North Xinjiang revisited  

3rd June 2025.

 

We first visited North Xinjiang in early Sept 2024 during fall where I had a fall and broke my wrist. Subsequently post surgery and my full recovery, we revisited in early June 2025 in summer. Fall's weather is cooler but the days are often rainy and cloudy. Summer is not too hot with beautiful clear skies,hardly any rain with sunset times at 10.30 pm++. The clear skies, longer days and less crowds made for better photography and more time to sight-see. I loved the summer visit because the verdant hillsides are covered with wildflowers of many colours -yellows, whites, purples, blues, pinks,orange etc.

Tian Shan  天山    with the cable car ride after the alpine Lake Tianci 天池 with sufficient time to climb the Mayya mountains via safe wooden boardwalks is a must do! The memory of warm sesame studded freshly baked naan bread and the kebabs at Tianci food court still warms my heart.

4th June 

We boarded a 5-hours train to Bole Mongolian prefecture. This comfortable train ride shaves off about 4 hours from the long road journey. We had the most delectable kebabs ( top ranking in taste ) and noodles at RMB 238 for 8 pax lunch in Bole Kashide Restaursnt at Bole https://surl.amap.com/2JDxzk997qb.

Sayram Lake sights in summer are not just the lake itself but many tourists also walk the pretty hillsides including bridal parties. We had a lovely dinner at about 10 pm and checked in to our most expensive luxurious Chaoke Starry Sky Camp/ Glamping resort with state of the art toilets. I loved the astronaut and space display above the beds. Many paragliders are here. There was a national bike race here and several bikers brought their mountain bikes via the train.

5th June 

We went to Kiezi Jiale Lake near Wusu before reaching Karamay. This site is very popular in late October because of the yellow poplar trees lining the lake. We understand desert greening in a better perspective when we go through several "greened "desert towns. On reaching Burqin, we had the most memorable pilaf lamb rice lunch at Yinguo Zhuofan at RMB 219 for 7 pax https://surl.amap.com/1VYG55PD9Ki.

We checked in early to White Birch linjirun Hotel in Burqin and rested. Our luxurious room had  views that overlooked the Kanas Tower Bridge and the White Swan Bridge stop . At 5 pm we headed for the Multi colour beach overlooking the Irtysh River with desert colours on 1 side of the turqoise river while the lower bank is green.  Yes, this time i could clearly see the 5 colours of the rocks.The cool weather at the late evening is better. Burqin by night is a pretty town.We walked the Russian night market after dinner.Here we sample the healthy seabuck thorn drinks grown here for the first time. The riverside views and lights made the whole area very pretty and happening.

6th June 

The route to Kanas Scenic Area 喀纳斯风景区via shuttle bus is spectacular,beautiful and cuci mata ( refreshes the eyes) We took the Kanas Lake Cruise and saw the Fish Platform which we missed going and seeing the previous trip due to the bad weather. I managed to take good photos including 1 of the helicopter hovering over the hillsides. Our lunch in the village in Kanas was also good. We dropped off and walked to the river side for all the scenic spots - the moon bay   Yuèliàng Wān , the fairy bay and the dragon bay . We then drove to the shuttle transfer to go to Hemu Village  禾木村 - Hémù Cūn and checked into Surprise Hotel for 2 nights. The night, my knees hurt badly and I hobbled in pain. Jason prayed for me. 

 7th June 

The next morning,although I was better, I still felt the tight muscles pulling. I sent SOS prayer requests to Sue Ann and Pastor Irene. Miraculously minutes after both requests, my muscles loosen up and I walked that whole day without pain. Tq God for deliverance.We went to the Jike Pulin International Ski Resort - the biggest sea resort in Asia. The public toilets are the best we have found so far in all of China. They are equipped with sea covers and the full works. At 2100 m above sea level, we stop to photograph while trying out the Celebrity Swing over the edge of the mountain. 

At 2880 meters, we enjoyed the scenic views of snow capped mountains of 4 borders - Russia, Mongolia, East Khagystan and China. We threw snow balls for Ava our 5 year-old grand daughter and also sat in a solid snow chair set in a snow alcove. 

We had lunch in Hemu Village. The 4 fitter guys climb the viewing point after the scenic river. Jason & Abdul our guide took me to revist the Hemu Village Hospital where the ambulance sent me to in 2024. My recollection of the hospital and clinic facade was faint because I came in on a stretcher,traumatised and in pain. Later Ialso stood at the exact garden spot where I felI and fainted due to the pain. I declared to the garden patch and the nearby Snow White and 7 dwarfs figurines that I had come back, totally healed and stronger without any fears of Hemu. I thanked God for healing me completely. We had a lovely birthday dinner at Hemu Taoyan Villa Restaurant for RMB 1464 for 7 pax inclusive of yummy birthday cake and drinks. The gardens here are beautiful and the boutique restaurant here is very popular. 

 8th June 

We drove to Keketuohai KKTH Geo Park made famous by the KKTH Shepherd song. I had been misled by the Mandarin name to expect a lake. No, KKTH is a magnificent river canyon of the long Irtysh River. The rock cliffs here reminds me very much of Yosemite in California. There is a 4.5* ski resort in here. I like KKTH. Many ethnic families fish, picnic or camp overnight in yurts by the riverside. Yes there are many shepherds here, on horseback ushering their herds home. 

 At Fuyun we took La Mien dinner at Mayi Laichuntang Beef Noodles https://surl.amap.com/3VqS3H31ca0h at RMB 165 for 6 pax. We then checked in to Hilton at Double Tree Hotel. Again we had penthouse luxury rooms with magnificent river views. 9th June Jason n me took a short walk by the scenic river side before we left for Urumqi. 

Here we checked into our favourite Baley Hotel and was upgraded to a suite. We went to the famous Hongmeiguihua Kebabs Restaurant https://surl.amap.com/3ewBI851gef3. We had yummy roast lamb,roast pigeons, kebabs in garden settings with lacy curtains tied as in a sukkoth at RMB 763 for 7 pax. Many local families also had their meals here. 

Earlier on 3rd June, our 9 seater van in Urumqi  was hit by a loose flying tile. Thank God we all escaped unhurt. But we were very impressed by the efficiency of the traffic police. Our driver immediately called us out of the van and ushered us to a safe place beside the busy expressway. Within 3 minutes of the accident the traffic police arrived and cordoned off sections of the expressway.The police tow truck towed our van across several lanes to the side of the road. Traffic resumed normally in less than 15 minutes. Kudos to China traffic systems! 

We truly thanked God for a lovely trip for safety, lovely views, beautiful local cheap meals, very good hotels with a wonderful Uyghur tour guide Abdul who lent us his Uyghur perspective and connections with the local community. Thanks to Jason who did all the planning, to Jack Fang who liased us with the Xinjiang tour operator and had our guide greet us with rose bouquet at Urumqi brand new airport. Special mention to Jeff, our photo journalist treasurer who sends us links of every food place n exact prices of bills. 

All in all, including our 1 night stay stopover in Guangzhou with 5 great meals, we spent RM 8235 per pax for hotels, transport,food,drinks, tips for guide n drivers. The only other cost needed is the airfare cost which is about RM 3-4k depending on season.