Cycling Ilili Turgen Almond Blossom Valley: A Rollercoaster Ride, Camp Setup Only in the Early Hours
The cabin was too close to the road, making it noisy at night and disrupting my sleep. I didn't sleep well, and even after waking up, I still made breakfast and only left after finishing it. I didn't enter Xin Yuan County, instead, I followed the Nara Ti Road (218) outside the city. Today's itinerary was specifically for Turgen Almond Blossom Valley, approximately 50 kilometers away. The weather was bright and sunny, perfect for viewing almond blossoms.
At 14:00, we arrived at Tektai Town. We passed a noodle shop with many customers, so we ordered a large portion of dry beef noodles. We only had the energy to see the almond blossoms after eating. Tektai Town is quite large, mainly due to the presence of the Shanxi Iron and Steel Yili Branch here; we saw many workers from Yili Steel on the street, and there was a bypass road specifically for passing vehicles.
Leaving Tektai, we headed directly to Turgen. Perhaps our expectations were too high, we arrived at the entrance of the scenic area and were told that it was closed. In fact, from the road, we could see almond blossom valley in large areas; it was just a pity that we couldn't get close. Disappointed, we returned to the 218 and slowly moved forward, arriving at a village where we saw a dilapidated house that was perfect for camping. We didn't have time to check the inside, so we went to a nearby farmer's house to borrow water. The aunt's family planted over 600 seedlings, and I thought it was a lot, but the aunt told me that many people planted over a thousand acres! I heard I was going to camp by the roadside, and she said the inside was too dirty, full of excrement. After thanking the aunt for her hopeful visit, we were truly let down. With no choice, we continued on our way, and unfortunately, we got a flat tire, just in time to catch the sunset, we finally found a suitable place.
After finishing everything, it was 10:30, and I was about to lie down to sleep when a police officer came. After questioning, he told me that wild camping was not allowed, due to the large number of wild dogs. We stayed at the hotel they provided for over 100 yuan, and finally, with their help, they carried our luggage onto the police car and dropped us off about 10 kilometers away, where we re-camped at midnight. We set up the tent, and we were exhausted and just wanted to sleep.
