Self-driving at Sailimu Lake Chapter 3 Sailimu Lake Sunrise

🌞day3: 8:30 get up, have breakfast at the hotel, bring sunglasses 10:00 depart for Sailimu Lake. From Yining Bayandai Toll Station, get on Qingyi Expressway (take card) - Huiyuan East Toll Station (return card, payment code 💰19) - Lianhuo Expressway, Guozigou Toll Station (payment code 💰35) - Sailimu Lake Scenic Area Visitor Service Center East Gate. Buy tickets at the Visitor Center East Gate, ticket plus self-driving fee per person is 110💰. There is a self-service machine to scan and get a free map when buying tickets. If hungry, find a restaurant near the East Gate first; if not hungry, enter the scenic area directly from the East Gate, and eat instant noodles 🍜 at service points inside the scenic area whenever hungry. After entering the scenic area, go left and drive clockwise around the lake, speed limit 50 km/h for the whole lake! You can turn off navigation and choose sightseeing spots to stop according to the paper map received (climbing Pine Tree Head is not recommended, it’s tiring, just to see the full view of Sailimu Lake; the little squirrels 🐿️ may be hibernating now, but there is a chance to see little foxes 🦊). Recommended stops: Kele Yongzhu, Pine Tree Head, the place with swans, lighthouse. Wild photographers charge 100💰/7 photos; if you really want to shoot, you can negotiate the price. I finally paid 150💰 for 35 negatives, but the skill was average. Be sure to arrive at Ten-Mile Gallery by 18:00 to wait for the pink sunset 🌇 Exit the scenic area from the East Gate, have dinner at Afanti Xinjiang Cuisine (you can order a medium portion of Big Plate Chicken) Hotel accommodation is not recommended, all are about the same. If your health is not good, don’t wash your hair this day; the altitude is over 2000 meters, which may cause increased heart rate. The sunrise the next day is very cold; you can wear a hat for photos so your oily hair won’t show, haha 😃 🌞day4: For sunrise viewing, be fully equipped, layer up! Gloves, scarf, mask, warm packs! Plan 1: Get up at 8:00, head straight to the scenic area East Gate, drive clockwise around the lake, and be sure to arrive at Colorful Clear Sea or Kele Yongzhu around 9:00-9:30 to see the pink sunrise 🌅. Slight speeding is okay. After watching the sunrise, return to the East Gate and hotel around 10:00, pack up, and head back. Plan 2 - Get up at 7:40, pack up. Have hotel breakfast at 8:30, hurry up, get in the car after eating. Be sure to arrive at Colorful Clear Sea or Kele Yongzhu around 9:00-9:30 to see the pink sunrise. Slight speeding is okay. After watching the sunrise, take photos of swans 🦤 (you can bring bread to feed them), then navigate directly to the South Gate around 11:00 and return. Continuing, arrive in Yining around 13:00-14:00, have lunch 🍛 After lunch, find a gas station (just fill until the pump clicks off; when we got the car, the last bar was not full), you can go to Yining Tianshan Street Comprehensive Agricultural Market to buy specialties (milk skin, milk tablets, naan…) Go to the airport, return the car 🚗. Fly ✈️ back home