Pic of the Week: Mist Rising over Kanas Lake

Mist rising over Xinjiang's Kanas Lake by Judy Chen

If you ever had any doubts as to the natural beauty that Xinjiang has to offer, I aim to make you a believer. Kanas Lake, besides being one of the top lakes in Xinjiang, offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of China.  The only problem is location.  From Urumqi it takes more than 12 hours by bus to get to this lake which is close to the border of Russia and Kazakhstan.  Still, the rewards are worth the effort.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

If you are interested in contributing a photo to FarWestChina's Picture of the Week series, please contact me and send in your Xinjiang-related photo. All photos must be originals and will be credited to you and/or your personal website.

Picture of the Week: Karakul Lake

A Beautiful Day at Karakul Lake

Along the Karakoram Highway which begins in Kashgar and leads to the town of Tashkurgan on the China-Pakistan border, there is a small lake surrounded by the gorgeous Pamir mountain peaks. It’s very difficult to capture the beauty of Karakul Lake within the frame of a single photo and I wish I could say I have done so here.

The water in this lake, which appears to change to a different shade of translucent blue every hour of the day, becomes a crystal-clear mirror when calm.

Pretty much the only thing more breath-taking than the majestic daytime scenery at Karakul Lake is witnessing how the sky bursts with innumerable stars during the night. The high altitude and clean air made star gazing so easy it felt like a door in the atmosphere had been opened.

Note: Previously I named Karakul Lake as one of the top four lakes in the province.  You ought to check out these three other amazing lakes in Xinjiang.