Silk Road - Kanas

Our last day in the Kanas scenic area was packed with sightseeing starting with touring the scenic Three Bays - Wolong Bay, Moon Bay and Shenxian Bay - bends in the Kanas River.  These are particularly pretty with the fall colours in the background.  We then visited the famous Kanas Lake (Chinese transliteration is Kana-si Lake) and it seemed the whole world was there.  We managed to do a short hike along the lake before we started to line up for the shuttle buses to take us to the start of the hike to the "Fish Viewing Pavillioin" which would give us a birds' eye view of Kanas Lake.  Looking at the map now, we were actually on the edge of China with Kazakhstan and Russia to the west and north.

Panorama of Kanas Lake

Wolong Bay (Crouching dragon bay)

Moon Bay (crescent shaped bay with beautiful S curve)

Shenxian Bay (Fairy bay)

On the way to Kanas Lake

Kanas Lake

Entertainment at the lake

The hike to the FIsh Viewing Pavillion was another challenge as there were a total of 1068 steps to get to the top and some of us were wavering as to whether to do it or not as it was not just the physical challenge, there was a time factor to it as we had to make the return trip back to the shuttle bus station within two hours, so there was no loitering or taking long rests or photo stops.  I did end up making it to the top, thanks again to encouraging morale boosters by fellow travellers.  But we did not have a lot of time to enjoy the view even as the sun was getting low over the mountains.  It was a breathtaking (in more ways than one!) view of the Altai Mountains and beyond even as we climbed and it was worth the hike.  

The Altai Mountains can be seen on the hike

Views as we climbed

View from the very top - there is only marginal difference in the perspective

The "Fish Viewing Pavillion" - apparently so named because it was the best place to watch out for the "monster fish" that was legendary on the lake.  THe Pavillion is built at the 2000m above sea level peak.

The number of steps counted!

Sun was setting as we descended

The village at the foot of the mountains

Tuva House seen earlier in the day

By the time we got down to the village, it was dark and we still had another thing on our agenda before dinner - a visit to watch the performance of Tuvan musicians.  We enjoyed the energetic performance and the music.  It was a great way to wrap up our Silk Road trip before we fly back to Urumqi in the morning.  

Lady of the house explaining the Tuvan flute

The very energetic singer/dancer

We took a flight back to Urumqi in the morning when it was still dark.  By the time we were back in Urumqi we were all exhausted so we paid just a cursory visit to the Grand Bazaar - thankfully it was not busy on a Monday.  The array of goods sold was quite amazing.  But it was a relief to finally get back to the hotel for our farewell dinner.   

What looked like Urumqi suburbs from the plane

The Grand Bazaar spread over several streets and buildings, right beside a mosqsue, is supposed to be one of the largest bazaars in the world

Urumqi rush hour at dusk

Delicious pumpkin sweet soup dessert

Fresh figs in wrapped lotus leaf - a final treat from our awesome guide who had been treating us to local specialties all along the road!

Very tasty beef tendon with perfect texture

A cut-up chicken probably just for our benefit

Whole sole

Chinese broccoli with whole garlic

After dinner dance performance with audience participation!

  A great party to wrap up the trip!

After dinner stroll in the deisgner mall beside the hotel.  Visitors to Urumqi thirty years ago could never have imagined the Urumqi they would see today!

The Altai Mountains, one last time from the plane

Writing this final post after walking through the snow in a Toronto park today made me think of what Kanas would be like in the winter.  If I were ten years younger,  I would surely return at least in early winter or spring to experience a different, wilder Kanas, and without the crowds.  

Thank you for joining me on this amazing eye-opener of a trip!  

Silk Road - Hemu

 

The last stretch of our trip, also the most anticipated, is in the Altai Mountains, in the Kanas area in Northern Xinjiang.  It was a three and a half hour flight from Urumqi and another couple of hours on the bus to Hemu.  There is a traffic jam just before we entered Hemu, that's how busy this place was because it is high season for fall colours here.  The roads to this "secluded" paradise in the Altai Mountains are packed with self-drive SUVs and tour buses.  Hemu is also one of only three remaining Tuva villages in China.  

We had lunch in a restaurant just outside of the village before heading up for a gondola ride up to the 2800 metre Yunxiao Feng where we are supposed to see four countries - China, Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan.  Unfortunately all we saw was the sign as there was a sudden whiteout and we couldn't see beyond the viewing platform.  Fortunately there was a halfway stop on the gondola and we could at least see part of the spectacular scenery from this point.  

The road to Hemu was very scenic, with lovely green, orange and gold on the rolling hills on each side.  The village of Hemu is also situated in a gorgeous valley at the height of its autumnal colours.  We enjoyed the afternoon doing a short hike up one of the surrounding hills and wandering around the village to see some of the locals dancing to attract customers to their shops.  There were demos of naan-making among other things  - an overall carnival like atmosphere.  

The rooftop of our hotel enabled us to see the village lights at night and the mist coming down from the hills in the morning.  No doubt, it would be even more beautiful if we had the energy to venture out for an early morning hike.  But there is another big hike up in Kanas scheduled for the day so we had to save our knees!

View of the Altai Mountains from half way up the mountain

Stunning fall colours on the slopes

Panorama of the area

You are supposed to be able to see four countries up on this peak "Yungxiao Feng".  But there was a whiteout when we were there so all we could see was the sign!  It was also freezing out so it turned out to be a short visit to the 2800 metre peak.

 

The road to Hemu village is filled with stunning fall colours.

Hemu village from above

A series of switchbacks took us down to the village

The river flows through the village with its distinct wood Tuva houses

Cutting up a goat

A free-running one

Yam roasting contraption

Local naan tastes so good when freshly made

Tuva dancer in the village

Shopping street

These look like homestays in the village

A birch forest just outside the village

Hemu at nightfall

Even more enchanting in the morning mist