Have u seen a cotton field? Wow that was my highlight of the day passing through this vast cotton fields! Xinjiang boasts of this cotton scrub. And so with the foreign interference of “human rights” for its labour. Actually most of this is already mechanized - both planting and harvesting.
Found the cotton flower quite amazing! Looks a mangoesteen. Those in bud cannot be pry open cos inside still wet and needs another week to open on average.
So we left Burqin for Kuitun. Burqin is really a nice retirement city. Pretty. Well landscaped. So morning stroll offered a diff view compared to night.
Karamay- oil mining town. The tourist place Urgo Ghost Town Danxia landscape - can skip actually.
1. Said goodbye to Hemu and the horses to travel back to Burqin for a second night stay.
2. On route , took a peep into the Kazakh’s Turk ( the round collapsible tent). Basic yurks are temp homes as they are mainly nomadic herdsmen tending to the cows, sheep and horses. They need to move from place to place after the animals grazing
3. But this yurk along the highway was for travelliers. Very impressed by the interior of the tent! Beautiful & clean and well equipped with toilet as they offer such temporary night stays for travellers for only RMB200 a nite
4. Stopped at the 5 Colour Beach- it is a Danxia. Rock formation site. But the one we saw at North Xian was much bigger and red. The only China Irtys River flows along from Altay Mountains to North artic.
Ended the second night in Burqin with another E bike ride. Mine Meituan apps was not working. So John rode and I walked for 3 km. One won’t believe this city of beautiful lights on their bridges. Quite a pretty sight.