Day 8 (October 3rd, 2008)---Today was a great day! All of China is on one time zone. So the sun rises really early and sets really early in Beijing but rises late and sets late in Urumqi. Hence, the people in Xinjiang start the day very late. Breakfast usually isn't any earlier than 8:30 and most people don't have to be at work until about 10. On the rest of the trip, we had been expected to wake early and began our day early, but now we could finally sleep in...YAY!!! We got up at 9 and set off to my most anticipated spot on the whole entire trip, Heavenly Lake. I had heard prior to our trip that Heavenly Lake was one of the most beautiful natural spots in all of China. However, I was a little worried it would be a complete let down after being so disappointed by the Flaming Mountain. But as we drove closer and closer to Heavenly Lake, I realized that it was even more beautiful than I had anticipated it would be. We pulled into the parking lot and saw waterfalls all around with moutains and pine trees. We boarded a bus to take us up the mountain to the lake, and then upon arriving, took a 15-20 minute hike to the lake. This place is undoubtedly one of God's many blessings to mankind; His presence was so evident. I can not even put into words the beauty of it all. It was quite possibly the most serene and perfect place I have ever been in my whole life. After spending a couple hours at the Heavenly Lake, we headed to a traditional Kazak yurt and ate some traditional Kazak snacks. Our last destination of the day was Red Mountain Park. However, the previous week of the trip as well as the whole day at the Heavenly Lake had really exhausted me. So while half of our group went to hang out at the Red Mountain Park, the other half of the group, me included, headed back to our hotel to rest and chill out for the rest of the evening. My roommate and I grabbed some Pizza Hut and watched "Mega Snake" and then it was off to bed.
Day 9 (October 4th, 2008)---Today was the last day in Urumqi and the last day of our Westward Journey. We woke up at 10 and headed to yet another museum. But unlike the Shaanxi Museum in Xi'an, this museum was BORING!!! The best part of the entire museum was the mummies, and even those weren't so spectacular. We finished at the museum and made our way to the famous Bazaar of Urumqi. The Bazaar was a huge marketplace with numerous shops all over the streets and shops in multi-storey buildings. I think it is the biggest bazaar in all of Xinjiang. We spent a couple hours there eating dried fruit, buying pashminas, and listening to Uyghur music. It was a very enjoyable ending to our time in Xinjiang and our trip as a whole. From the Bazaar, we went for a traditional Uyghur dinner at a Muslim restaurant and then were off to the airport to make our way back to Beijing. Honestly, I was quite ready to get back to Beijing. After being gone for 9 days, I missed all my local hang outs and the Beijing language and food. I was so glad to be heading back to my home city in China. We got to the airport, and a couple of my classmates found out that Chinese airlines don't allow you to check alcohol. Since Xinjiang is so well-known for it, a couple classmates had bought Xinjiang wine to bring back to Beijing. So instead of checking their wine with the airlines, we opened the bottles and all toasted the end of our trip with a glass of wine; such a story book ending to an absolutely amazing trip. Hours later, we arrived back in Beijing, and I found that I had a small grin on my face as I looked out onto my loved city of Beijing and thought back on the many fabulous memories I will forever carry with me.....
And this was my Journey Westward.
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