The Lake of Heaven
I reached the head of the lake. The riverbed contained large stones, mud and
even trees swept down in the spring floods. Attempts had been made to establish
tourist camps but there was no road access, so some were abandoned. A group of
Kazaks, forestry workers, lived nearby and looked after a nursery for tree
seedlings.
I walked up the valley, through clumps of pine forests and across meadows. I
would have loved to continue walking onwards as the path was leading up towards
the Mountain of God. This was real wilderness walking in wonderful weather,
however I had to return to the bus.
Return path above the lake
There was no path along the isolated north shore so I followed a good pony
trail that climbed through the forest above the shore route I had previously
followed. It allowed great views across the lake, which meant I was stopping
regularly to take photographs. Again I was alone. There were no people and no
mechanical sounds, only the singing of birds. The air was very fresh although
slightly scented with pine. It was amazingly chilly in the shadows of the forest
but once in the direct sunshine it was hot.
The trail contoured around the hillside, crossing several streams and
dropping occasionally to clearings where sheep were grazing.
Ultimately the path became a road. Soon I was back in the main tourist area
and receiving more requests to "ride a horse". Wanting somewhere to sit and
contemplate the beauty of the area I climbed up to a village of tents. One had a
sign in English - "Restaurant" - I sat outside and had spicy lamb kebabs roasted
on sticks over a wood fire. As the sun gradually started to go behind Bogda
Feng. I kept reminding myself that I was in one of the most beautiful places I
had ever seen. My dream of reaching the Lake of Heaven had come true. It was
time to return to Urumqi and ultimately back to Beijing.
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