Four days and three nights in Kubuqi Desert

2016.9.30 This is my first time - traveling. It doesn’t count as a trip because I went to Kubuqi for a heavy hike.

Perhaps it was because Sanmao and Jose left a deep impression on me when I was a child, or perhaps it was my desire for the land of Africa and the desert, so I followed my friend to Kubuqi without hesitation. And this was without any outdoor experience or guide.

The holiday started on October 1, and asking for leave was my first difficulty. I really wanted to tell the teacher that I wanted to go for a walk in the desert. But in order to successfully apply for leave, I still lied. I told the teacher that my sister was getting married on National Day. In order not to be exposed, just in case, I communicated with my mother and asked her to be my accomplice. But I still didn’t have the guts to tell her that I was going to the desert. I only said that I was going to Inner Mongolia with my roommates. Is this a white lie?

Me, Brother Qiang, Xiaolu and Xiaogao set off from Changsha. (Xiao Gao, Brother Qiang made an appointment online. However, Brother Qiang later told me that they were not compatible, which surprised me very much.)

The journey began.

This is the first time I have been so happy to take a train. 11 people, some are still in school, some are already working, and some have opened their own studios. They come from different places and go to different destinations, but at this moment, they are gathered together to play Werewolf. We almost didn't ask each other's names, we just called each other big brother and little brother, but they were like friends who had known each other for a long time.

The person who impressed me the most was a man named Yun He. I love his pigtails and the meaning of his name. Yunhe, in their words, means "what". He is from Baotou, has a very good personality, and is a talkative person, but he is confused when playing games and is extremely disliked by us. He has been to many places and is an old donkey. Later, after getting off the train, he very kindly took us in to live in the attic of their home, solving our accommodation problem on the first night.

From now on, I will keep a running account, just to not forget those four days that seemed like a lifetime ago.

On October 1st, we were led by Yunhe to finish breakfast and then set off in a grand way. I don’t know who suggested it, but we actually wanted to take a ride to Ngebe alone. (None of the four of us have any riding experience.) However, since we have thought about it, let’s do it.

As soon as I got off the first bus, I met two uncles. One of them admired our hiking in Kubuqi and said he wanted to take us there. (The old man touched Brother Qiang’s breasts and said they were very strong, which made him laugh out loud.) However, the little green man reluctantly asked where he could buy hiking poles. Well, the uncle said you go this way, and then he didn’t take us there. (I was heartbroken at that time because I still didn’t buy any hiking poles.)

After that, we took many buses and finally came to a national highway. I was in a group with Xiao Gao, and Brother Qiang was in a group with Xiao Lu. We were divided into two groups to hitchhike (the reason for this combination is that Brother Qiang didn’t want to be in a group with Xiao Gao.).

Thinking it was my first time to travel, God was very kind to me, and soon we caught a ride on a brick truck. Xiaogao and I went to the Yellow River toll station first. Soon Brother Qiang and Xiao Lu also arrived in a car. Yes, it's a sedan, and it looks quite luxurious. I forgot the exact brand.

The success rate is really higher if you take a ride at a toll station. Because people will slow down their cars, it will be easy to pull over if they want to give you a lift. On the highway, parking is more troublesome. If you hesitate, you will drive far away and miss it.

Ever since, good luck happened again, hahaha.

A Jiangsu couple, working in Baotou, went to Engebe to play and drive! Haha, so the four of us shamelessly squeezed into the back row, and the car was full and headed towards Engebe. (I don’t know if this is considered overloading)

After about two hours, we finally arrived at the Engebe Scenic Area, so we said goodbye to the kind couple and started our journey.

The scenic area is very large, with cement roads. We walked around the scenic area leisurely while looking at the boundaries of the scenic area, and took many detours.

(Actually, we did the guide, but found that our starting point was wrong, haha)

After walking along the road for a long time, we found that we couldn’t experience the desert at all. I don’t know who gave us this inexplicable confidence. We all wanted to wear it without any plan or reliable equipment. I’ve thought about it, what else can I do, just go ahead.

The first feeling when entering Kubuqi is that the road is really difficult to walk, it is easy to sink into the sand and it is difficult to walk firmly. The sand is not as golden and brilliant as in the photo, but a bit yellow and white, like shriveled cheese, with many holes. Also, it's really hot. I wore a short-sleeved shirt and a jacket. The jacket was pulled tightly to protect me from the sun. In fact, you can just wear a vest and sun protection clothing, or just wear a long-sleeved sun protection suit. Of course, this is during the day, specifically during the day.

Shoes must be high-top and have shoe covers. Otherwise, it will be uncomfortable for the sand to enter your feet, and it will easily cause blisters. Brother Qiang is an example~ By the way, it’s best to wear the shoes and break them in first. Don’t be like me, it’s uncomfortable to put on new shoes directly.

I had a great time shooting, but found that it was getting late, so I had to get on the road quickly. After all, we couldn’t delay our trip. So we started to move towards the abdominal area. Start browsing the sand peaks one after another. In order to save effort, we walked in an S shape, walking along the peak and avoiding big pits when we encountered them. So the opposite side you see is not the real opposite side, the distance is often doubled.

I encountered some signs of camping on the road, because there were signs of burning things, and there were... human feces, lumps and lumps. After all, there are no toilets in the desert. Later, I also experienced the unique feeling of an open-air toilet. It was very refreshing and had a wide viewing angle. The urine would not splash because it was immediately absorbed by the sand.

At this time, it gets dark quite early. It got very dark around 6 o'clock. While walking with the flashlight on, we came across a large pit with darkness below. Since it was late and it was already dark, if we took a detour, we would easily get lost, and it would be very time and energy consuming. After much consideration, we decided to just walk through. Xiao Gao went down to explore the path first and found patches of bushes. So, we were at a high place and decided on a big tree on the opposite peak as the place where we would arrive after crossing the pit. We often used this method later to avoid going in the wrong direction.

Walking in the bushes is more interesting than walking in the sand. The bushes will always hook you here and there. You are no longer just repeating this action, and the ground is easier to walk on. After passing through the big pit, we walked for a long time and finally arrived at a small river. I was suddenly delighted to see the river, but it blocked our way. The river bank is very steep, and like the two sides of the moat, it is made of vertical stones. We couldn't go down, couldn't tell if there was a bridge below, couldn't cross the river, and couldn't turn back.

So, we sat down and started eating solid food, drinking water, looking at the stars, and thinking of a solution. In the end, we decided to just walk along the river to see if we could go down and observe the terrain. There's no way around it, but it works. I found a steep slope that I could go down, and found that there was a road made of sand, across the middle of the river, and the river was broken.

After crossing the river, we followed the general direction of Gaode, because there was no road, combined with various landmarks. (The most fortunate thing is that there is always a signal and you can look at the map, otherwise it might really hang up)

It was probably really dark and you couldn’t see anything around you. I walked behind, trying hard to follow, fearing that I would accidentally blend into the night behind.

Suddenly, stars and lights appeared in the distance. It should be a house or a lighthouse. We were very excited, so we decided to walk in that direction. We didn’t know why we thought it was very close at that time, but in fact it was quite close. , but we ignored that this is a desert land. We walked for another hour or two, and around 11 o'clock, we found that it was a bit far away and we couldn't find the camping spot we originally planned (we had given up on this), so we decided to find a place to pitch a tent and spend the night in the desert.

Haha, spending the night in the desert sounds exciting, right? This first night in the desert proved to be the most authentic and classic.

Then the bug came here. We brought three tents together, a single tent for Brother Qiang, a single tent for Xiao Gao, and a large tent for Xiao Lu. It was perfect at first, but then I discovered that the little green tent turned out to be a summer kind, with four veils and a net, and a sunshade tent on top. This, this, this, will kill people. In fact, I didn't think it would be too miserable at that time, just because I hadn't experienced what a desert night was at that time.

After thinking about it, I brought everything with me, so let’s just use it. We put Brother Qiang’s tent in this tent and I lived in it, and Xiao Lu’s tent was set up next to it and the three of them lived. We were quite excited for the first night and not yet tired of the desert. Four people huddled in a tent chatting, drinking rice-treasure porridge, eating ham sausage, shooting short videos, and played for a while before going to bed.

After nightfall in the desert, it is really cold. I was really glad I brought a sweater, but even so, it was still pretty cold in the sleeping bag, or at least not warm. (It may be because of the sleeping bag, the quality is not that good) After about a short sleep, I heard a strong wind blowing outside, like the roar of some kind of wild beast. Then, I kept feeling something moving between my two tents. The first time I felt scared, maybe it was a black spider as big as a basin, maybe a snake, maybe something else... At this time, I really hated my rich imagination. I wanted to talk to the people in the tent next door, and even wanted to sleep with Brother Qiang, but when I heard the snoring in the tent next door, I thought, well, I won’t be the only one to die anyway. So, I put on my headphones and fell asleep boldly.

The next morning, this was the most beautiful morning, a desert morning. It must have rained a little last night in the desert, and the shoes between the two tents were filled with moisture. It was still quite cold outside the tent, and it was already bright, but the sun had not come out yet. We climbed up to the nearest sand peak and began to wait for it to come out.

I think the joy of free travel is that you can go when you want, take photos when you want, and there is no fixed time itinerary.

So, we casually took a lot of photos of the desert sun before setting off. This should be the best set of photos we took on this trip, because later on, we didn’t have the time or energy to take photos.

The lighthouse we saw last night was really not far away. We just set out in the morning and walked for an hour or two before arriving at the big river on the map.

But at this time, we were a little confused. Except for me, the boys didn’t have much water. If we can't find water now, it means we have to get off the bus (getting off means giving up halfway), but none of us really want to give up. So we started to rest facing the river again. At this time, several people came down from the river. They were dressed the same as us and were hiking with heavy equipment, but they looked more professional than us. So we started to wave and say hello. Unexpectedly, this completely changed our future itinerary.

After understanding our situation, they said that if we still wanted to continue walking, they could give us some water. This is like a lifesaver. So the four of us hit the road with them.

Peter, a very experienced old donkey, and super rich, the equipment is very complete and of high quality. He has a particularly cheerful personality and a bit of a ruffian streak. What you would never expect is that he is underage! ! !

Bai Yi, a native of Henan, was named after a traditional and very interesting drama in his family. He is our pathfinder and guide (because he is almost always looking at the guide)

Liqun was named after Liqun cigarettes because he liked their advertising slogan: Life is like a When traveling, you don’t have to care about the destination, what you care about is the scenery along the way and the mood of seeing the scenery! He is our recognized nanny! A very cute, honest and reliable person. His feet were injured, but he persisted with us until the end!

Brave, a very gentle and lively young lady, a graduate student. She is very considerate, but very brave. She seems to have done many rides before and is also an experienced donkey. I am in love with Bai Yi.

Morrowind, a boy who doesn’t talk much, likes the second dimension.

I didn’t have many interactions with him, but what impressed me most was the way he smiled so happily when taking pictures on the prairie.

The mighty nine-member team is on the road.

We headed downstream along the river. Went through a small forest. Peter looked at us and asked us to take off our clothes. I was wise and brought a long-sleeved shirt, so I put it on behind a scrapped car in the forest to change. Brother Qiang, it was worse, he just wore a vest. This left him with excruciating shoulder pain.

Their first day, and our second day, began with the crossing of the east line of Kubuqi.

I have to say that Peter in white is really good at finding paths. They just use a compass. A person like me would not be able to use a compass even if it were available at any time, so I actively contributed the compass and then silently followed the team.

However, they were moving really fast, and I was embarrassed to say that I wanted to rest. You must know that my physical fitness is quite poor, and I am quite fat. Therefore, I always walk at the back of the team and follow with difficulty. I didn't think about anything, I just wanted to leave, and I was looking forward to rest. But it was a good day. I was still in a state of high energy, so I was still OK, but then I was a little bit~

Walking along the river, I passed a place with many cars and camels, and it seemed that there was a festival What a game.

But if you follow the old donkey, you will really get meat! ! We found our first planned camping spot! !

The campground is very simple, a cluster of brick buildings, which is a canteen and a place for cooking. There is also a large tent for dining, and two small tent houses for accommodation.

The boss pointed to an open space and asked us to set up our own tents without paying venue fees.

There were many people in the campsite, all of them were hiking groups. Their luggage was transported by car, and they traveled by themselves through the eastern route.

Everyone seems to have a special love for travelers like us. There are always people coming to say hello and chat, who are very enthusiastic and encourage us to work hard. My heart was full of pride and shyness, and also filled with a feeling that I must go on.

The campground was very lively at night, with fireworks, people singing, and bonfires... However, for us who were tired (except for me who was very active in watching the fun), everyone seemed to just wash up and eat before getting in. In the tent.

This night Sister Brave and I will live in the same tent. I really want to complain here, Sister Brave’s sleeping bag looks very warm at first glance! ! ! The sleeping bag that Brother Qiang gave me~is really not insulated! ! Remember guys, a good sleeping bag is really important!

Okay, I won’t go into details about how I want to wash up by the river, relieve myself in the grass, etc.

The night passed peacefully. At dawn, we decided to go with the walking group. Because the roads are all the same.

The scenery on the road is so beautiful! The winding path, the vast grassland on the left, the tall birch trees on the right, the bright sunshine, the breeze blowing in our faces, and the sound of us talking and laughing.

I recorded the most beautiful smiling face.

At first we followed the walking group and passed through many woods and bushes. Later, we gradually left them because they did not go directly through Kubuqi, but went along the edge to the next camping spot. And we have to go directly through a large desert.

When they took out the rope, I really thought it was quite exaggerated. After all, yesterday, we were so casual and relaxed but nothing happened.

But it turns out that this is very necessary. The sand here is quicksand and it moves!

After entering the desert, the sky was really filled with flying sand and strong winds. The sand slides along the dunes like a layer of gauze. I'm very glad I brought sunglasses, but it would have been better if they had windshield goggles, and a magic bandana to wrap myself up tightly. But even so, my face is still full of sand, and my mouth is still full of sand when I drink water.

However, only then can you feel the charm of the desert. I didn't dare to take off my glasses. Through my sunglasses, what I saw was really like what was written in Sanmao pen. The undulating sand dunes were like a woman's body, so graceful and colorful, and there was also a layer of flowing water. Gauze clothes add to the charm.

It's a pity that I can't take out my mobile phone to take pictures. Firstly, it is too dangerous. Secondly, the mobile phone will be scratched by the sand. Thirdly, the mobile phone cannot take pictures of such beautiful scenery. I had no choice but to open my eyes and look carefully in front of me, deeply ingraining this scene into my mind.

After passing the windy area, the desert became calm. Sister Brave had a stomachache and didn't want to delay our progress, so she asked us to leave first, while Baiyi stayed and waited for her. So we walked separately and agreed to meet at the second camp. We thought we would arrive earlier than them, but... the truth is always so unexpected.

On my second night in the desert, I was so shattered!

After separation, we kept moving forward. Later, during a break, we heard the roar of desert motorcycles. Thinking that we were definitely not far from the camp, we shouted loudly and headed towards the place where the sound came from, hoping that we might be able to catch a desert motorcycle.

However, motorcycles move, and they move wildly. We kept changing directions, and suddenly found that we had taken a long detour and detoured to the bottom of the second camping spot. However, the sky was getting darker at this time, and everyone felt a little anxious. And Liqun's injury seems not optimistic. But no one said anything, just keep going.

But perhaps because it was too dark, there was a sandy road here, but it was very winding, and if we walked straight, the hills were very steep, which consumed a lot of our energy and time.

At this time, two opinions emerged, one to continue walking and the other to rest in the desert. I made the wrong choice, the latter.

In fact, this latter choice was proposed by Xiao Gao. Then I agreed.

Talking about my reasons, I actually thought I could walk at first, because I was very strong at night, so I could continue walking. I never thought that there was any way to stop, because all I could think about was to keep going and not fall behind. It's just that I don't know how long we have to go. Xiao Gao said that we need to set a time, otherwise everyone's energy will be exhausted. I think it's quite right, and I thought of Li Qun's foot injury. Moreover, I actually had a desire to experience spending the night in the desert again.

I said it was wrong because Brother Qiang said something to me after walking out of the desert. He said that the most taboo thing about walking like this is to delay tomorrow's trip because of today. Today's journey must be completed today, otherwise a lot of will will be lost.

But at that time, I also felt that it was really not good. Because everyone didn’t leave at 11 o’clock, Peter called Bai Yi and said that we were living in the desert because the girl said she couldn’t leave. (Baiyi and the others have already arrived at the campsite)

I was really sad at this time. I'm really sad, and I really want to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

Liqun was really heart-warming and took the initiative to lighten the atmosphere and even lit a bonfire.

We set up three tents, ate something in a hurry, and then went into the tent to rest, because we had to leave at 5 o'clock tomorrow, otherwise the trip would be delayed.

Everyone’s luggage was placed in the center of the three tents, covered with a moisture-proof mat and held down with hiking poles.

I slept in Peter's single-person tent. This tent is super good and it is said that it can also be used on snowy mountains. I'm also very lucky that I stayed in Peter's tent, otherwise I might not have seen the sun the next day.

You must know that the night is too dark, and the location we chose was very random. Unexpectedly, it was on a windward slope, and I was in the middle and front. In the middle of the night, a strong wind blew. I suddenly realized that Peter didn't nail the floor for me! ! ! Then the tent blew up, all four corners! Only the place where I sleep is on the ground. Moreover, the top of the tent was crooked, as if it could be rolled up at any time. I was so scared that I would roll away like I was in a rubber ball. So I used my hands and feet to hold up the tent, but found that it was of no use! I opened the tent, took my big backpack in and pressed it in the corner of the tent, hoping it would be of some use. At least it weighed more than 20 kilograms. However, it was of no use. After a while, it rolled to my legs, so I kicked it over and it came over again. In the end, I simply used my legs to push the backpack. I thought this was already terrible.

Then...it started raining heavily, and it rained like beans on the tent. The air suddenly turned cold, and the sleeping bag was like a piece of paper, unable to withstand the cold air flowing inside.

Ah, forget it, I pulled my feet back and wrapped myself into a ball.

At this time, a burst of thunder rang in my ears. Even if I say the roar of a wild beast, I cannot express how terrifying it is. The sound seemed to tear the sky apart, like an angry god of death. I have to say that my whole hair stood on end. Because I feel like it's like on top of me, no, it should be right on top of me. I didn't dare to move or make a sound, for fear that the thunder would hit me. I suddenly wanted to record a voice and make my last words. So, I did it, even though I thought the current from my phone could easily cause lightning. Turn on the tape recorder and record the crackling rain, the roaring thunder, and my soliloquy.

Gradually, I became tired from fear and fell asleep. I don't know how long it took, but I suddenly woke up. The thunder had stopped, but the heavy rain continued and the strong wind continued. I opened the tent and suddenly found that the moisture-proof pad on my luggage was about to blow away, so I pressed the trekking pole again. After holding on for a while, I found that it didn't help, and a strong wind came. Moisture-proof pads have completely gone away from me! ! ! Ten thousand batches of Cao Nima rushed through my heart. "Is anyone awake? The moisture-proof mat is going to fly away!" I shouted as loud as I could, but the only answers I received were the sound of wind, rain, and snoring... Finally, after my unremitting efforts, someone finally responded to me. Everyone came out and re-pressed the moisture-proof mat, yelling at each other.

Finally, after all the surprises, I was exhausted. So, regardless of the strong wind, regardless of the heavy rain, regardless of the thunder and lightning that may come again, regardless of whether the moisture-proof mat flies away or not, I am going to sleep. If I am blown away like a ball, then so be it. I don’t care about anything. .

Perhaps I was too tired from the torture at night, so I slept until about 5 o'clock the next morning. Someone is already talking outside. So I started packing my things. It rained heavily last night and our shoes and luggage were all left outside, so they were all damaged and covered in mud and sand.

While we were packing our things, we were complaining about the violent storm, thunder, lightning and lightning last night. The small tent stand has been bent, but Peter's is still straight. At this time, you will realize the true meaning of the saying that you get what you pay for.

Soon we set off. After walking for a while, Sister Yongyang called us and said that Bai Yi had come out to pick us up. So we started to contact Bai Yi to determine each other's locations. As we got closer, we started calling each other names. After a while we met up. It turns out that we are quite close to the campground, and we can get there in about an hour. Of course, during the day, it may take longer at night.

When we arrived at the camp, we entered a small courtyard and saw white-clothed tents piled in ruins on one side. It turned out that the violent storm last night collapsed his tent! ! ! Simply shocked! ! !

Being hungry, we decided to borrow a pot from the camp owner to cook noodles and warm ourselves up. We put all the food into the pot because it was the last day.

After eating, we hit the road. This is the last day and the last stretch of the journey remains.

It was walking in the desert again, but this time, we started joking and playing, because we saw the far, far end point, which was a white dome. The end is far away, but very close at the same time.

It’s also this day, this stretch of road. It was the first time my name was called so formally and without warning. "Right, Xia Zhen!" Peter called back to me. I can’t remember why it called me, but this strange and magical feeling can’t go away for a long time.

The end is here.

Although I have looked forward to the moment when the end comes countless times. But when it came, it was so sudden. I am not prepared to end this journey and end my time with them.

With this, the hike in the Kubuqi Desert has officially ended.

Before I left, I thought it was impossible. When I left, I felt it was very difficult and tiring. After I left, I felt it was just like that.

It’s just this group of people, I’m really lucky to meet them.

After finishing the hike, we wanted to take a ride back to Baotou, but we couldn’t get a taxi. Suddenly, we decided that if the next car was willing to take us, we would go wherever it went.

I entered a store that looked very popular. It's really super delicious.

Later~

There is no future.