During the 10-day journey to explore the two cities of Altay and Yining, Ms. Pham Minh Thuy (29 years old, Hai Phong) and her husband held hands to admire the beauty of winter forests, snow-covered villages and foggy ice lakes. The two cities with locations that have become symbols of Xinjiang such as: Hemu, Kanas, Baihaba, Lake Sailimu or Kurdening forest really left a deep impression on the young couple.
White snow painting
Ms. Thuy and her husband have truly set foot in the dream village on a recent trip. In the middle of the freezing winter, Hemu village appears like a picturesque painting.
As an ancient village located in the north of Xinjiang Autonomous Region (China), near the border with Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, Hemu village is known as one of the most beautiful villages in China. The traditional wooden houses in the village have distinctive pointed roofs, using mahogany and birch wood.
The female tourist said: "The Xinjiang winter, for my feeling, is not the knee-deep snow or the biting cold like the Northeast of China, but a very different feeling: Vast, quiet and somewhat romantic. Having been to Harbin and Inner Mongolia in winter, I realized Xinjiang is much more pleasant".
The snow is not too thick because the temperature does not drop too low, but in return, the scenery is diverse and the space is overwhelmingly expanded. If the mushroom house architecture in Harbin makes a strong visual impression, the wooden house in Hemu village scores points for its harmony with nature.
Standing from the hill looking down is a whole village covered in white snow, each house has its own yard, neither cramped nor noisy," Ms. Thuy added.
Hemu village owns 2 sightseeing spots so that visitors can welcome the sunrise and welcome the beautiful sunset. Although climbing is quite hard, slippery and crowded, in return is the moment to see the panoramic view of the valley submerged in snow and mist when the sun rises or falls.
From Hemu village, the group continued to visit famous places such as: Moon Bay, Wolon Bay, Kanas Lake, Fairy Bay. Returning to the center of Altay, one of the newest and most memorable experiences of the trip was surfacing on ice floes. This is a relatively new activity, with a relatively high cost of about 300 yuan (equivalent to more than 1 million VND).
Ms. Minh Thuy expressed: "That day was one of the rare afternoons with sunsets in my trip. Initially, I didn't have too many expectations, but the 20-minute experience was quite interesting, not cold at all, and was enthusiastically supported by the crew, and brought back unique flycam photos, especially photos taken by the organizers that were very beautiful and strange.
Land of Wonders
In Yining, when entering Kurdening forest - a famous fir forest in the Thien Son range, Ms. Thuy likes the moment of sitting in a car driving through the snow forest the most. Looking out from the car, the winter scenery here is no different from movie footage.
This forest is a famous scenic spot with dense pine forest ecosystems and views of snow mountains. This is a great place for experiential activities such as trekking, horseback riding, and camping in traditional tents.
Among the stops in Kurdening, the Vietnamese female tourist highly appreciated the scenery from the Qimengde aerial viewpoint when admiring the snow-covered forest blending with the rolling hilly terrain, creating one of the most impressive scenes of the trip.
The next destination is Sailimu Lake (Sayram) - the largest high mountain lake in Xinjiang, a place that was highly expected but also left the most regrets for Ms. Thuy.
“In Sailimu, if you come on a sunny day, visitors will see the snow mountains clearly. But when you come on snowy days like us, the scenery is foggy, making it difficult to see the scenery. Therefore, I am quite sorry and hope that in the near future there will be a day to return to Sailimu on a sunny day,” Ms. Thuy recalled.
Lake Sailimu, also known as Lake Sayram, is known as the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean. This is the largest mountain lake with an area of 458km2 and is located at the highest altitude of over 20,000m in Xinjiang. Lake Sailimu's water is turquoise, surrounded by lush green meadows, blooming wildflowers and snow-covered mountain peaks.
In the last days, Ms. Thuy and her husband spent time strolling around the typical neighborhoods of Yining, before moving by high-speed train to Urumqi. The Persian Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, brings a completely different image: Vivid, colorful with meticulously cared for architecture and clear local atmosphere. Those relaxed last days closed the winter journey lasting nearly two weeks.
Xinjiang winter, from the perspective of a Vietnamese female tourist, may not be the most beautiful season to "live virtually", but it is the season that makes her feel the vastness, tranquility and depth of this land the most clearly, and also the season that leaves the most reasons for one day she will return, when the sun rises on Sailimu Lake.
