Visited Kanas Lake and Hemu Village, back to Urumqi to complete the Northern Xinjiang loop. Urumqi is the largest city in Xinjing, totally modern and without character, just like most of other cities in China. The only place worth a visit is the Autonomous Regional Museum. Erdaoqao and the the Grand Bazaar have been "upgrade" to the extend of without characters, totally skipable if time is tight.
Kanas Lake 喀納斯湖
去喀納斯湖，途經克拉馬依，是新疆的主要石油產地。鑽油臺多如蝗蟲。布爾津是充滿歐風（俄羅斯）的跳板小城, 城裡全是旅館。到了喀納斯，景區門外有很多旅館，但是乘園內巴士進到中心要一小時，出入費時，我們因此決定住在園內。季節還早，早晚很冷，旅館沒有暖氣，帶來的衣服都穿上了。早晨霧濃，又寧靜，沿河小徑很美。在此最後的行程是上觀魚臺。乘巴士到山頭，還要爬一千多階才到。四周景致一覽無遺。
也許是季節還沒到，還是名大期望也高，喀納斯湖並沒有我想像的美。但是看到停車場排出嚴陣以待夏季遊客的陣勢，想到那種喧鬧，再美的景致也呈受不住。我們因此還是滿意的離開了。
On the road to Kanas Lake, we pass through the big oil and natural gas town of Kalamayi, with hundreds of oil pump along side of the main highway. Xinjiang owns one third of China's oil reserve, big and long oil and natural gas pipelines have long been established.
Before and after Kanas and Hemu, we stayed in the gateway town of Buerjin, a town obviously carries some Russia influence on their building facade. There are hotels inside the NP village, more outside the park gate. From gate to the village in the park is about one hour shuttle bus ride (with stops). We decided to stay in the village in order to go around the next morning. Staying outside the gate likely meant we would just take a quick look and leave. The shuttle bus stopped at 3-4 places along the way for us to take pictures before reaching the village.
Night was chilly. Morning was foggy. Morning walked along the Kanas River was quiet and beautiful without the crowd. We also made the task of getting up to the Fish View Pagoda at the top of the mountain. Kanas Lake is famous for its autumn color and the color of the river and lake. We were in the wrong season to see any of them, but seeing the facility of handling long lines at the shuttle bus center, we simply felt off season, fewer crowd is truly priceless.
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| Wild flowers just get started |
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| Early morning at the hill back of the hotel |
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| Fog come and go all over the area 晨霧 |
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| Kanas River, the Lake is the portion that swell into big area 喀納斯河在此邊寬，水因此變緩，成了湖 |
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| 河邊步道還有積雪 |
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| This year is low on water 今年雨水很少 |
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| The Fish Viewing Pagoda at the top 觀魚亭 |
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| View from the pagoda 從觀魚亭往下看 |
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| The colorful Kanas Lake 多彩的喀納斯湖 |
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| Tuva village 圖瓦人的村莊 |
Hemu village 禾木村
有人說禾木和白哈巴是中國最美的農村。白哈巴在邊境，我們不能去，就去以白樺林著稱，又離喀那斯很近的禾木吧。
又是必須乘園內巴士進景區。車票比門票還貴，一小時的山路，有些地方還真是一線道當成兩線道行駛，會車時頭髮會站起來的感覺。但一路看到的大山大草原，讚嘆不止。這大概是我一生見過最美的路程吧。從喀納斯騎馬過來，走山路一天可到。
這本是圖瓦人的村莊，現在也有很多漢人來開旅館和小賣店。雖然房舍蓋的都是圖瓦型，但感覺一點都不美。聽說政府開始嚴管旅館，已拆除兩家了。但是我還是看到好幾家正在建，還有一家用假的看來像木屋的建材。這裡去年才拉的電，今年才接自來水，但是房裡還是沒水。原來是水管埋的不夠深，經過寒冬結冰就擠爆了。最穩定的則是手機和網路，當然，電視是必須品。
第二天清晨，往村子的最邊緣走去，整條街都是真正的圖瓦農家，再往外就是山丘和白樺林，簡單的景致，但是自然，寧靜而可親。一條路一面走一面照相一面嘆氣，真是愉快。
如果旅館和小賣店越來越多，禾木就失去原貌。像我這樣的遊客就不會來這裡了。今年我已經有這種感覺，今年以後呢？
Considered as one of the most beautiful village in China, Hemu (read her-moo) is just 30 km from Kanas. It can be reached by horse riding in one day. Again, we got to take shuttle bus from the gate and leave our car behind. The ride to the village was long, hard and beautiful along the way. Some part of the road was meant to be a one lane road, negotiated to be two way traffic. Outside of the window, I saw stunningly beautiful green mountains, vast land of pastures. This is precious land!
The village is small, famous for the Birch trees forest around. It supposed to be a Tuva farming village, but watching closely, many of them are Han people opening for business like guess houses and grocery stores that supply the tourists. We stayed in a guest house acquaint to our guide, a guest house with 9 units of motel like room. Last year, they got the electricity. This year, they got running water. But there was still no water in the room! Turned out they did not lay the pipes deep enough, it burst over the winter. Internet and cell service both work like a charm. Words are the government is cracking down some guest houses, and already torn down two, with compensation. Yet I saw many are building at the same time, one even with faked log facade.
My morning walk next day yielded some clue. The streets around our guest house was full of, guess what, guest houses, translate in my word: boring. I walked toward the edge of the village trying to see the real Tuva village. It did not disappoint me. Cows, farm house, even manure, with the famous birch trees in the background, one street, simple things. I walked up and down, taking pictures, just couldn't get over it. Somehow I felt I was in Wyoming, or Montana, with those odd looking Tuva houses. Come home to see those pictures with all the same scene repeating, I just feel soothing.
If the guest houses takes over as the main residence of Hemu, this place could lose the reason to exist, at least to people like me. This year I have to walk to the edge of the village to find what I came to see, what about next year, and the year after?
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| This is the whole Hemu Village 禾木村全景 |
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| This is one of my favorites. The cow on the left looked so much at where she belongs. |
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