Itinerary written by Xiaohong, 9/6/2025

Highlights:

• Landscapes: deserts, canyons, high mountains, lakes, grasslands, ancient villages.

• Culture: Uyghur villages, old towns, Buddhist caves, Silk Road ruins.

• Food: hand-pulled rice, big-plate chicken, lamb specialties, naan, fresh melons, Aksu apples, Hami grapes.

• Special Drinks: yogurt ice, milk beer, carrot juice, pomegranate juice.

• Souvenirs and local products: dried fruits (dates, raisins, figs, apricots, almonds).

Key Route Overview

Days 1–2: Beijing → Bayan Nur → Ejina Banner
Long drives westward (desert and poplar forest views).

Day 3–4: Ejina → Hami → Turpan

• Desert and Yardang landforms.

• Flaming Mountains, Tuyoq ancient Uyghur village, Grape Valley.

• Turpan’s ancient Karez irrigation system.

Day 5: Turpan → Urumqi

• Karez Museum, Dabancheng, optional hot springs.

• Evening in Urumqi: International Grand Bazaar, local foods, dried fruit markets.

Days 6–8: Urumqi → Sulfur Hot Springs → Anjihai Grand Canyon → Duku Highway → Ili region

• Stunning Danxia landscapes and canyons.

• Sayram Lake (sunrise, swan area, scenic drive).

• Guozigou Bridge and Horgos border town.

Days 9–12: Ili → Bayinbulak Grassland → Kuqa

• Bayinbulak prairie and Swan Lake.

• Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon, Thousand Buddha Caves.

• Flaming Spring (water + fire phenomenon).

Days 13–16: Kuqa → Kashgar

• Wensu Grand Canyon.

• Kashgar Old Town: alleys, tea houses, local foods.

• Side trips: Karakul Lake, Muztagh Peak, Red Mountain, White Sand Lake, Tashkorgan & Khunjerab Pass.

Days 17–19: Kashgar → Hotan → Minfeng → Tarim Desert Highway → Korla

• Endless desert highway.

• Tarim Poplar Forest Park.

• Bosten Lake, Lop Nor Yardang canyons, Lop People’s Village.

Days 20–23: Korla → Turpan → Dunhuang → Qinghai → Lanzhou → Beijing

• Xuanzang Museum, Mogao Caves, Crescent Moon Spring.

• Salt lakes, Jade Lake, Qinghai Lake.

• Xining → Lanzhou.

• Return via Shaanxi landscapes (Wave Valley) → Beijing.

✅ Trip Theme: A blend of geology + food.
⛰️ Nature & Landforms: deserts, lakes, glaciers, gorges.
🍇 Food Journey: lamb dishes, naan, yogurt drinks, seasonal fruits.
🛍️ Specialties: Xinjiang dried fruits, nuts, and dairy drinks.

More Details:

Day 1: Oct 20

Beijing → Bayannur (950 km, 12 hrs, overnight stay)

Day 2: Oct 21

Bayannur → Ejina Banner, Leaf Hotel (700 km, overnight stay)

Day 3: Oct 22

Ejina Banner → Hami City (700 km, overnight stay)

Day 4: Oct 23

Hami → Great Pirate Scenic Area → Kumtag Desert → Flaming Mountain → Tuyoq Mazar Village → Grape Valley → Turpan (550 km, overnight stay)

• Features: desert scenery, Uyghur village, Flaming Mountain, Grape Valley

• Great Pirate Scenic Area tickets: 45 RMB/person, 100 RMB/vehicle

• Tuyoq Mazar Village: one of the oldest Uyghur villages, nestled in a gorge of the Flaming Mountain

Day 5: Oct 24

Turpan → Karez Museum → Dabancheng → Hot Springs (optional) → Urumqi (Baofenglou Veterans’ Guesthouse, overnight stay) (300 km)

• The Turpan Karez system, together with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, is one of the three great ancient Chinese engineering feats, with more than 1,100 canals spanning ~5,000 km.

Day 1 (again, from Xinjiang proper): Sept 25–26

Urumqi – Handle border permits – Xinjiang Regional Museum – Hetian Second Street (for dining: hand-grab rice, big-plate chicken, thin-skin dumplings) – Consulate Lane (milk-skin ice cream) – International Grand Bazaar – Xinjiang Folk Street (photos) – Jinquan Mall (souvenirs) – Veterans’ Guesthouse.
Shopping: Red Hill Dried Fruit Market or Hualing Dry Fruit Zone.

Day 3: Sept 27

Urumqi → Liuhuanggou Hot Spring → Danxia Landform → Kangjia Shimenzi Rock Paintings → Lujiaowan → Anjihai Grand Canyon → Dushanzi (400 km, overnight, via S101 Defense Highway).

• Anjihai Grand Canyon (Red Mountain Canyon): a spectacular rift carved by Tianshan glacial waters, exposing Cretaceous and Tertiary strata. A 30-km stretch filled with red cliffs, green islands, and winding rivers—“a scar of beauty on the earth.”

• “Zero Kilometer” starting point of the Duku Highway.

Day 4: Sept 28

Dushanzi (Duku Hwy start) → Sailimu Lake (East Gate → North Gate → Dianjiangtai → South Gate Exit) → Guozigou Scenic Overlook → Khorgos Border Port → Huocheng County (500 km, overnight).

• Notes: Enter Sailimu Lake from the east gate, go counterclockwise (Moon Bay, Songshutou sunrise, Dianjiangtai, Swan Lake), exit south gate, skip the tunnel, take the road toward Guozigou Scenic Overlook.

Day 5: Sept 29

Khorgos Border Port → Tangbula Scenic Gallery → Qiolma Martyrs Cemetery → Bayinbuluke Town (550 km, overnight; depending on weather, enter Bayinbuluke Grasslands).

Day 6: Sept 30

Bayinbuluke → Dalongchi Lake → Tianshan Mysterious Canyon → Flaming Spring → Kuqa City (350 km, overnight, end of Duku Hwy).

• Tianshan Mysterious Canyon: towering red cliffs, strange rock formations, Tang-era Thousand Buddha Cave (35m cliff-side murals, unique in Central Asia). Sunset paints the peaks like a red sea.

• Flaming Spring: spectacular “fire-and-water” phenomenon.

Day 7: Oct 1

Kuqa → Wensu Grand Canyon → Aheqi County (500 km, overnight).

Day 8: Oct 2

Aheqi → Kashgar Old City (350 km, overnight).

• Kashgar attractions: Rainbow Alley, Cloth Sack Alley, century-old teahouses.

Alternative Kashgar Routes

• Option 1 (Sept 30 – Oct 4)

  • Kashgar → Xiji Stone Tablet → Irkeshtam Border Port → return to Kashgar

  • Kashgar → Oytagh Red Mountain → White Sand Lake → Mugezhi Volcano Crater (“Eye of the Devil”) → Karakul Lake → Stone City → Golden Grassland → Tashkurgan Wetlands (450 km, overnight)

  • Highlights: Muztagh Ata Peak (snowcapped year-round, glaciers, ice towers, alpine lakes), Karakul Lake, Stone City ruins, Panlong Ancient Road.

  • Tashkurgan → Khunjerab Pass → Bandier Blue Lake → return to Kashgar

• Option 2 (Oct 6–8)

  • Kashgar → Shache → Hotan → Minfeng (800 km)

  • Minfeng → Taklamakan Desert Hwy → Tarim Poplar Forest Park → Luntai County

  • Luntai → Bosten Lake → Lop Nor Yardang Grand Canyon → Luobu Village → Korla (400 km, overnight)

• Option 3 (Oct 6–8)

  • Kashgar (seasonal figs/peaches) → Aral City

  • Aral → Tazhong Town → Tarim Poplar Forest → Luntai (apricots) (650 km, overnight)

  • Luntai → Lop Nor Yardang → Bosten Lake → Korla (500 km, overnight)

Continuing Itinerary

• Day 15 (Oct 9): Korla → Turpan → Shanshan (500 km, overnight)

• Day 16 (Oct 10): Shanshan → Guazhou (700 km, overnight; Xuanzang Pilgrimage Museum)

• Day 17 (Oct 11): Guazhou → “Son of the Earth” Sculpture → Mogao Caves → Crescent Lake → Yumen Pass → Dunhuang (350 km)

• Day 18 (Oct 12): Dunhuang → Heidushan → West/East Taijinar Lakes → overnight nearby

• Day 19 (Oct 13): Qarhan Salt Lake → U-shaped Highway → Dachaidan Emerald Lake → Delingha

• Day 20 (Oct 14): Delingha → Qinghai Lake → Xining (550 km, overnight)

• Day 21 (Oct 15): Xining → Lanzhou (230 km, overnight)

• Day 22 (Oct 16): Lanzhou → Wave Valley → Jingbian (630 km, overnight)

• Day 23 (Oct 17): Jingbian → Beijing (900 km)

Notes

1. AA expenses start being calculated from Urumqi.

2. Expenses include lodging, food, fruits, fuel, tolls, vehicle maintenance.

3. Major attractions: Great Pirate Scenic Area, Flaming Mountain, Karez Wells, Grape Valley, Anjihai Grand Canyon, Sailimu Lake, Guozigou Bridge, Bayinbuluke Grassland, Dalongchi Lakes, Tianshan Canyon, Duku Hwy, Taklamakan Desert Hwy, Flaming Spring, Wensu Canyon, Kashgar Old City, Kongur Peak, White Sand Lake, Karakul Lake, Bandier Blue Lake, Mugezhi Volcano (Devil’s Eye), Stone City, Golden Grassland, Khunjerab, Muztagh Ata, Panlong Ancient Road, Tarim Poplar Forest, Luobu Village, Bosten Lake, Lop Nor, Mogao Caves, Crescent Lake, Qarhan Salt Lake, Dachaidan Lakes, Qinghai Lake, Wave Valley.

4. Foods: pepper chicken, big-plate chicken, hand-grab lamb, Nang-baked meats, pilaf, sheep’s head, meat naan, seasonal fruits (e.g., Lao Han melon unique to Xinjiang, Aksu apples and cherries).

5. Specialties: “three kings” of dried fruit (Ruoqiang grey dates, Aksu thin-shelled almonds, Hotan figs), Hotan jujubes, raisins, prunes (buy at Hongshan Dry Fruit Market or Hualing Market).

6. Drinks: Tianrun milk beer, V18 almond milk, Kvass, Paisili, Shenne carrot juice, fresh pomegranate juice, Salangduoha (yogurt shaved ice), Hans Cabin beer, Amina blackcurrant juice.

7. This is a geology + food journey.

8. Border permits required for: Altay, Tacheng, Aksu, Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Kashgar, Ili, Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Muge Township, Xiji Stone Tablet (Wuqia County), etc.

Yesterday I received an email from the NYC Department of Finance regarding the ticket I got for failing to display a current registration sticker on my car window.

Violation Decisions: Even True NOMIT/NON-CODE GUILTY.  The charge: violating Traffic Rule 4-08(j)(3) by standing or parking a vehicle with New York plates that did not display a current registration sticker.

The verdict: GUILTY.  The fine: $65.
I paid it grudgingly yesterday. The verdict was undersigned by Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) John Petrak, dated 9/3/2025.

I had received the ticket on 8/25 and believed I had a legitimate excuse, so I appealed on 8/27.

In my appeal, I explained that I had renewed my registration online back on July 3rd. But because I had moved and wasn't able to  update my address online, I never received the paper registration card. I carried only the temporary certificate of registration on my phone. I even tried to change my address online, which I recorded here.

After changing my address online, on 8/19, I went to the DMV to request a replacement card. I didn’t immediately place the sticker on my car because—coming from Kansas, where the expiration date shows only the month and year—I thought I had until the end of August to display it. I overlooked the small but crucial detail: the card listed the expiration date as 8/11/2025.

When I appealed, I thought of Judge Frank Caprio, who had just passed away on 8/20. Remembering his fairness and compassion, I hoped for a kindred spirit on the other side of my case—someone who might recognize that my error was not malicious, that I had renewed the registration, and that this was my first slip. Perhaps even someone who would consider how inflation and the rising cost of living weigh heavily on seniors like me.

But sadly Judge Caprio is gone, and no such spirit rose in his place. The decision was cold and swift. Guilty. Pay $65. Case closed.

This is where the contrast between law and justice becomes clear. The law has no sympathy for circumstance, no ear for reason. It is blind not only in principle, but often in practice. Judge Caprio’s court was different: he saw the person before the case, the story behind the slip. His compassion reminded us that the law should serve humanity, not the other way around.

Now, with the passing of Judge Caprio, one wonders if the machinery of rules will ever again pause long enough to ask not just what happened, but why. As with my case, the system risks losing the one thing that makes justice worth believing in—its human heart.

It’s not far from the truth to say the system is heartless at its core—less a guardian of fairness than a machine of control, one that punishes most those who can least afford to resist.

This summer, it seems more and more five-star hotels have started setting up street stalls.

For example, the Jinling Zijing Mountain Hotel in Shanghai is selling Jinling pork buns for 5 RMB each and braised lion’s head meatballs for 10 RMB apiece. The Xiaoxiang Huatian Hotel in Changsha is offering duck feet for 6 RMB each and cold noodles for 8 RMB a serving. Yonghe Bojue International Hotel in Zhengzhou is selling crayfish, and so on.

On Douyin (China’s TikTok), videos about hotels setting up stalls have already surpassed 120 million views. On Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), there are even bloggers reviewing these “hotel street stalls.”

Why are five-star hotels turning to street vending? One of the most direct reasons is business pressure. In 2024, the average revenue per available room in the hotel industry fell by 9.7% year-on-year, and even top players like Huazhu Group saw their net profit drop by 25.4%. From 2019 to 2024, the number of five-star hotels decreased from 845 to 736, a loss of 109 hotels.

So now we’re seeing all kinds of “self-rescue” attempts by five-star hotels. Besides street vending, there are many other approaches:

• Bringing star chefs to your home: Some hotels now offer “five-star chefs cooking at home” services. For 2,000–3,000 RMB, a chef will come to your house and prepare a full-course meal with more than ten dishes.

• Targeting seniors: Some hotels have launched afternoon teas tailored for older guests, or even long-stay packages for retirees.

• Cultural products: Many hotels have developed their own cultural IPs or collaborated with others. For instance, the Waldorf Astoria in Chengdu teamed up with the Chengdu Museum to launch a line based on the “Oriental Myths” IP.

• Merchandising amenities: Some hotels turn guestroom items into retail products. For example, the toiletry kits at All Seasons Hotels were so popular with guests that they started mass-producing them as hotel merchandise.

• “Check-out gifts”: It’s become trendy to give guests small gifts when they check out—local snacks, toiletry kits, luggage tags, etc. Think Yunnan’s mushroom buns or floral pastries, or Jingdezhen’s ceramic bracelets.

• Splitting up services: Some hotels rent out public spaces for meetings or small parties, even to non-guests. Others sell gym memberships because people find hotel gyms more cost-effective than professional fitness centers.

Of course, how profitable these efforts will be remains to be seen. But what I want to highlight isn’t the methods themselves—it’s the mindset behind them:

They are rewriting their own instruction manual.

Think about it: if you run a business and see fewer and fewer customers, what do you usually do? Traditionally, you either lower prices to attract more customers or innovate with something completely new. But innovation is hard, and lowering prices often leads to a race to the bottom, with shrinking profits for everyone.

But maybe there’s another path: rewrite your instruction manual like these hotels. A hotel used to mean just accommodation. Now, it means street food, check-out gifts, afternoon teas for seniors, and more. They’re still using the same assets—the same kitchens, the same chefs, the same suppliers—just aiming them at new targets.

The long-term results are uncertain, but the possibilities revealed by these experiments are worth paying attention to.

Sure! Here’s a natural English translation of the whole passage:

First of all, the most direct effect is that it might attract more people.

Marketing expert Mr. Song Xiaoma once made an observation: the primary task of offline stores is to make passersby slow down. For many offline businesses today, the biggest challenge isn’t how to make money—it’s how to get people to stop and take a look.

In the past, vendors used to shout, “Don’t miss it as you pass by!” But before you can avoid missing it, you first have to pass by. Now, that whole “pass by” scenario is disappearing.

Just look at the streets today. What are people doing? Staring down at their phones. And even when they look up, they’re rushing by. So the first problem offline stores need to solve isn’t “how to sell,” but “how to be seen.” Just as online products focus on click-through rates, offline stores need to focus on stop-and-look rates.

From this perspective, five-star hotels setting up stalls might be solving exactly this problem. Normally, if you walk past a five-star hotel, would you stop? No.

But if there’s a little food stall outside, it’s a different story. A 5 RMB bun, an 8 RMB bowl of cold noodles—these low-cost, high-frequency items make people feel, “Hey, this place has something to do with me.” Buy takeout today, come in for a real meal tomorrow—that possibility increases.

This process is like building a real-life version of a sales funnel.

For example, here’s a personal observation: there’s a street in Beijing called Niujie that has suddenly become an internet-famous food street in recent years. Almost every restaurant there has opened a separate takeout counter: full meals for dine-in customers, snacks for takeout.

If you drive past Niujie, you’ll notice a stark contrast: outside the street, everything looks normal, just an ordinary road. But the moment you enter Niujie, it’s packed with people. Almost every takeout stand has a long line. It’s like scrolling through short videos—one catches your attention, and suddenly you stop. Tourists hop out of their cars to take a look. That’s like clicking on a product link in a video. As they wander around, some end up buying snacks or sitting down for a meal. That’s like actually placing an order online.

See? It’s a real-life traffic funnel. Coming back to the five-star hotels, these street stalls and other experiments are trying to build their own funnel: turning attention into transactions, using small, casual interactions to build stronger connections.

And beyond meeting existing needs, these experiments might even uncover new customer demands.

For instance, many hotels now offer “hourly stays”—splitting a full day into several blocks for rest, with aromatherapy and zero-gravity beds included. Some people might ask, “Do you really need all that just for a few hours?” Surprisingly, yes.

Because nowadays, many hotel guests aren’t travelers—they’re locals. They don’t come to sleep; they come for solitude. According to Trip.com, in 2023, spending on non-lodging hotel services at Atour Hotels increased by 230%, and 67% came from middle-aged women aged 35–50. Their main goal? Peace and quiet for a few hours.

A recent survey by NetEase Data found that for middle-aged women, the top stress-relief method was staying in a hotel, followed by traveling and shopping. They don’t do much there—maybe order takeout, watch a show, or simply rest.

As Sanlian Life Lab put it, “Hotels have become the Disneyland for middle-aged women.” They look for a nearby hotel with good service and ambiance, book a few hours, and enjoy uninterrupted time just for themselves.

For many of them, daily life means juggling work and family. Even on holidays, they’re busy with kids or housework. At home, family members might call on them anytime; at the office, colleagues might interrupt anytime; cafés are too noisy, full of strangers coming and going.

Looking around, one of the best places for true solitude might just be a hotel. Close the door, shut off your phone, draw the curtains, order your favorite food, and for once, the time and space are entirely yours.

And although we used women as examples, the same logic might apply to men too. For hotels, this adds a new line to their “instruction manual”: not just a temporary lodging space, but also a private, interruption-free retreat.

In other words, the assets remain the same—but a new way of using them can create new value.

This logic may apply in other industries too. Take law, for example: at its core, legal training builds the ability to quickly interpret rules and act accordingly. That skill isn’t just for lawsuits; it has many applications. Or archaeology: people think it’s niche, but its skills—research and deduction—are valuable in many fields.

There’s a story about a teacher who gave students barometers and asked them to measure a building’s height. The scientific way was to measure air pressure at the ground and the top, then calculate the height. But there’d be slight errors. Some students tried rulers or other tools to fix the problem.

One student did something different: he gave the barometer to the building’s janitor and asked for the exact height directly—in effect, using the barometer as currency to buy the answer.

It’s like the saying: “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” The problem isn’t the tool itself, but how we think about it. If you hit a bottleneck, instead of only seeking external help, maybe you can rewrite the “instruction manual” for your own skills. That might open up unexpected new paths.

Links: 

"Chengdu's first Hilton hotel sold for USD 69 million," 2/24/2025 https://www.chinatravelnews.com/article/186030

"Why China's high-end hotels are setting up food stalls outside their doors" https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/why-chinas-high-end-hotels-are-setting-up-food-stalls-outside-their-doors

Yesterday, we helped my daughter move her things from her art studio to the one provided by her school, as she prepares to return for graduate studies.

As I watched her move, my mind was full of words I wanted to say. Briefly, this is what I wish to say:

First, I am so proud of you for having the courage to go back to school at thirty. You’re not late at all—you’re bringing with you ten extra years of life experience, maturity, and clarity about what you want. That will make your time there far richer than if you had rushed into it right after college.

Second, after spending your twenties exploring, learning, and growing, returning to school will open a whole new chapter in your life. It’s never just about earning a degree. Immersing yourself in new ideas, challenges, and people who inspire and encourage you will bring opportunities and promises you may not even see yet. That’s powerful.

May these two years of graduate school witness you advancing and transforming in ways that go far beyond your dreams.

And as you walk this path, know that I’m always here, cheering for you, proud of you for your courage to take first step in this adventure.