[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":442},["ShallowReactive",2],{"meta:life/xinjiangvlog/en":3,"content-query-YwegFDAwVk":8},{"lang":4,"versions":5},"en",{"zh":6,"en":7},"life/xinjiangvlog","life/xinjiangvlog/en",{"_path":9,"_dir":10,"_draft":11,"_partial":11,"_locale":12,"title":13,"description":12,"date":14,"tags":15,"lang":4,"translation":17,"versions":18,"body":19,"_type":437,"_id":438,"_source":439,"_file":440,"_stem":7,"_extension":441},"/life/xinjiangvlog/en","xinjiangvlog",false,"","Northern Xinjiang Road Trip","2025-07-10 17:15:07",[16],"travel",true,{"zh":6,"en":7},{"type":20,"children":21,"toc":434},"root",[22,31,35,49,54,59,67,111,119,127,147,155,186,194,212,259,267,285,293,301,309,317,329,341,346,359,371,376,409,414],{"type":23,"tag":24,"props":25,"children":27},"element","h1",{"id":26},"xinjiang-journey-northern-loop",[28],{"type":29,"value":30},"text","Xinjiang Journey — Northern Loop",{"type":23,"tag":32,"props":33,"children":34},"blockquote",{},[],{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":37,"children":38},"p",{},[39,41,47],{"type":29,"value":40},"This trip was pretty last-minute — I booked the afternoon flight the same morning and ",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":43,"children":44},"strong",{},[45],{"type":29,"value":46},"left the same day",{"type":29,"value":48},".",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":50,"children":51},{},[52],{"type":29,"value":53},"I bought a ticket to Ürümqi on June 30, then flew from Yili to Ürümqi on July 6, and finally back to Shanghai on July 7.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":55,"children":56},{},[57],{"type":29,"value":58},"My brother planned the whole route, and I basically tagged along with him in Ürümqi. He mentioned in the group chat that he'd finished his business trip and was planning to spend a week in Xinjiang. I happened to be on break, so I quickly asked if I could join. Got the green light, bought the afternoon flight, and off I went.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":60,"children":61},{},[62],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":63,"children":64},{},[65],{"type":29,"value":66},"The route: Ürümqi → Sayram Lake → Guozigou Bridge → Huocheng Lavender → Yining City → Zhaosu Prairie → Shata Ancient Trail → Tekes Bagua City → Karajun Prairie → Nalati Prairie → Ürümqi",{"type":23,"tag":68,"props":69,"children":72},"div",{"className":70},[71],"photo-slider",[73,75,81,82,87,88,93,94,99,100,105,106],{"type":29,"value":74},"\n  ",{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":77,"children":80},"img",{"src":78,"alt":79},"/images/IMG_6489.jpg","Flying to Ürümqi",[],{"type":29,"value":74},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":83,"children":86},{"src":84,"alt":85},"/images/IMG_6493.jpg","Duku Highway (didn't make it in the end)",[],{"type":29,"value":74},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":89,"children":92},{"src":90,"alt":91},"/images/IMG_6530.jpg","Sayram Lake",[],{"type":29,"value":74},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":95,"children":98},{"src":96,"alt":97},"/images/IMG_6558.jpg","The last tear of the North Atlantic",[],{"type":29,"value":74},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":101,"children":104},{"src":102,"alt":103},"/images/IMG_6612.jpg","Roadside",[],{"type":29,"value":74},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":107,"children":110},{"src":108,"alt":109},"/images/IMG_6635.jpg","Kuerdening",[],{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":112,"children":113},{},[114],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":115,"children":116},{},[117],{"type":29,"value":118},"Itinerary:",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":120,"children":121},{},[122],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":123,"children":124},{},[125],{"type":29,"value":126},"Day 1: Ürümqi → Sayram Lake (~550 km, 6 hours)",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":129,"children":130},"ul",{},[131,137,142],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":133,"children":134},"li",{},[135],{"type":29,"value":136},"Morning: Depart Ürümqi, drive west along the Lianhuo Expressway, enjoy the Gobi scenery along the way.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":138,"children":139},{},[140],{"type":29,"value":141},"Afternoon: Arrive at Sayram Lake, take in the mountain-and-lake views, optional horse riding or lakeside hiking.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":143,"children":144},{},[145],{"type":29,"value":146},"Accommodation: Sayram Lake Impression Hotel",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":148,"children":149},{},[150],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":151,"children":152},{},[153],{"type":29,"value":154},"Day 2: Sayram Lake → Guozigou Bridge → Yining City (~200 km, 3 hours)",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":156,"children":157},{},[158,163,168,181],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":159,"children":160},{},[161],{"type":29,"value":162},"Morning: Head to Guozigou Bridge, admire the spectacular canyon and bridge.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":164,"children":165},{},[166],{"type":29,"value":167},"Afternoon: Visit the Huocheng Lavender Base, enjoy the romantic purple flower fields.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":169,"children":170},{},[171,173,179],{"type":29,"value":172},"Evening: Arrive in Yining, try local food like hand-piled rice (",{"type":23,"tag":174,"props":175,"children":176},"em",{},[177],{"type":29,"value":178},"polo",{"type":29,"value":180},"), baked buns, and more.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":182,"children":183},{},[184],{"type":29,"value":185},"Accommodation: Yining Museum Wenhua Road Qingju Hotel",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":187,"children":188},{},[189],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":190,"children":191},{},[192],{"type":29,"value":193},"Day 3: Yining City → Zhaosu Prairie → Shata Ancient Trail (~200 km, 4 hours)",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":195,"children":196},{},[197,202,207],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":198,"children":199},{},[200],{"type":29,"value":201},"Morning: Head to Zhaosu Prairie, enjoy the endless grassland views, try horse riding or hiking.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":203,"children":204},{},[205],{"type":29,"value":206},"Afternoon: Visit the Shata Ancient Trail, feel the history of the ancient Silk Road.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":208,"children":209},{},[210],{"type":29,"value":211},"Accommodation: Lingshanju",{"type":23,"tag":68,"props":213,"children":215},{"className":214},[71],[216,218,223,225,230,231,236,237,242,243,248,249,254,255],{"type":29,"value":217},"\n    ",{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":219,"children":222},{"src":220,"alt":221},"/images/IMG_6557.jpg","Blue expanse—Sayram Lake",[],{"type":29,"value":224}," \n    ",{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":226,"children":229},{"src":227,"alt":228},"/images/IMG_6573.jpg","Lavender flower sea",[],{"type":29,"value":217},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":232,"children":235},{"src":233,"alt":234},"/images/IMG_6604.jpg","Sheep herd",[],{"type":29,"value":217},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":238,"children":241},{"src":239,"alt":240},"/images/IMG_6634.jpg","Mountain peaks",[],{"type":29,"value":217},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":244,"children":247},{"src":245,"alt":246},"/images/IMG_6642.jpg","Scenery along the way",[],{"type":29,"value":217},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":250,"children":253},{"src":251,"alt":252},"/images/IMG_6681.jpg","Flower field",[],{"type":29,"value":217},{"type":23,"tag":76,"props":256,"children":258},{"src":257,"alt":109},"/images/IMG_6763.jpg",[],{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":260,"children":261},{},[262],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":263,"children":264},{},[265],{"type":29,"value":266},"Day 4: Shata Ancient Trail → Tekes Bagua City → Karajun Prairie (~150 km, 3 hours)",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":268,"children":269},{},[270,275,280],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":271,"children":272},{},[273],{"type":29,"value":274},"Morning: Head to Tekes Bagua City, experience its unique urban planning and culture.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":276,"children":277},{},[278],{"type":29,"value":279},"Afternoon: Head to Karajun Prairie, enjoy the stunning layered grassland scenery.",{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":281,"children":282},{},[283],{"type":29,"value":284},"Accommodation: Tekes Phoenix International Hotel",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":286,"children":287},{},[288],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":289,"children":290},{},[291],{"type":29,"value":292},"Day 5: Kuerdening → Tekes Bagua City (~200 km, 4 hours)",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":294,"children":295},{},[296],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":297,"children":298},{},[299],{"type":29,"value":300},"Accommodation: Atour Hotel Tekes Bagua City Taiji Tan Branch",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":302,"children":303},{},[304],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":305,"children":306},{},[307],{"type":29,"value":308},"Day 6: Kuerdening → Yining → Ürümqi",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":310,"children":311},{},[312],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":313,"children":314},{},[315],{"type":29,"value":316},"Accommodation: Longxing International Hotel",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":318,"children":319},{},[320,322,327],{"type":29,"value":321},"We took the Yizhao Highway on the way there — truly beautiful. Since I wasn't the one planning, I don't know the exact costs. But one thing I was determined to do in Xinjiang was ",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":323,"children":324},{},[325],{"type":29,"value":326},"horse riding",{"type":29,"value":328},", and I finally got to ride at Karajun Prairie. Xinjiang's scenic areas are huge, and almost every one has horse riding available. I'd always wanted to experience galloping across the prairie, but once I was on the horse, I got a bit nervous and never actually dared to let it run 😂.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":330,"children":331},{},[332,334,339],{"type":29,"value":333},"The stables at Karajun felt very professional — one guide per tourist per horse. I think that's a good setup, preventing accidents for inexperienced riders. We actually wanted to ride at ",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":335,"children":336},{},[337],{"type":29,"value":338},"Shata Ancient Trail",{"type":29,"value":340}," too, but we arrived too late and the horses were already off-duty. I was pretty disappointed at first, but later some tourists who had ridden there said it wasn't that exciting anyway — basically the lead horse ties the others with ropes and you just follow along. No chance to run on your own, so maybe it wasn't such a big miss.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":342,"children":343},{},[344],{"type":29,"value":345},"So why was Karajun so good?",{"type":23,"tag":32,"props":347,"children":348},{},[349,354],{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":350,"children":351},{},[352],{"type":29,"value":353},"First, you can choose your route — ride from Karajun Prairie all the way to Kuerdening, or between various viewpoints.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":355,"children":356},{},[357],{"type":29,"value":358},"Second, your experience largely depends on the staff member riding with you.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":360,"children":361},{},[362,364,369],{"type":29,"value":363},"The guy I got took me to an open area, helped take some photos, then let me ride around on my own and taught me basic commands — forward, stop, turn. He even let me feel what it's like when a horse runs. But when it was my turn, I still didn't dare to actually gallop 😂. All in all, it was a lot of fun, but yeah, it really depends on ",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":365,"children":366},{},[367],{"type":29,"value":368},"your guide",{"type":29,"value":370}," 😂😂.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":372,"children":373},{},[374],{"type":29,"value":375},"Near the end of the trip, while waiting at the airport for my return flight, I scrolled Xiaohongshu and saw some posts about wild horse riding in Karajun or Kuerdening — super tempting. If I ever come to Xinjiang again, I'll book one of those 5–6 hour rides.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":377,"children":378},{},[379,381,386,388,393,395,400,402,407],{"type":29,"value":380},"Over the 6-day trip, I only rode once, and that was just one hour. And I barely even ran. Still, my legs were sore for two days — the inner thigh area. Before riding, I kept watching tutorials on how to post the trot and all that, but in the end none of it helped. The only thing I remembered: for Xinjiang horses, especially the Kazakh ones, \"go\" is \"",{"type":23,"tag":174,"props":382,"children":383},{},[384],{"type":29,"value":385},"qiu~",{"type":29,"value":387},"\" (a ",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":389,"children":390},{},[391],{"type":29,"value":392},"breathy sound",{"type":29,"value":394}," while kicking the horse's belly), \"whoa\" is \"",{"type":23,"tag":174,"props":396,"children":397},{},[398],{"type":29,"value":399},"derrrr~",{"type":29,"value":401},"\" (",{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":403,"children":404},{},[405],{"type":29,"value":406},"rolled R",{"type":29,"value":408},"), and turning is pulling the rein to one side.",{"type":23,"tag":36,"props":410,"children":411},{},[412],{"type":29,"value":413},"The trip was great, though my photography skills are mediocre. I managed to edit a video from the few clips I had:",{"type":23,"tag":128,"props":415,"children":416},{},[417],{"type":23,"tag":132,"props":418,"children":419},{},[420,432],{"type":23,"tag":42,"props":421,"children":422},{},[423],{"type":23,"tag":424,"props":425,"children":429},"a",{"href":426,"rel":427},"https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1StGHzoEGw/?spm_id_from=333.1387.upload.video_card.click&vd_source=7cd5da9e8dada22e67bb110a386a6a7d",[428],"nofollow",[430],{"type":29,"value":431},"Northern Xinjiang Travel Vlog",{"type":29,"value":433},". I even tried singing at a little folk music bar in Tekes — nervous but honestly a lot of fun. Even though the place wasn't very crowded 😂😂.",{"title":12,"searchDepth":435,"depth":435,"links":436},2,[],"markdown","content:life:xinjiangvlog:en.md","content","life/xinjiangvlog/en.md","md",1781150699115]