We had one free day before the meeting starts, so decided to make a day trip to Tian Chi, or Heavenly Lake. Alex, our guide, is most knowledgeable and obliging. He told us some interesting information:
1. Official working hours start from 10 am. Urumqi is 2 hours behind Beijing but it follows Beijing time. So everyone starts work at Beijing 10 am. That confused me quite a bit, but really, isn't it a civilised way? This could well suit me as I am not a morning person.
2. The sun usually sets around 10 pm. The days are long, and the nights short. The long hours of sunlight is good for farming, they say it is what makes the fruits sweet and the flowers beautiful.
3. There are more than 40 minority tribes in Xinjiang. The two biggest tribes are the Uighurs and the Kazaks. The province itself is bordered by 5 countries- Pakistan, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakstan and Uzbekistan. Hence the diverse culture and lifestyle that is vastly different to rest of China.
The nearly 2 hour drive took us through the evolving terrain between the city and the Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountain). The edge of the city is sandy and bare, then the scrubs appear, with an occasional camel or two. Alex says the province gets 16 mm of rain per year, i.e. very little indeed. The scenery reminds me of Condor Heroes wuxia stories set in the grasslands and deserts.
\
Closer to the Tian Shan mountain, we saw more greenery and gurgling streams. The tent-like structure is a yurt, home for the Kazak people. And at the foot of Tian Shan, we saw Kazak herdsmen with their sheeps. Baa baa....
After waiting with millions of other mainlander tourists in the scorching heat we managed to get into the cable car and up the mountain. Some parts of the mountain is still covered in snow.
The snow is the reason why agriculture remains viable even though the annual rainfall is only 16mm. In spring the snow melts and the water flows downhill. A canal system diverts the water to the farmlands.
On right: Dressed up sheep, cute little boy and two precocious girls charming everyone into taking a picture of them for some pocket money. Note to self: buy stuffed sheep.
The water in the lake was as clear as a mirror, and very cold. Beyond the lake is a monastery.
In the afternoon, Alex took us to the grand bazaar area at Er Dao Jiao where we had gone to the day before. No cute stuffed sheep, instead I bought a rug woven with a grassland scene.
Returning to the hotel I was most pleasantly surprised to see on my table some very beautiful local produce- sweet donut peaches, seedless grapes and a whole Hami melon. Was somebody reading my blog? No, the fruits were a gift from the city officers to the participants of the meeting (that I am helping to coordinate). The Hami melon was gorgeously sweet and juicy, totally different from the soapy tasting cubes served at the breakfast buffet. The peaches and grapes also spectacularly good. This easy availability of fruits is really endearing, I remembered that it was so difficult, and expensive, to purchase fresh fruits in Shanghai. Who knows, all the lovely fruits and the fresh almonds from the bazaar might improve my health before I return home?
