Xinjiang Yining Travel Notes Xinjiang (Part 2)

Tekes, also known as Bagua City, has no traffic lights in the center of the city and relies entirely on manual control by the traffic police. The county town built based on the Bagua Diagram of "Zhouyi" is formal and rigorous. The Tai Chi Diagram of "Yin and Yang" extends outward from the central square of the city. According to the Bagua directions, 8 main streets radiate outward. The streets are 1.6 kilometers long, connected by ring roads every 360 meters. The first ring road in the county has eight streets, the second ring road has 16 streets, the third ring road has 32 streets, and the fourth ring road has 64 streets. The streets are completely consistent with the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi. Measured according to my country's traditional classic theories of site selection and planning layout, it can be said to be "the solidified Book of Changes, the tangible Book of Changes".

In the early second century BC, the Wusun people moved westward from Gansu to Ili, Xinjiang, and occupied the richest natural prairie in the Tekes River Basin. They lived and multiplied for more than 500 years, and established the Wusun, the largest country in the Western Region at that time. Guotekes not only interprets the Yijing culture, but is also the place where Wusun culture flourishes. "Wusun" means "unity, unity" in Kazakh.

Tekes is the place where the largest number of princesses were married off in ancient Chinese history (two princesses, Jieyou and Xijun of the Han Dynasty, both married into the Wusun Kingdom). It is also the location of the largest racecourse in ancient China, the "Khan Grassland", a nomadic herdsman in ancient China. It is the place where most ethnic groups have established "tooth tents".

Most hotels in Turks have a courtyard layout, with grapevines and small gardens.

Those who choose to stay in Tekes County usually go to Qiongkushtai, Kalajun and Kuokesu Grand Canyon.

Because the roads on the mountain are difficult to drag suitcases with, the three of us stored our luggage at the inn and took the shuttle bus to Qiongkush Terrace the next day.

From Turks to Jonkush Terrace

After many inquiries, I learned that the county shuttle bus stops at the parking lot in front of the Aijiang Hotel, and the fare is 30 yuan. Departure times range from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., depending on the driver's mood. There is a phone number for the driver on the front of the car, so you can call first.

On that day, we waited for half an hour for one person to go to the vegetable market opposite to buy groceries, and for half an hour for one of us to walk back to the hotel to pack our bags. We also waited for another person to get off the bus to eat, and for another person to take a taxi back to get a sweater.

When the people getting off the bus gathered together like a chessboard, I urged the driver to start the bus. The driver said that there was someone else on the way, so everyone in the car waited as quietly as a chicken for another 40 minutes.

Finally, at 2:30 in the afternoon, an old foreigner wearing a thick winter coat ran over. The driver stood up, shook hands with him and exchanged greetings, and then we slowly drove out of Bagua City.

Let’s talk about other prices for this route: As mentioned in the previous article, the price is 200 yuan per person per day (equivalent to more than 800 yuan per car) when hiring a Han driver from outside the city. Contact the owner of the Turks Hotel for help. The cost is 480 yuan per car if you are not going back; you find a local taxi driver, and the round trip and waiting are included (both parties need to agree to return before dark) it is 300 yuan per car (If you want to bargain, some will quote 500 yuan ) .

A sister from Hunan whom I met in Korla before told me that I wanted to hike from Kalajun to Qiongkush Terrace. The scenery along the way was very beautiful, but I was running around every day and had long forgotten about it. After I bought the 140 yuan ticket to the scenic spot and went in, the Kazakh man pulling the horse asked me if I wanted to ride a horse to Qiongkush Terrace, which cost 380 yuan one way, and then I remembered it and regretted it .

Karajun

Kalajun means "black wilderness" in Kazakh. The scenic area is very large. The scenic area transportation bus will stop at several points for you to get off and enjoy the view. We went in at four o'clock in the afternoon (because people traveling with us said that we were afraid of the sun at noon and had to leave later. In fact, there are not many grasslands. Sun, it is recommended to go out early, otherwise you will not have enough time to play).

The bus drove for half an hour before getting off at the first stop, "Flower Terrace". After ten minutes, someone would ride on horseback and use the loudspeaker to announce: "The last bus is leaving soon. If you don't get on, There is no car. "

Oh my God, I was forced to turn back before I even reached the observation deck, and I didn’t even have time to take a photo.

The staff of the scenic area get off work at nine o'clock, so it is stipulated that the last bus will leave from the third point Falcon Terrace at eight o'clock in the night.

To complain, we confirmed with the staff at the entrance of the scenic spot that self-driving cars are not allowed to enter, but in fact there are private cars everywhere inside. We asked why these cars can enter? The response was "Do you have a connection?"

Hopefully soon I too will have the “relationship” to drive into forbidden places.

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Forest Canyon: Dangerous Cliffs

Lavender, snowy mountains and meadows

The clouds are beautiful

The scenic area is really vast!

You can spend a whole day watching the snow-capped mountains

Friends who are not in good physical condition can choose horseback riding on the grassland.

A vast grassland

The sunny entrance to the scenic spot at 9:30 in the evening

There is a fare evasion entrance here, which my companion accidentally discovered. When he told me about it, we were already waiting for the bus with two full-price tickets. Friends who really want to try it can send me a private message (although it is indeed unattended, I will not be held responsible if I am caught).

Hiking from Kalajun to Qiongkushtai is a high-quality route. The whole journey takes 5-7 days. Xinjiang players would not dare to say that they enjoy outdoor activities without walking such a circle. The journey is easy, but don’t go alone, be sure to have a guide. There is no signal in many places in the mountains. A girl went off the road, slipped and fell in a valley and injured her leg. No one came to help her for two days.

If you just start and end at the Gasagan campground, and the rest of the way is connected by scenic transportation vehicles, then you only need to walk for one day. The path that people walk is the same as the horse path. Just follow the horse's footprints. If you are really lost, stop and wait for the caravan to pass by and ask them for directions.

There is no need for tickets to Qiongkush Terrace, but I heard from the boss on the mountain that there will be an additional charge next year. If you go from Qiongkushtai to Kalajun, whether on foot or on horseback, when you arrive at Kalajun, you will need to pay extra tickets and bus tickets , mine My friend paid money twice .

In fact, you don’t have to pay this money. The first is to show the tickets within three days as proof (with ID number and name, they will check). The second method is to walk in the opposite direction after arriving at the camp. After a short detour, no one will stop you. You charge admission.

Jonkush Terrace accommodation

To get to Qiongkush Terrace you have to go through a circular mountain road, which is quite scary. You can ask the driver to stop and take photos for you on the road. I fell asleep as soon as the train started. The two bottles of water I grabbed were bumping around in the car. Someone else picked them up for me and stuffed them into my hands. After a while, they fell again. .

It is said online that the accommodation conditions at Qiongkush Terrace are very poor, with only two to three hundred beds per bed, and no bathroom, so we didn’t even bring any toiletries. In fact, when we went up the mountain to see it, it was completely acceptable.

Accommodation is not as expensive as legend says. Don't book online. Find it when you arrive. It's easier to bargain. Most of the accommodations on the mountain are renovated houses of local villagers, and food and accommodation are all in the villagers' homes.

It should be noted that Turks is a summer resort city, and the temperature in the mountains is even lower. Even in June, you need to wear down. We stayed at Jonkush Terrace for three days. It rained the next day and was extremely cold. My two friends lay in bed and did not dare to go out.

Because it is not easy to go up the mountain, prices are very high, a bowl of tomato egg noodles is 30 yuan. Locals said that they either take a shuttle bus or drive four hours (an eight-hour round trip) to Yamashita County every few days to purchase supplies.

Remember the Kazakh grandfather I mentioned earlier who was the last one to get on the bus? After we arrived at Jonkush Terrace, he took us to stay at his son's home. At that time, the single rooms with private bathrooms were already full, and Datong offered a price of 100 yuan per person. I said that the "Hongqiao Inn" in front of the village was only 50 yuan. The boss said that the price was impossible, and we wanted to leave, so he let us stay. .

The asking price for a single room is 280 yuan per person. As long as you can bargain, you can also negotiate it down to 100 yuan per person. If you find it difficult to accept the Datong berth, you can go to Hongqiao to stay in a single bed for 60 yuan per person, and men and women are not separated.

However, the bedding will not be changed in the above three room types. You can continue sleeping after others have slept. I saw that the group staying in the single room had just moved out at 7 o'clock in the morning, and another group came in at 9 o'clock and checked in directly. I wandered around the village for three days and only saw sheets hanging out in front of one house.