Departing from Kuqa, traversing the Duku Highway in reverse

Upon hearing the news that the Duku Highway opened early this year, I was constantly debating whether to take the trip. The difficulty lay in the fact that I only had a 7-day vacation. If I went to the Duku Highway, I would have to give up some places in southern Xinjiang that I wanted to visit. In the end, I didn't want to miss this opportunity, so I gave up the trip to Shache. The two of us decided to return to Kashgar from Tashkurgan without resting, immediately return the car at the airport, and take the 8 PM flight to Kuqa. At the same time, we arranged for a car to depart from Kuqa the next day 🚗; on the evening of the first day, we learned from the news that the northern section of the Duku Highway was closed again on the 3rd due to snowfall. We calculated that we would arrive in Dushanzi on the 6th, by which time it should be open again. We even booked our return flight tickets. On the first day, we set off after breakfast, with the first stop being the Kuqa Grand Canyon. We had a simple lunch of hand-pulled rice and passed through Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, where we encountered a horse racing 🏇 event. It was very lively 🏇🏇🏇🏇🏇, with dozens of horses competing fiercely under the riders' control. It was bustling with excitement . Due to weather conditions, the Bayinbuluk Scenic Area was not open, which was a small regret on this trip. We stayed overnight in Bayinbuluk Town, where the wind was really strong, and I was really cold 🥶. Braving the strong wind, we went out to eat a yak hotpot 🥘, which was a bit of comfort for our shivering bodies . On the second day, we continued to Nalati. In the Nalati Grassland, we took a small car to the Snow Lotus Valley, where we walked to the glacier and touched the icy cold ice. We stayed overnight in Nalati Town, with the incessant Gongnaisi River right in front of the hotel. We went to a nearby popular bazaar to eat a meal. The little 🦞 grilled buns were quite creative, but the other dishes didn't seem to live up to their high ratings. The highlight came on the third day. The essence of the Duku Highway is in the northern section from Nalati to Dushanzi. Along the way, there were mountains, canyons, snowfields, and grasslands. It truly felt like experiencing four seasons in one day, with different weather every ten miles. After crossing the Hashilegen Daban, we saw snow walls as high as 5 meters. It was hard to imagine what a spectacular sight it would be in winter. We arrived in Dushanzi at 1 PM, toured the Duku Highway Museum, and had a bowl of Xinjiang specialty noodles at the nearby 'Flying Latiaozi.' Then we took a train from Kuitun Station back to Urumqi, headed straight to the airport after getting off the train, and arrived home in the evening. The journey went smoothly .