest.

On the 401st day on the road, we stayed overnight in Yecheng.