Xi'an - Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop - Ejina Banner 10-Day Tour
Travel is a wish, a beautiful longing stirred by the unknown.
Travel isn't just about escaping life's drudgery, but more about getting to know travel itself.
An interesting life is half made of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas. After a dusty journey, there's always a way home. The best moments are on the road, always facing the sun. Having trodden across mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, you feel that the world is truly worth it.
The northwest had been on my mind for ages, and after years of dreaming about the Ejina Banner poplar forests, I'm finally here.
DAY 1: With a flight booked for just after 7 a.m., I got to the airport at midnight the night before. Wandered around aimlessly for seven hours, dead tired, when the boarding announcement for Xining finally crackled over the speakers. Inside my head, a thousand alpacas were stampeding.
This was the most undignified boarding in all my travels. At last, I could catch some sleep on the plane.
A Cantonese trademark --- flip-flops. Just me in my carefree spirit, while everyone else was in long sleeves, trousers and sneakers.
Sorted the car rental at the airport, and our grand loop journey began.
As we headed for Qinghai Lake, the temperature dropped lower and lower. I pulled on more layers while driving, and as we slowly climbed into high altitude, even sealed packets began to swell.
Finally reached Qinghai Lake. The scenery along the way was quite lovely, golden rapeseed flowers everywhere, but the spot itself was a bit of a letdown. Maybe I was too tired, or maybe I didn't find the right place. Pressed on toward Chaka Salt Lake~
On the way to Chaka, my buddy had a near miss while driving — almost ended up in a ditch. Gave us an instant jolt of alertness. Once at Chaka, the guesthouse owner recommended a local restaurant. Tasted pretty good and reasonably priced, and they even threw in two yoghurts. Fed and watered, time for a rest — my friend was suffering from altitude sickness.
Woke up well past eleven, looked up to a sky full of stars. Immediately piled on every piece of thick clothing I had and asked the owner to take us out to see the Milky Way. Turns out the disappointing weather during the day was all just set-up for tonight's surprise. Left at midnight to photograph the Milky Way. Every shot needed a 30-second exposure in the 6°C cold. We stayed out there for two hours, frozen through, but it was totally worth it~ This was the most stars I've ever seen, each one glittering like a diamond.
DAY 2: Woke up feeling much refreshed. Breakfast: soy milk, fried dough sticks, xiaolongbao. Then off to Chaka Salt Lake.
At Chaka Salt Lake you can buy an all-inclusive ticket, but to wade into the lake you need to rent red waterproof boots. After the photos, your legs will be caked in salt. Guess it wasn't the right season; the sky was a bit grey and hazy, so photos came out just so-so. Next stop: Da Qaidam.
Drove 400 kilometres through an unpopulated area, the sun chasing us the whole way. The left side of the driver's face got a few shades darker. Saw snow-capped mountains glowing gold in the sunlight.
DAY 3: Emerald Lake was like God's spilled palette — pure natural beauty, stunning~~~
Near the site there were quite a few photographers charging for those mirror-effect photos. She said she could capture a blockbuster-like shot. Haha.
I was on the road, and the road was on my mind.
Finally hit the viral Highway 315, and saw the legendary U-shaped road in person. For safety reasons you can't stop to take photos, so you can only soak it up and be amazed by China's natural landscapes. Over 600 kilometres in total, drove until my legs turned to jelly. A fresh experience that reshaped my sense of the Northwest.
The newly hyped "Chinese Maldives" ---- East Taijinar Lake. By the time I got there the water level had dropped, and with the weather not cooperating, it was another slight disappointment.
On we drove, up and down, up and down mountains, all winding mountain roads in pitch darkness, the moon lighting our way. Looking back, I was pretty gutsy — what if the car broke down? Nothing but black mountain roads. The stretch entering Gansu was rough, and we had container trucks behind us lighting the way (their headlights can shine far ahead). Too scared to drive fast in the dark, we'd soon have a truck trying to overtake. I'd speed up to stay in front, so their beam could guide us — plus it felt like having a companion on the dark road. After a few rounds of this, the truck driver gave up trying to pass. After more than six hours of mountain roads, past midnight, we arrived at the homestay.
DAY 4: Started the day with a Dunhuang-style soda breakfast.
Mingsha Hill & Crescent Spring — you absolutely must ride a camel. Today we were baptized by a Level 10 sandstorm. Didn't take anything away with me, just a body full of sand.
By the time we reached Jiayuguan it was already dark. Grabbed a late-night bite and off to bed.
DAY 5: The owner recommended a breakfast spot the locals go to — had 'huguo' paste stew and saozi noodles.
Inside the fort, I asked a stallholder what the red stuff was. Turned out to be fresh goji berries. Really the first time I'd seen them fresh. We had to hurry to the next stop, so departed soon after — driving from Jiayuguan to Ejina Banner takes 6–7 hours.
On the way into Inner Mongolia, we saw lots of people buying Hami melons. I joined in. Super sweet at just 2 yuan per jin.
Arrived in Inner Mongolia facing the sun. Definitely had to try local dishes, so ordered camel meat. The boss lady asked how much lamb we wanted. I said one jin. She looked at us in surprise, "That won't be enough." I said, "It's enough." I was thinking, do we really look like we can eat that much?
This isn't a wholesale market — it's a roadside stall in the town, Hami melons everywhere.
After five days, I was really craving a proper drink. Searched all the way, finally found a place — paired it with super sweet fruit.
DAY 6: The highlight of the trip. Got up at 4 a.m., drove over an hour.
For the first time in all my travels, I watched a sunrise. Stood by the sea in the biting cold wind waiting for the sun to come up. Seagulls glided, I stared toward the sunrise, rubbing my frozen hands together. Whoa — the sun slowly rose, and it all felt worth it. So lucky, and the weather played its part beautifully.
Such a stunning geological park, so close to nature. Everything is the best encounter. Every spot breathes the scent of nature, the kind of scenery you can't find in a bustling city. Words fail me — just look at the photos~.
Three thousand years of watching and waiting, just for your arrival. The poplar forest opens only 21 days each year. After years of longing, finally here. The forest is basically a park in the central area. At first I was quite surprised, thought it was just a small park — it didn't match what I'd seen in guide photos. Only after going in did I realize it's huge (there are shuttle buses inside, included in the ticket). There are eight bridges in total. Recommended routes: Bridge 2 — Reflection Forest; Bridge 4 — Hero Forest; Bridge 7 — Dream Forest. My favorite was Bridge 7, and that's where the biggest crowds were. Bridge 8 is desert, with lots of desert games you can play~~~~ Clothing tip: white or red photographs best.
Another night of rushing (more than 6 hours' drive). Having got up so early and now driving late into the night, I was dead tired. At times I felt like I couldn't even see the road. Finally arrived past 2 a.m. All the while the homestay owner kept calling to confirm if we were still checking in that night.
Zhangye Danxia — a natural geological park. Without sun, it lacked a bit of surprise. No huge wow~.
Haven't seen snow in two years. Today we experienced 0°C snowfall, then thick fog with visibility of just three metres, high altitude, and I was constantly chewing dried wind-dried beef to ease the ear-popping. Finally reached a big city, cars everywhere — jolted me fully alert.
DAY 8: Happy birthday, Motherland! The best gift on 1st October was crossing three provinces and seven cities, completing a 3,325-kilometre road trip. Every day something new and different happened, experiencing spring, summer, autumn and winter in one go. Loved Highway 315 the most; the most beautiful scenery is on the road — that's the meaning of travel. Finally fulfilled my Northwest dream: Tibet + Xinjiang + Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop + Inner Mongolia poplar forest~. On to my next chapter~.
A flash visit to Xi'an ~ Tang Paradise Eternal Night City was insanely crowded, wall-to-wall people everywhere. Different festival, same mobs. Ran into a buddy's birthday, and Hainan Airlines sent a birthday greeting.
Gelao Guan ~ no wonder it's a viral restaurant. Queued for over an hour, and even after finishing, there were still huge crowds waiting. Tastes awesome and looks great too. The special bullfrog was super tender~.
DAY 9: Booked a day tour the day before. Had to gather before 6 a.m. to wait for the bus. The guide kept plugging optional performances; my friend and I pretended to be asleep and deaf. Our inner monologue: 'No thanks, no thanks.' When other passengers were paying up, I told the guide I had an afternoon flight and needed to leave early. After sorting it with the guide, we skipped lunch and took a cab back to the city centre. Hahahaha. It was raining, so we rested at the hotel before heading out to find food.
Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an — hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Travelled back through history to understand it all; you can't help but marvel at how brilliant ancient minds were. Many of the old crafting techniques are still used today~.
Xi'an's Yongxing Fang — a foodie's dream. I spent the whole evening eating non-stop, tried a dozen snacks. Tasty and cheap, not overly commercialised like elsewhere. These six things are an absolute must-try.
Hardly taken the subway since graduation. Stumbled upon a Wanda Mall — as huge as a football field, never seen one that big before. Gave it a go tonight. A 40-minute road journey took just over ten minutes on the subway.
DAY 10: Chang'an Da Paidang — come to Xi'an with ten stomachs please. Continuing my foodie trail, checked out this viral canteen, another place with a crazy long queue. Food was pretty good, all signature dishes above. I recommend the Shiershichen branch — fewer people~.
Last stop of this trip: Huimin Street. So many people. It was just okay~.
The bell tolls, signalling it's time to head home. Boarded the flight and the journey ended.
Bonus: Forgot to eat those lovely crystal sugar hawthorn skewers. They melted in the heat back home. Sob sob sob~
The greatest meaning of travel isn't about how many people you've met, or how much beautiful scenery you've seen, but rather that along the way, in a certain moment, you suddenly see yourself anew. Where you go doesn't matter so much; that you go does.
What time should leave us with isn't wrinkles on our faces and extra pounds on our bodies, but increasingly mature thoughts, an optimistic outlook on life, a bowl of hot soup, the kindest breeze, and the ones we love by our side.
This route was the most surprising I've ever travelled. Every day behind the wheel, something unexpected happened, loads of fun — you only know when you've lived it. Especially the stretches through uninhabited areas and Highway 315, and the road to Ejina Banner. The roads on 315 are wide and mostly empty for miles; it feels like you have the whole place to yourself, with plains stretching out on both sides. The road from Jiayuguan to Ejina Banner is also lightly trafficked, just lots of trucks hauling fruit, and it's a pleasant drive. Attractions in the northwest are quite spread out, so I really recommend renting a car for convenience. Gas stations are also far apart — whenever you see one, fill up and you'll be fine. This was a truly meaningful trip, and I loved it~~~.
Shenzhen - Xining - Qinghai Lake - Chaka Salt Lake - Emerald Lake - East Taijinar Lake - Mingsha Hill & Crescent Spring - Jiayuguan Fort - Juyan Lake - Ejina Banner Poplar Forest - Zhangye Danxia - Xining - Xi'an - Shenzhen
END~~~~~~
