preface

In the blink of an eye, 2020 is halfway through. The sudden epidemic has caused me to make several travel strategy options in the past six months, but I have not put any action into it. Seeing that the epidemic finally gradually improved, the country then reached an unstable period in various rainy and typhoon seasons. Continue to wait or act, and I still hope that I can complete a trip after struggling for a long time.

I pay attention to the development of the epidemic every day, and at the same time pay attention to the weather. With my personality that likes to prepare everything in advance, I have never tried to decide where to go until two days before departure. In the end, due to the forecast of heavy rain in the south, the plan to go to Guizhou was changed and at the last minute chose to go to the northwest where the weather was dry.

Generally speaking, when visiting the Northwest, you will fly to Xining and complete the Northwest Ring Road by car or chartered a car. However, I had limited time this time, so I only chose one stop on the loop line, Dunhuang. In addition to wanting to see the true appearance of the Flying Sky mural, I chose this place mainly because I had seen a crescent-shaped desert oasis photo and was immediately attracted by this scene I had never been to before. At that time, Dunhuang had already been placed in the target pool I wanted to go.

Day 1 Shanghai-Dunhuang

Since Shanghai does not have direct flights to Dunhuang, we can only choose to transfer from Lanzhou or Xi'an. At 10 a.m. we started this not-short migration.

Tips: Because in special times, what needs to be specially reminded is:

① Before departure, be sure to consult the hotel about local epidemic policies to ensure smooth check-in and access to scenic spots across provinces (for example, most scenic spots in Xinjiang currently do not accept tourists from outside Xinjiang);

② Whether you are entering or leaving airports, scenic spots, hotels and other public places, you must wear a mask (you can also keep a few more masks around you to avoid falling off halfway and you cannot enter anywhere without a mask);

③ The most important! Most important! Most important! Everyone traveling with you must have a mobile phone number! Why is this important? Because no matter where you go, you need to scan the code to check the green code. Each province has its own Mini programs. Although the operation is similar, this trip still found that there are key differences. For example, in Shanghai and Gansu, health codes can be generated by just entering an ID card. Even if there is only one mobile phone, it can be generated for multiple people, but it is just a bit troublesome. However, Xi'an's health code requires entering your mobile phone number to register, and only one person can be registered with one number. In addition to showing your health code when staying in a hotel in Gansu, you also need to scan a code that shows where your mobile phone number has been, so it is very important for all travelers to have a mobile phone number.

With the above three rules, as long as you are not from a medium-to high-risk area or choose to visit a medium-to high-risk area, do not crowd together, follow local policies and fill in the information truthfully, and you can also go out to get some air and change your mood during extraordinary times.

As the color of the earth gradually turned yellow and barren, we finally arrived at Dunhuang Airport successfully at 4 p.m. After getting off the plane to take your body temperature, scanning the code to fill in the information, verifying the health code and ID card, we officially set foot on the land of Dunhuang. Although I was still quite worried about the epidemic before leaving, I was still a little panicked when I thought everything was fine, but suddenly there was another outbreak in the capital. However, after all the way here, I felt that epidemic prevention and control was still very strict, and I felt a lot more relieved.

Hotel We chose Bohui Mandarin Hotel, located in the center of Dunhuang City, next to the Shazhou Market, and at the intersection is the Rebound Pipa statue. You can not worry about eating and drinking in the morning and evening. The distance between the airport, Mogao Grottoes and Mingsha Mountain is about the same. It takes about 20 minutes to drive. There is a bus stop to Mingsha Mountain opposite the hotel, but we choose to take a taxi to all these points.

Tips: Regarding taxis in Dunhuang, I saw someone saying that they did not use the meter to get on the bus to negotiate the price. The actual ride was still taken by taxi, and the meter was placed at the bottom where the gear was placed. There is no Didi taxi in the local area, and drivers still traditionally wait for a lift on the road or queue up at the entrance of the scenic spot. So the taxi driver we took gave us a business card before getting off the bus, hoping to call him later. This was better than blindly waiting. Several attractions in the city were not far away, and he could usually pick you up in more than 10 minutes. If you think the driver is still honest, fixing a taxi is also a good choice. (Our taxi fares: Shazhou Market-Mogao Grottoes 22; Mogao Grottoes-Mingsha Mountain 35; Mingsha Mountain-Shazhou Market 15; Shazhou Night Market-Airport 30)

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the hotel price was not expensive during the entire process, and the rooms were upgraded. After putting down my luggage and taking a short rest, I thought it was late at 5:00 or 6:00. When I arrived, I realized that there was a time difference of at least 2 hours. Moreover, at this stage, the daylight was the longest in the year. The sunset started at around 9:00 p.m., and it was dark after 10:00 p.m. Because of the hot weather, I heard from the driver that local people work in the morning and rest until 5:00 in the afternoon before working. Therefore, it is not too late to go out at 5 or 6 p.m., and most of the stalls in the market have just opened up. It's just that I didn't have anything particularly attracted me after walking around. Almost everyone sold dried fruits all the way. There was a price sign above the stall. It seemed that the price was still consciously controlled, which was very good.

After roughly strolling around, I was ready to eat my first meal in Dunhuang. Non-locals can only rely on reviews to prevent them from stepping on thunder. Although it may not be the real flavor of the local area, it is at least the taste recognized by the public.

This delicious lamb meat in Jingyuan Galiu, located in the urban area, is still very popular. When we arrived, the seats were basically full, and we had already started waiting for seats when we finished eating. The staff were very polite and comfortable. Seeing the photos on the wall, many celebrities have also come to eat. I ordered the white strips. The mutton does not have any mutton smell. It has a light salty flavor when eaten directly. It is even more fragrant when dipped in the chili noodles. The chili noodles here are all very good, not very spicy but very fragrant. The heart and liver of fried sheep are very tender, but it is too spicy for us. Shallots are unique here. The taste is close to a combination of onions, leeks and leeks. The taste is good and worth trying. Apricot skin water is a bit like sour plum juice. It is the most suitable way to cool off the heat and relieve boredom on this hot day.

Back at the hotel, take a photo outside the window. Mingsha Mountain should be in the distance. It is already 9 o'clock.

The next day, Mingsha Mountain, Mogao Grottoes

In the morning, we went to the nearby Xia Jia for breakfast with mixed juice. It tasted a bit like vermicelli soup and was quite good for breakfast.

Today's main itinerary is Mogao Grottoes. Tickets may not be so tight now, but to be on the safe side, try to buy tickets on the official website as early as possible and enter at different times, with 3,000 tickets a day. We chose the 9:15 ticket and needed to go to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center half an hour in advance to redeem the ticket. Check the ticket first to check the health code. After passing the security check, you can check your luggage.

After entering, watch two introduction videos first to get a general understanding of the Mogao Grottoes.

Then take the scenic bus to the Mogao Grottoes. There is actually some distance from the Digital Center to the Mogao Grottoes. The wind is very strong today, and the sand is confusing, and the mobile phone will soon be covered with a layer of sand. I truly feel the northwest. However, it was also because the wind was strong and there was no sun, so I hadn't felt the heat yet and felt cool.

Tickets for Mogao Grottoes are divided into Class A and Class B. The queuing places are different, but the difference lies in the number of caves. The visits will be divided into groups, each group has a commentator, and the commentator will lead the team to visit and explain the entire process. Because the paintings and Buddha statues in the caves are too precious and fragile, and are sensitive to light and humidity, taking photos is prohibited inside. There is a QR code at the entrance of the photos in the caves so that you can view the introduction and photos. It was very dark inside the cave, and it relied entirely on the commentator's flashlight to illuminate and talk. After entering, it was still very shocking. Looking at the mottled, oxidized and faded murals all over the walls, looking at the countless caves, I really don't know what word to use to describe my amazement. Although we have tried our best to protect it, the erosion of time is irreversible. We will eventually see less and less of all of this. I am glad that I am here now, but I wonder if I shouldn't bother you. Mogao Grottoes now have an AR online visit function, and those who are interested can go and have a visit.

After visiting the caves, you can move around freely, either taking photos with the caves outside, or going to see the introduction of the exhibits in the museum next to you, and finally taking the bus back to the Digital Center. (PS: There are large-scale performances next to the digital center in the evening. The price is not cheap. If you are interested, you can go and see it.)

We didn't visit all of the exhibition hall because the wind and sand became very heavy and began to be mixed with light rain. At this time, we really wished that we were wearing dust glasses instead of sunglasses. It would be better for our hat to have a rope to avoid worrying about being blown away.

After returning to the Digital Center, take a taxi to Luye Yousha Inn near Mingsha Mountain. Because tickets to Mingsha Mountain are valid for 3 days, living near the scenic spot makes it easier to continue entering the next day. You can choose to watch the sunrise or sunset.

The road where the inn is located is between Mingsha Mountain and Yueyaquan Town. The entire street is filled with inns. The inn we stayed in was relatively new and had a very stylish decoration. However, unless I drove here by car, if I chose now, I would choose an inn closer to the intersection. Its house was too far away, and when I went back after being tired, I suddenly felt so far away.

When I entered the inn at noon, the ground was covered with sand and fallen leaves. The inn lady said, We are not usually so dirty. There is a sandstorm today. We said we came from Mogao Grottoes and had already experienced it. In addition, we were also told that Mingsha Mountain was closed, so we decided to follow the local people and hide in the inn at noon to rest, and wait until after 4 o'clock to go to Yueyuan Town for a walk.

The town still has very heavy artificial traces. At one glance, it can be seen that it is imitating the local architectural style and built for tourists. The place is not big, so you can walk all over in half an hour. Except for a row of diners open and a few inns, other open-air stalls are empty, leaving the entire town deserted.

However, we were attracted by the aroma from a chili powder shop run by an elderly man. We bought some chili noodles and went home to make our own chili oil. It was really fragrant and not particularly spicy.

I had dinner at Laotongguan Roujiamo (Yueyaquan Town Store) next to me. Although I don't like pasta very much, this Roujiamo is really much better than what I ate in Shanghai, which led me to not arrange to eat Roujiamo in Xi'an, because I felt that Roujiamo was delicious enough to this extent. Judging by the name, it should be a chain store.

After dinner, I was afraid that I would go to Mingsha Mountain in vain, so I made a special call to ask if it was open. At 6 o'clock, the wind has subsided, the sun has come out, and Mingsha Mountain has begun to walk ~

I just entered the scenic spot and had no direction. I was full of sand and I didn't know where the road was. I once thought that the mountain I climbed on a camel was the mountain overlooking Crescent Moon Spring. Actually, it's not. When riding a camel, you will walk to the left side of the scenic area and head to Dongshan Mountain. Crescent Moon Spring is on the right hand side of the scenic area, and the sand mountain facing it needs to climb it yourself to overlook Crescent Moon Spring. There is a low sand slope in the middle of the scenic area, which is very suitable for taking photos with the S-shaped sand dunes.

Climbing sand mountains really requires some physical strength and courage. There was only one flexible ladder, and when I climbed to the last section, there was no ladder. It felt like I took three steps and I took one step back. The main reason is that as a person who climbed Sand Mountain for the first time, I still have a fear of sand. I always feel that this is not a solid road, and I am afraid that I will slip and fall into shit ~

After reaching the top of the mountain, there are sand mountains on the other side of the mountain.

There were people sitting on the sand mountain waiting for the sunset, but the sunset was really too late here, because my father and I climbed up the mountain, afraid that my mother, who was waiting below, would be anxious and wait until the sun basically set and the sky was still dark. Start going down the mountain.

Apart from the fear of slipping and rolling down the mountain, it was much easier than going up the mountain.

Tips: Before leaving the scenic area, if you plan to enter the next day, remember to brush your face in front of the machine at the exit to make a record.

Day 3 Mingsha Mountain

The original plan today was to enter the scenic spot at 5 o'clock to watch the sunrise, but it was very late to wait for sunset yesterday to go back to the inn to rest. I couldn't get up again if I got up early. In addition, I thought of climbing the sand mountains again in black paint and hemp black, but I couldn't do it ~ So I changed it to be more relaxed and rode camels and took photos at dawn.

Unfortunately, we couldn't ride in the end. After buying the tickets, we were divided into different teams to fill in the vacancies in each group. The protest is invalid and the ticket will be refunded directly. One hundred people ride a camel, and the time is about 40 minutes. When you reach the top of the mountain, a scenic area photographer will take photos, and then buy photos near the entrance and exit of the scenic area. So I wanted to take a few more digital versions and wondered if it would work.

Because I didn't succeed, I had time to take the ride. There were not many tourists in the morning, so I took more photos myself.

Mingsha Mountain is really my favorite place during this trip.

Leave Mingsha Mountain and take a taxi back to Shazhou Market.

I took out another shop in my collection, Yige Hu Yang Braised Cake, for lunch. I don't understand why it's called braised cake when it's obviously a panty-belt noodle. But this is really delicious. It has rich meat, tough face and strong taste. Add other dishes and accidentally eat too much. As a result, I wanted to go for a barbecue at night, but I wasn't hungry at all, so I didn't go out to eat in the end.

Day 4: Dunhuang West Line (Dunhuang Film and Television Ancient City West Thousand Buddha Cave Yangguan Yumen Pass Yadan Devil City)

Did you feel like you didn't do anything on yesterday's trip? Because I'm saving my strength for today. Today's Western Line starts at 8 a.m. and will not be able to return to the hotel until 12 p.m. to rest.

Tips: Regarding transportation on the western line, due to the many attractions and the long distance, the only options to choose from should be chartered, renting a car and driving, and carpooling for groups. I originally planned to drive myself. But considering all aspects of ease, completion, and cost, we finally chose to report a local one-day tour online, 76 per person, and we took care of lunch and scenic spot tickets.

Why did we choose to sign up for a group, who like free travel? Because this place is indeed a bit different. It is really tiring for me to drive back and forth on the 160-kilometer Li Road that day. Based on my physical strength, I will definitely cut down the attractions to ensure that I can return to my residence before dark. But the group will go to the attractions, and those who don't want to go can also wait in the car if they take care of their own tickets. The degree of freedom that I care about most is the issues of catching up with scenic spots. Because the individual attractions along the way are relatively small or not so interested in history, they are just a cursory tour. After entering several key scenic spots, you also take scenic buses to visit, and the time is still fixed, so there is little difference between signing up for a tour and free travel.

The first stop is Dunhuang Film and Television Ancient City, which is a relatively small film and television base. Many dramas and variety shows have been filmed here, but the productions are still relatively crude. If you are in a hurry to drive yourself, I don't think you can come.

The second stop is the West Thousand Buddha Cave. Most people may have been to the Mogao Grottoes, but most of them have not gone to this station. Only our family and another couple went to see it. During the epidemic, only three caves could be seen. The visiting mode was basically the same as that of the Mogao Grottoes. No photos could be taken in the caves, and the tour guide would lead the tour. The protection of the caves here is not as good as that of the Mogao Grottoes.

The third stop is Yangguan. It is recommended to buy a battery ticket when entering the scenic area, otherwise it will take time and heat to walk there on hot days. Because they are all historical attractions, you can't tell anything by just looking at them. After waiting for a while at the door, a guide will lead a group of tourists to give some explanations all the way to the battery car ride.

The little Elaeagnus angustifolia picked up on the ground has a soft, sour and sweet taste. I only thought it was fun when I first met it, but I actually didn't know how to usually eat it.

After Yangguan comes out, the drivers will take them to nearby farmhouse restaurants and order their own meals. The same stewed cakes taste much worse than yesterday, and the price is still expensive. If you have requirements for delicious food, you may as well bring your own dry food. What you eat here is just to fill your stomach.

The fourth stop is Yumen Pass, which is the only way to Yadan Devil City. The ticket gate is on the road, so whether you go or not, you have to pay the road fare. It consists of three stations: Yumen Pass, Han Great Wall and Hecang City. It is also the station for a visit after purchasing a scenic spot bus.

The fifth stop, Avan Devil City, is what I am most looking forward to today's entire trip. The advantage of signing up for a tour is that the driver calculates the time and arrives at the scenic spot around 7 o'clock. In this way, he can sit on the scenic spot bus at 7:40 and wait for the sunset at the last stop after visiting the tour.

The scenic spot to the West Sea Fleet is also a place where the bus terminal in the scenic area waits for the sunset. I really regret not bringing out the aerial camera here. Because aerial cameras cannot be used in Mogao Grottoes and Mingsha Mountain, I also heard that Yadan Devil City cannot be used either. However, if there were no aerial photos of this West Sea Fleet, the shocking effect would not be able to be conveyed.

I left the scenic spot at 10 o'clock and drove back to my respective hotels for two and a half hours. The weather is particularly good today. On the way, the driver would park in no man's land to let everyone come down and see the starry sky. This is even closer and more than the starry sky I saw in Lugu Lake, and I clearly recognized the Big Dipper for the first time.

When I returned to the hotel at nearly 12:30, I found that the apricot skin water provided by the hotel was very warm.

Day 5 Dunhuang-Xi'an

In order to return to Shanghai, I went to Xi'an from Dunhuang today. Although it was entirely possible to catch up on sleep and get up late today, it turned out that I didn't get up particularly late.

I simply went to the nearby supermarket and had lunch to make up for the barbecue beside the city that I couldn't finish because I was too full. The taste is really good, but it may be mainly for dinner to night snack business, and it doesn't matter what you want at noon.

On the way to Xi'an, I didn't know where I flew, but I actually saw snowy mountains.

Arrived at Xi'an Xianyang Airport (Why is Xi'an Airport in Xianyang? Curious Baby can be downloaded under Baidu) On the way to the city by taking a taxi to the city, you can feel that you are back in the city. The city's common problem-traffic jams.

The Ibis Styles hotel we chose to stay in should be highly recommended. The Bell Tower on the left and the Drum Tower on the right. The location is so good that the hotel environment is also very good.

For dinner, I walked to Jiangcheng Restaurant Southern Shaanxi Mom Cuisine·Hantang Market. A group meal was too large to eat. After searching, it seemed that several popular specialties were all similar. The gourd chicken is actually fried chicken. Personally, I don't think it's particularly amazing. Fortunately, the chili noodles here are very fragrant and taste good when dipped in it. The osmanthus jelly cake is delicious, and the pickled cabbage fish is also good.

The bell tower is located in the center of a roundabout island. It is currently under maintenance and is tightly wrapped so that it cannot be seen.

Day 6: The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Huaqing Palace

Today's one-day tour of the Terracotta Warriors and Huaqing Palace was very inconvenient because I felt it was very inconvenient to take public transportation, so I signed up for a local individual passenger group through train. Tickets are also self-catering, including round-trip buses, lunch and Huaqing Palace explanations. This product is well designed, but I have to complain that the tour guides I met were not good. They were too young and did not care about everyone's walking speed. They only cared about walking away in a flash, and then saw who fell behind when they reached the destination, which made the elderly very nervous.

I personally felt that if I could solve the transportation by myself, it would be more comfortable to travel freely. Huaqing Palace only briefly looked at a few pools and paid an extra fee to watch a performance. There were really many group tourists around and there was no time to stop and take photos. Now, apart from remembering to follow the bus, I can't remember anything clearly, even the distribution structure of Huaqing Palace. That is, the normal operation of group tours. We are in a hurry to see some of the best, castrate scenic spots, and add some non-shopping charging items.

The tour guide made a joke at first, but he was actually taking precautions. "I looked at 5 small pits in the morning (5 ponds in Huaqing Palace) and 3 large pits in the afternoon (3 pits in the Terracotta Warriors). When I went home, I felt that Xi'an's tour guides were particularly difficult." Xi'an is a city full of stories, 70% depends on listening and 30% depends on seeing. So just looking at it, there is not much majestic and shocking natural scenery here, so we can only develop from the humanistic perspective. There were many performances that I had to pick one to watch in the end.

Of course, it's not that the performance was not good. The Xi'an Incident we watched had good results. It's just that tickets to Xi'an attractions are not cheap, and it's not cheap to watch extra performances. To sum up, visiting Xi'an is not a place to save money ~

Lunch is included in the group fare, which is still the main food for you.

In the afternoon, before entering the Terracotta Warriors, I watched a 3D documentary at my own expense. At present, tour guides cannot enter the Terracotta Warriors, so everything has become purely viewing, and basically nothing can be seen. It can only be said that the expert looks at the way, and the layman watches the excitement.

Pit No. 1 is the most spectacular, and pits No. 2 and 3 are almost empty. It was also beneficial to watch the documentary. At least I learned that the terracotta warriors were not so earthy, but that the colored coating on the surface had faded over time. Archaeologists once dug out colorful terracotta warriors, but due to limited protection technology, the colorful terracotta warriors fell off and turned earthy color not long after they were dug out. Therefore, before we have no ability to protect these cultural relics, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang will not continue to be excavated.

The way back was really jammed.

I had dinner in Zui Chang 'an, and the business was also very good. The main specialties of several popular restaurants were similar, but compared to last night's taste was better.

After eating and returning to the hotel, the Drum Tower looked beautiful after it was lit up. I listened to the driver's introduction that the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Tang Furong Garden were all visited at night. They looked better with lights.

Walking into the Hui Street behind the Drum Tower, darling ~ There is a sea of people. How can you tell that the epidemic is still in progress?

Day 7 Xi'an-Shanghai

I haven't officially eaten a meal of pasta when I arrived in Xi'an. I had to make arrangements before leaving. I found Lao Li's biangbiang noodles in a nearby alley. The store was very small and felt that it was mainly engaged in tourist business. Maybe my expectations were too high and I didn't feel amazing when I tasted it. I felt that the braised cakes I ate in Dunhuang were more popular with me.

I have to fly back to Shanghai at night, so I just want to look around nearby. Seven days after I came out, I encountered light rain and cloudy days for the first time.

When I went to Nanjing before, I learned that Xi'an City Wall is the largest and most completely preserved ancient city wall in China. But after stepping on the tower, I didn't have the sense of history that the Nanjing City Wall gave me. I looked at the bricks on both sides and on the ground that were renovated in modern times, most of the time in 1984. I don't know if it's because the bricks are modern anyway, but there is a special project on the city wall that allows cycling and tourist trams.

There was also a performance on the city wall, and the square was also filled with stage construction. To be honest, I don't like this feeling very much. It is full of people's consumption of history.

Before going to the airport, I had another early dinner and finished browsing the last store collection nearby.

Seven days really passed by in a flash. Before leaving, my mother was very worried about this trip, for fear that she would not be able to return if she went out and encountered quarantine. In fact, I really worry too much. I sit at home and watch the news every day, the more scared I get. Only when I really go out can I truly realize that our motherland has really done a good job in this epidemic! I hope the epidemic will end soon!