Completely Delivering Oneself to the Gentleness of Mountains and Rivers

It was after 11 o'clock in the evening when I got off the plane, but I still didn't see the snow-capped Qilian Mountains on the 57A, nor did I see the sunset at 10:30, but it doesn't matter, the itinerary in the next few days will continue to refresh my understanding of Xinjiang.

The first stop: the torn earth - Anjihai Grand Canyon (located in Shawan City, Tacheng District)
The wind-eroded landform of the Great Rift Valley, which is rare at home and abroad, has a drop height of more than 200m and a depth of more than ten kilometers. There are many cliff tongues that are abrupt and steep (really dangerous, and those who are afraid of heights should be careful!), and the landforms are colorful (sorry, I didn’t see it. There are so many colors, but it is quite shocking to the naked eye). The most important thing is that it has not been deeply developed and still maintains the original and natural style.Some people even said: God did not take Van Gogh away, but left him in Xinjiang, in every corner of Anjihai.

The second stop: Sailimu Lake (located in Bole City, Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture)
Teacher Sa said, “You have never been to Sailimu Lake, you have lived in vain!” The blue color of Sailimu Lake is like the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean, which makes me, an islander who has been accustomed to seeing the sand accumulation in the East China Sea since childhood, scream frequently! The proud swan princes are in the lake alone, sometimes grooming their feathers, sometimes playing in the water, and sometimes flying high in groups.

Third stop: Guozigou Bridge
The first gate to enter the Ili River Valley, with a graceful S-curved shape, looks like a wandering dragon hovering between three high mountains, and it is integrated with the beautiful scenery of Guozigou. On the way down the mountain, the cows that can be seen everywhere are so cute! (It's too early to be happy, the cow, sheep, and horse manure behind will make people collapse).

The fourth stop: Huocheng Lavender (Huocheng County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture)
Ili in June is the summer in Provence, you don’t have to go to South France to feel the purple ocean. The lavender here is as common as the rice in our Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. Each farmer contracts a piece of land and harvests it when it arrives. It is made into lavender essential oil, soap, pillow, and other related products. Then sold both domestically and internationally. Facing the scorching sun at 4:00 p.m., I ran away immediately after clocking in, because there are really too many bees!

Fifth stop: Yining
Yining is the city with the most colors I have ever seen, blue, yellow, green, red, white…with mottled tree shadows, you can make a picture with just one shot, and the sun is the best filter.

The sixth stop: Qiaxi (Gongliu County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture)
Qiasi is the only place I regret. I regret not going there earlier, and then spending the whole day on the grassland.
Mountains, grasslands, snow mountains, rivers, spruces, river valleys, meadows, eagles, horses make people feel as if they are in a picture scroll, completely overturning the imagination of summer!

Seventh stop: Joan Kush Terrace (Teks County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture)
Going straight from Zhaosu to Qiongkushitai, which is actually a small village with mountains, water, cattle, and horses. Playing in the water on the mountain, I ran into a pony that came out to look for food, and immediately recorded it. Drinking afternoon tea in a log cabin surrounded by mountains, not to mention how comfortable it was. It happened to be a light rain in the evening, and I was lying on the lawn and letting go.  And at this moment I was a part of the village.

Eighth stop: Aktas (Teks County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture)
After eating a bowl of rice noodles in Bagua City, I headed straight to Aktas Girl Peak. On the winding mountain road all the way, who knew that the last thing I saw was indeed a grassland like a fairy tale world?

Ninth stop: Nalati——walking into the grassland in the air in the oil painting (Xinyuan County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture)
Forests, wild flowers, streams, herd of cattle, horses, and sheep, single-plank bridges, and the rolling snow-capped mountains in the distance (although the snow has almost melted), it is another scene that only appears in Andersen's fairy tales. Hugging the soft and waxy lamb again, and the fatigue of the journey will disappear! What's even more exciting is that at the roof of the hotel at 10:00 p.m., I saw the sunset and a rainbow at the same time. I am about to have good luck!

Tenth Station: North Section of Duku Highway
Four seasons in one day, different days in ten miles, this is the most beautiful road. From the lush grassland forest, to the snow-capped mountains without much snow, to the steep rocky canyons, and the horse-riding herdsmen shuttled between the alpine grasslands, every moment is worth recording.

In Xinjiang, we live between ten in the morning and ten in the evening. We can take a thousand photos every day, see the countless grasslands and snow-capped mountains, wait for the sheep and cattle to cross the road, and eat a lot of shredded lamb and mutton without any smell. Sweet Piyazi (onions), small white apricots and white mulberries on the top of the head can be picked at your fingertips, and you can also have an experience of wearing short-sleeves in the morning and padded jackets in the evening... The best scenery is always on the road!