(Continued from the previous part: sail to Tashkurgan, see Baisha Mountain and Baisha Lake, take the Panlong Ancient Road, and wish the end of the detour is a smooth road)
Because the Panlong Ancient Road is a one-way line, after walking the Panlong Ancient Road on the afternoon of August 16, 2023, you need to detour to Bandier Township to return to the county seat, and I was surprised to see the huge Bandier Blue Lake. However, due to the strong winds and heavy raindrops, we did not dare to stop at the lake for fear of the impending rainstorm.
The Tashkurgan River has always been with us on the return trip X614 and X613 county roads, but there is sparse vegetation along the banks of the river, and the X613 county roads are even more quicksand and bare mountains, the road conditions are poor, coupled with the sandstorm that covers the sky and the sun, it is almost late at night when we return to the county seat.
The next day, we went to the Khunjerab port, which is more than 100 kilometers away from the county seat of Tashkurgan.
At an altitude of about 5,100 meters, Khunjerab Port is the highest port on the mainland. Surrounded by high mountains and covered with snow all year round, it is the only land entry and exit route between China and Pakistan, and the highest country in the world.
The magnificent scenery of Khunjerab is known as the Valley of Death due to the harsh environment. We drove on the road with a hint of trepidation.
Unexpectedly, the road to Khunjerab was unusually good, as if it had been newly built. Soon, the clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and snow-capped mountains appeared in front of me.
Although I was fascinated by the beautiful scenery at hand, I didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and I didn't stop to take pictures until I found the safety island.
Approaching Khunjerab, I clearly felt that the air was thin, and I felt a little difficult to walk quickly.
I told my little sister to be careful, walk slowly, and return to the car immediately if she feels unwell.
Unfortunately, the Khunjerab border crossing was closed that day and we were persuaded to return in front of the outpost not far from the crossing. At this time, the blue sky has been obscured by fog, and when we passed by the former outpost on the way back, we were shivering from the cold when we got out of the car to take pictures, and we did not dare to stay for a moment.
On the way back, I saw a lot of cars turning to the left, and I was curious, so I immediately followed.
It turned out that this was the Wakhan Corridor I wanted to go to.
The Wakhan Corridor, also known as the Afghan Corridor and the Wakhan Pamir, is a narrow east-west connection between Afghanistan and Xinjiang in China. Located between the southern end of the Pamir Plateau and the Hindu Kush Mountains, this valley is about 400 kilometers long from east to west (about 100 kilometers in China), 15 kilometers at its narrowest point and 75 kilometers at its widest point. The border between China and Afghanistan here is only 92.45 kilometers, which makes Afghanistan the shortest border among the countries bordering China. At the same time, it also makes Afghanistan the only West Asian country adjacent to the mainland.
From the exhibition board erected in the place, it is known that the Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Faxian and the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang have all gone to the west to learn scriptures.
Although there is no grass on the hills on both sides, the valley floor of the Wakhan Corridor is full of greenery. I wonder what the real situation is in Afghanistan after years of war?
At noon we returned to the county seat for lunch, planning to visit Stone Town again. However, the scorching sun is shining, and the parking lot is far away from the scenic spot, so you need to take a shuttle bus to get there. There are not many tourists at this time, and the shuttle bus has to wait a long time before running once. After looking at the relevant introductions on the Internet, I finally decided to drive around the neighborhood and set off back to Kashgar after a long view.
Located in a corner of Tashkurgan County, the ruins of Stone Town are about 2,500 years old, and have always been the political, economic, cultural, transportation and military center of the Pamir Plateau, as well as the intersection of the middle and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road.
The picture below shows the Italian traveler Marco Polo spreading the big-headed sheep (argali) to the world from here, and later generations called it Marco Polo argali.
The total area of the stone town site is 100,000 square meters, the altitude is 3,100 meters, it is divided into two parts: the inner and outer city, and the inner city is relatively intact.
According to reports, Tashkurgan Stone City is one of the three major stone cities in China and one of the four major stone cities in the world.
(To be continued...... ）
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