The seventh and eighth days of the self-driving trip from Beijing to Xinjiang

Today, we set off from Nalati to the Kazanqi Folk Tourism Area in Yili Old Town, covering a total distance of 250 kilometers in 3 hours. The scenery along the way is beautiful, with lush crops and vegetation everywhere, and you can see herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, as well as fitness enthusiasts running. This entire route is on the highway with very few service areas, so we refueled our car whenever we saw a gas station, almost always keeping the tank full. Upon arriving at the Kazan Folk Tourism Area, we found a parking lot nearby and took our dog to explore the scenic area. The area is large, featuring local tricycles 🛺 and electric cars for tourists, but you can also explore the area on foot. After finishing our visit, we set off again. Today, we had no specific destination and decided to go wherever the road took us. We left the scenic area around noon and headed towards the Horgos Port, then turned right towards Sayram Lake. This stretch of the journey was incredibly beautiful. Leaving the scenic area, we entered an open area with lush greenery and distant mountains ⛰️ and snow-capped peaks 🏔️. As we continued, we entered the highway section of the Sayram Lake Scenic Area. On one side of the lake is the snow-capped mountain 🏔️, and on the other side is the highway. A long section of this highway is built within the scenic area. We stopped at the Sayram Lake rest area to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Continuing on, we passed through a tunnel and started winding up the mountain. The road was flanked by high mountains and deep valleys, which, though dangerous, were stunningly beautiful. Finally, we reached the top of the mountain, and the Guozigou Bridge suddenly appeared, which was incredibly awe-inspiring. At that moment, I felt an immense sense of pride and excitement for our powerful motherland 👍. We drove off the bridge and started descending the mountain. As it got darker, we exited the highway nearby to find a hotel to rest.