Leisurely Travels Through Four Seasons -- Northwest by West (10)
Different Salt Lakes
Wusute Water Yadan is a freshwater lake, but near it, along our travel route, lie many saltwater lakes with various appearances and colors—these are the most famous salt lakes in the Great Northwest.
Chaka Salt Lake is one of the most famous. It welcomed me, a visitor from Hubei, with the most direct and straightforward way of free admission, which made me like it even more. This is the location of the famous "Sky Mirror" attraction. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit overcast that day, the sunlight not very strong, and the light the sky gave to the mirror was insufficient, affecting the photo quality for many beauty enthusiasts. But this did not diminish the enthusiasm of the tourists at all, especially those beautiful or not-so-beautiful, plump or slender, young or not-so-young ladies. They were not afraid of the cold, full of vitality, standing barefoot in small groups in the middle of the salt lake, waving colorful scarves in red, orange, yellow, and green, tirelessly finding the best angles for photos, posing charmingly and casting glances full of radiance.
Chaka Salt Lake has many lifelike salt sculptures, the most famous being those of King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West. Legend has it that King Mu of Zhou once rode eight steeds that could travel thirty thousand li a day, journeying westward all the way to the Kunlun Mountains just to catch a glimpse of the Queen Mother of the West. And the Queen Mother, being likewise affectionate, hosted a banquet at Jasper Pool for this distinguished guest. The two spent several days together in great delight. When parting, they exchanged songs, expressing much reluctance.
Unlike Chaka Salt Lake, the other two salt lakes, Emerald Lake and Dongtai Jinaier Lake, have not yet fallen victim to developers and are currently non-fee scenic spots. Indeed, non-fee scenic spots often have more to see; the two salt lakes exhibit a beauty that is free and natural. We arrived at Emerald Lake near dusk, and the sunlight was very cooperative. Autumn often brings high clouds and light breezes, but the autumn sky in the Great Northwest is even more vast and distant. Hence, the sun was even more free and unrestrained, slowly moving westward among the sparse clouds, generously pouring its radiance onto the salt lake and the cheering tourists by the shore. Under the sunlight, each salt lake, with its varying depths, displayed different shades of green—pale green, emerald green, or jade green. Tourists didn't need to pick a spot; anywhere they stood, it was a beautiful scene with beautiful people, truly suitable for both light and heavy makeup.
