Urumqi to Heavenly Lake Day 11 10th May
Urumqi has as a backdrop a section of the Tianshen Mountain Range that stretches through Xinjiang thought to Uzbekistan. Nestling in these mountains east of Urumqi is the Heavenly Lake.Today we headed there with our driver and guide.It took about an hour and a half and we then transferred to a shuttle bus which went about half way up the mountain to a Kazakh market and then on to the lake itself.
This is yet another example of Chinese tourism management which has adapted to effectively manage large numbers of people in potentially threatened environments.Even thought this is not peak season the numbers of people moving are staggering to Australians. And it highlights one of the paradoxes of China that whilst there are hordes of people that attend such attractions you can still escape them.In this case we walked to the lake rather than catch transport and then went for a walk.There were very few people on the trail but at the end we stumbled on a collection of bridal couples who had got to a scenic spot by road.
We returned to the main viewing spot and rejoined the crowds with lots photos being taken as theatrical poses were struck with the lake as a backdrop.
After a picnic lunch with our guide we walked back to the main bus station down a a river bed fed by the lake.We returned by shuttle and headed back to Urumqi where had a great meal at a Uighur restaurant recommended by our guide.
Back to the hotel to get ready for our last day.
