August 8, we have a line 12 people sitting three points, "Tau" (Toyota 4500) starting from Xinjiang Kuqa prepared to spend a day crossing the Taklimakan Desert Highway, drove 1100 kilometers, direct the ancient city of Khotan. I originally planned tower in the desert highway in the accommodation, but it is understood that only more than 20 rooms hostel field, there is no way an organization more than 10 people stay at the same time in August is peak tourist season, so they fast "bull" Jiabian, Japan Bank Trinidad .
7:00 more from the Kuqa start (which is equivalent to more than 5 o'clock local time), along the road overlooking the Tianshan Mountains. The Tianshan Mountains as a far off screen, early morning Xiaguang blocked in the mountains and the clouds of gray woven blue screen, occasionally wiping a few Chromic leakage. Some day, the sky was overcast, I am where truck drivers along the way surprisingly happy, saying that the sun into the desert would not be a barbecue.
To drive 100 kilometers, reached the round of Taiwan, and we get off with a breakfast. Uygur a small roadside restaurant is very unique, rectangular pattern on the table are covered with bright colored cloth and looked much know where to go to FB. We picked up a large-scale restaurant, taking a seat on the last point of the pilaf, roasted lamb, perhaps hungry to get up early, and we all feel that this meal is the best breakfast along the taste.
After dinner, we walk through the Tarim River Bridge. Tarim River here has become very wide, but shallow water, similar to beach, river next to a flock of sheep grazing in a leisurely manner, wearing a Pied Piper of the shepherd girl and tame the river to form a Yanger their beautiful landscape.
On the bus along the way we eat has some treat, it is. On the ground than other parts of the dense pine grows more tangible, redness of the tip-side is also feeling more more. Occur from time to time into the film Populus euphratica, although there is no legend of the fall and winter brown color, but added green presents a scene of vitality, so that people feel that life is more robust than unrestrained broken dead wood.
Close to the formal pre-desert highway, the sky became dark and the. In our park, with a pictures of dead wood of Populus euphratica, the clear sense that a windy, but the wind carries a thin sand, straight mouth, ears fall in., on the bus after the camera has already cast a thin layer of sand, quickly blowing balloons with careful care.
And then going forward, feeling a bit ominous. Sandy began flying the sky. Thought of departure in the sky to see one or two short and powerful lightning, truck drivers began a little whisper, and it is time to hit a sandstorm. Car of the road very well in the desert road, the edge of Populus euphratica have been left behind, the roadside is the rolling sand dunes beside the road there is a very artificial sand prevention of plant costs, as well as together with the road extension for irrigation rubber pipes.
Slow going forward of the thirty or forty kilometers, the trend of increasing dust storms, initially visibility or two hundred meters, while martial arts, can only see ten to twenty meters road. Wind carrying Spinning, rustling hit the windshield, as is to give the engine sounds were accompanied by grits of sand ball accompaniment, the driver carefully put the steering wheel, the earth has been spinning the road covered with the surrounding desert ambiguous on. Let us very excited that filled the air of the sand in the desert on the road to form a very spectacular sight of sand in the air, fluttering into the sky marked with a yellow blur the background. Amazing is that in windblown sand on the desert pavement, the asphalt Heiyou You wanders the dark side of naturals of the spun yarn has been cut into many of the wind varies in width of the yellow sand belt, floating gracefully on the road. The sand fly with a source from the Tarim desert, it seems to show the visitors their flexibility and determination so that you insight in the hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of desert, Who is the real master.
Open until fifty or sixty miles, and our vision has become only a few meters away, the back has no car to keep up with moving, the opposite is rarely drove a vehicle. Truck drivers a little bit scared, and sliding the section of the road, we open the double jump lights, stop in the desert highway, and this was around 12 noon, to discuss whether the driver and tour guide at the U-turn back, while the sand is not torsion in non-compliance beating the windows. The driver in front of us to see the original opening of the banking system, a couple of cars turned back, and asked to return for the determination of more urgent. Truck drivers explained that if such a drive to the hinterland of the desert road length 580 km, may be open to not go out at night, when the time but was caught in a dilemma after dark, more trouble. 're Wondering, we see the opposite car slowly coming two busy, so that tour guides to try to discover the message, an understanding, they have been through the hinterland, sand, and there is no increase in the hinterland. We hear, was very encouraging and decided to enter quickly and no longer to wait.
"Cow-head" Crimping elegant air of the sand belt is fifty or sixty kilometers to move forward, sand or in a welcoming way that they beat the body, the surrounding landscape of the desert were not too friendly, they just feel "cow-head" like is a wasteland of sand on the slide without the Beatles, who's small, goes without saying.
Dust storm turned to the nearby hinterland, not enhanced, the sky seems to have put some light, visibility is also increased. Along the road on the stubborn desert vegetation to grow along the way gave us some consolation in the green, the most impressive is that every ten kilometers you can see a pump house. Covered with red roof pump house, living along the green-maintaining angel wearing them every certain period of time will be groundwater pumped from the depths of the desert is said to play down to 56 meters, the Tarim Basin will be able to see the ground, but the groundwater Also astringent and salty, but used to irrigate the desert vegetation is still good to Combat Desertification. In some sections, the green vegetation has formed a film, and effectively stopped the rolling sand dunes, in these sections, sandstorms will become weaker.
In fact, according to truck drivers say that in the Taklimakan Desert, is a windy dust storms, but some of today's larger dust storms, he had many times across the desert highway, this time be regarded as a rare dust storms.
All the way silent, intermittent forward to playing a few nap, and no place to eat lunch, three "cow-head" to withstand wind and sand all the way Mercedes-Benz, until four or five in the afternoon, we gradually opened to the edge of the desert and saw 580 kilometers of signs. Out of the desert highway, a short break to a Minfeng County. Minfeng still sandstorms, stand by the roadside, almost could not open the eyes, it is the admiration of local residents still living as usual.
Out Minfeng too Tian, Ben Wada, along the sand remains constant, there is a road dust storms is particularly great. To see the way a donkey cart, donkey made a temper, rein whip, refused to walk, the driver said to be unwilling to take the donkey, and of course we all know that this path of the driver was very hard.
Eight or nine at night, dust is no longer rampant, the local dark in ten point, the driver said the sandstorm afford to lose anymore, if there are dark dust storms, absolutely impossible to separate road and ditch, and the desert road to Hotan County, along the road are is a sand dune, operator we are lucky.
11 pm and more, we finally arrived in Hotan County, along the way of the thriller and turned it into blast from the past. But the overwhelming dust storms sand dunes with spectacular deep to stay in the depths of our memories, let us add a sense of awe of nature.
Author: travelfan
