Chapter 16 Love of Sayyid Lake
As CCTV's famous host, Teacher Sa, once said, "If you've never been to Sayram Lake, you've lived in vain."
To make the most of her trip, Sayram Lake naturally became a must-visit stop on Xu Nianyi's Xinjiang itinerary.
However, it's quite a long drive from Urumqi, taking more than six hours even on the highway.
In southern cities, a six-hour drive would likely mean crossing two or three provinces.
Tank 300 drove out of the city and onto the long Lianhuo Expressway.
The scenery outside the window gradually transitioned from the bustling city traffic to the vast and boundless Gobi Desert.
Xu Nianyi sat in the passenger seat, snacking as she leisurely studied the accommodations for the night.
She had checked travel guides and found that when the weather is warm, many people choose to camp overnight at the campsites within the scenic area of Sayram Lake.
This way, you can fall asleep under the stars and wake up to the sunrise over the lake – it's incredibly romantic.
Unfortunately, it was the dead of winter, with temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. Camping was strictly prohibited in the scenic area, and even if it were allowed, Xu Nianyi would never dare to risk her life to challenge such an extreme and unique experience.
So the choice became: stay at the expensive hotel in the scenic area with its unique starry sky dome, where you can lie in a warm bed and look up at the Milky Way through the glass dome to greet the sunrise; or choose an ordinary hotel outside the scenic area that is more affordable but has no view whatsoever?
While she was still undecided, she casually opened the Yinlang APP, wanting to search for reviews of the two hotels and refer to other people's experiences before making a decision.
Unexpectedly, I found a private message in my unread messages.
The sender was an account named "Saihu Starry Sky Camp".
"Hello blogger, I saw that you are traveling in Xinjiang. I wonder if your itinerary includes Sayram Lake? Our camp is newly opened and we sincerely invite you to experience a free stay. We look forward to you sharing your real feelings with netizens on the platform."
Xu Nianyi finished reading it carefully, and her heart leaped with joy! I received an advertising offer so quickly?
She clicked on the other party's profile, watched the beautifully edited promotional video, and then switched to the booking app to check user reviews.
I learned that this campsite had only been open for a few months. It is located on a wide open space on the west side of Sayram Lake Scenic Area and has more than 100 independent rooms that resemble RV cabins.
The room rate isn't low, over nine hundred a night.
Perhaps because it's newly opened and doesn't have many guests, there are very few reviews. Combined with the high room rates, this place ranks very low locally on the app; it's almost impossible to find without specifically searching for it.
Free accommodation is indeed tempting, but Xu Nianyi is a pragmatic person and would never make a recommendation against her conscience just to gain an advantage.
She confided her dilemma to Tan Chen and sought his opinion.
Tan Chen thought for a moment and replied, "You can first check with them to see if there are any rooms available today. When we arrive, we can go and check out the place before it gets dark. If it's really nice, we'll accept their invitation to help promote it. If not, we'll have time to make other arrangements."
Xu Nianyi felt that this plan perfectly balanced her principles with the rare opportunity.
She immediately followed Tan Chen's advice and communicated with the other party.
The manager of Saihu Stargazing Camp quickly replied: "We happen to have rooms available today, feel free to come and check it out."
Xu Nianyi was so excited in the car that she could hardly sit still.
When she resigned, she did indeed harbor a small dream of becoming a travel blogger and earning money through advertising.
Unexpectedly, just over half a month after setting off, we encountered our first cooperation opportunity.
Getting a free night's room is equivalent to earning 900 yuan!
If Tan Chen's place is also free, then it'll cost 1,800!
I am the best little lamb!
She was secretly pleased, thinking that there might be further invitations for accommodation, dining, and amusement park experiences.
She must carefully select her followers and only share what she genuinely thinks is good, and she will never make money through dishonest means!
Tan Chen was also touched by her joy and sincerity, and resisted the urge to reach out and pat her head.
Having settled her accommodation needs, when she wasn't driving, Xu Nianyi would study how to use a coffee machine and learn about coffee beans, or have Tan Chen explain the basics of bartending to her.
The atmosphere inside the car was relaxed and pleasant. The driver was changed every two hours, and the six-hour journey didn't seem so long amidst the conversation and the ever-changing scenery outside the window.
Upon arrival, they purchased self-driving tickets for 110 yuan per person, and the Tank 300 slowly drove into the Sayram Lake scenic area.
Upon entering the scenic area, the view suddenly opens up, and a magnificent beauty washes over you.
The lake was larger than I could have imagined; I couldn't see the other side.
It is said that even if you don't get out of the car the whole time, it will take nearly two hours to drive around the lake along the highway.
The highway, like a gray ribbon, separates the frozen lake inside from the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
In winter, Sayram Lake is almost completely frozen, presenting a stunning view that is completely different from other seasons.
Near the shore, there is a large area of "ice slush", each grain as big as a fist, floating densely on the lakeside, making people want to sprinkle some jam on it and take a bite of this natural ice slush dessert.
On the rare unfrozen lake surface, you can also see the unique spectacle of "ice pushing". Ice slabs squeeze, collide and pile up against each other, continuously crashing against the shore under the push of the lake water, and the oddly shaped edges shimmer with a cold light in the sunlight.
The thick, frozen lake surface had cracks in the ice that made people hesitant to step on it, for fear that it might suddenly burst open.
Those "blue ice" formations of unknown origin may have been caused by strong winds whipping up giant waves that instantly froze.
There are also strings of dreamlike "ice bubbles" under the ice layer, like air frozen at the bottom of the lake;
There are also many "ice flowers" and "icicles" that can be seen everywhere.
Xu Nian carefully walked onto the lake where there were many people and stomped her feet to test the thickness of the ice.
Because she was dressed warmly enough, she followed the example of others and lay down on the azure ice, spreading her fingers to look at the sunlight filtering through the gaps.
At that moment, it felt as if I were standing in the center of a huge, pure sapphire.
Tan Chen captured this unforgettable moment with his camera.
They continued along the lakeside road and arrived at a scenic spot called "Kele Yongzhu".
This place is truly amazing!
Because amidst the surrounding snow and ice, this is the only large body of water that remains sparkling.
What's even more surprising is that you can see many elegant swans in this unfrozen water.
Some strolled gracefully on the snowy shore, some sang with their necks arched in the water, some scrambled for crumbs of bread thrown to them by the crowd, and some whispered sweet nothings in a corner...
Swans are a symbol of loyalty and eternal love. They strictly adhere to monogamy, and if one dies, the other often commits suicide in loyalty.
In this romantic place full of swans, a couple is having their wedding photos taken.
The groom was dressed in a sharp suit, while the bride wore a pure white sleeveless wedding dress. They stood on a large rock in the water, the hem of her dress already soaked.
Xu Nianyi felt cold just looking at her.
But apart from her red nose and slightly trembling hands, the bride's face was filled with an incredibly happy and determined smile as she followed the photographer's instructions to perform every movement.
Xu Nianyi was touched by their happiness and stood quietly to the side watching, thinking to herself that she should also look into the prices for taking wedding photos here.
There were an unusually large number of tourists at this attraction, and Xu Nianyi suddenly had an impulsive idea.
"How about we try out our business here for a trial run?"
The roadside parking spaces are spacious, and their unfolding of the control panel will not affect traffic.
It's so pleasant to make coffee in such a relaxing and wonderful place.
Tan Chen cooperated by starting the vehicle, turning on the power, unfolding the control panel in the trunk, and placing the small wooden blackboard on it, which read "A thought of dawn, coffee by day and wine by night".
He made it secretly before he left. The wooden sign had artistic lettering written by his own hand, and there was a small tank drawing next to it. It was extremely cute.
Before it was even fully set up, it attracted several young people who came over to join in the fun.
"You guys are so creative!" a girl exclaimed excitedly, ordering a hot latte.
Xu Nian carefully operated the coffee machine, while Tan Chen watched silently from the side, ready to lend a hand at any time, but not taking the initiative to intervene.
As the food was being prepared, more and more people gradually gathered around. Some were just curious to take a look, while several others placed orders.
The groom, who had just finished taking wedding photos, walked over. Xu Nian glanced at the bride by the lake. The photoshoot seemed to be over. With the help of the photography assistant, she was awkwardly putting on her down jacket.
"Could I order a hot cappuccino? To warm my lover's hands," the groom said.
“No problem!” Xu Nianyi readily agreed.
The bride, dressed in her wedding gown, came over, and Xu Nianyi sincerely praised her beauty and courage to show her arms in minus twenty degrees Celsius.
The bride, with a cheerful personality, said with a smile, "We came from Guangdong and specifically chose to take our wedding photos at Sayram Lake in winter because we wanted this unique and unparalleled natural scenery. It's a bit cold, but just look at this view, and I feel like I've lived a life without regrets!"
The groom, with his arm around the bride's shoulder, added, "We met in a university outdoor club, and we knew we were meant for each other after our first hike together. We promised to see all the most beautiful mountains and rivers in our country. Sayram Lake was on our list. Making our vows by Swan Lake, I feel that our love will last forever."
Xu Nianyi handed the hot cappuccino he had made to the bride and continued to listen to their beautiful love story.
Tan Chen opened the styrofoam box containing the bottled liquor, thought for a moment, took out the vodka, added a small amount of blue curaçao liqueur to give the liquor a dreamy color like the blue ice of Sayram Lake, then added refreshing lemon juice and a little syrup to balance the taste, and finally poured in soda water to make the glass bubble with fine bubbles like bouillon beads.
He named this special cocktail "Love of Sai Lake".
"These are for you." Tan Chen handed the wine to the groom.
The two accepted the ice-blue, bubbly special cocktail with tiny bubbles, and were overjoyed.
In this desolate, snowy landscape, a cocktail specially made for their story undoubtedly became the most unforgettable interlude in their wedding photo shoot journey.
They insisted on taking a photo with Xu Nianyi and Tan Chen to record this unexpected and heartwarming encounter.
After selling a few more cups of coffee, the two packed up their things and continued on their way.
Next stop – Say Lake Stargazing Camp.
Upon arrival at their destination, they discovered that, just as the promotional images showed, rows of silver-white, RV-like individual rooms were scattered across the snow, facing the vast Sayram Lake.
The front desk staff showed the two people around a guest room.
The interior space isn't very large, but it's fully equipped and has plenty of heating.
Most amazingly, the room has a huge 120-degree floor-to-ceiling window facing east, offering an unobstructed view of Sayram Lake and the distant snow-capped mountains.
"Although we don't have a rooftop for stargazing," the staff member enthusiastically explained, "as long as the weather is clear, you can see a sky full of stars just by going outside. We also provide folding camping chairs in the rooms for our guests to use."
"Through this floor-to-ceiling window, you won't even need to leave the house tomorrow morning; you can enjoy a panoramic view of the sunrise over Sayram Lake from your bed. We clean the glass monthly to ensure it remains clean and clear."
Overall, Xu Nianyi was very satisfied.
She told the contact person on the music platform that she would complete her experience tomorrow, and then edit a comprehensive video combining her visit to Sayram Lake to share with her fans.
Regarding the need for two rooms, the other party generously stated that the first room is free and the second room is half price, costing only 500 yuan.
That night, countless stars dotted the sky.
Xu Nianyi and Tan Chen, bundled up tightly, stepped outdoors in the minus thirty-degree wind.
Sitting on a black camping chair, looking up at the boundless night sky and the dazzling Milky Way, the beauty makes you forget the cold and linger.
Lying on the warm and comfortable bed in the room, Xu Nianyi looked at the floor-to-ceiling window that was temporarily covered by curtains, full of anticipation for tomorrow's sunrise.
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