One-day self-driving tour in Hoh Xil! So beautiful!

After 13 hours of extreme driving, we climbed to an altitude of over 4,700 meters and finally reached the Tibetan Antelope Viewing Platform in the hinterland of Hoh Xil.

This way we go along National Highway 109, crossing mountains, snow-capped mountains, Gobi deserts, watching the four seasons flow in front of the window, the Golmud River winding by, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway running parallel to each other, heading towards the endless distance. This is indeed a magical road to heaven!

In the remote and rugged northwest of our motherland, weaving a lifeline by overcoming difficulties such as permafrost, hypoxia, and fragile ecology, one can only imagine how many generations of hard work and dedication were behind this, and I am deeply in awe.

My first impression of Hoh Xil came from Lu Chuan’s movie “Hoh Xil” which I watched when I was a student. It gave rise to my initial imagination of this desolate and uninhabited area.

After driving for 6 hours, I still didn't see any wild animals. I quietly calmed down and thought that not disturbing them might be God's will.

Unexpectedly, I saw two white-lipped deer leisurely crossing the road right after that! Following closely behind were herds of sheep, Tibetan wild donkeys, Tibetan blue sheep, and even the famous "Internet celebrity wolf" blocked their way! (It recently adopted a wolf as its younger brother)

Going deeper, we came to an ordinary grassland by the roadside. A cloud just floated away, and the sun suddenly shone straight down, and a group of Tibetan antelopes appeared leisurely.

We parked the car quietly. A Tibetan antelope even looked up and made eye contact with me. Feeling safe, it continued to graze without distraction.
The wind seemed to be silent at that moment.

I remember in the movie back then, some people hunted Tibetan antelopes to the brink of extinction, and some people sacrificed their lives to protect them. It was shocking but also full of cruelty and helplessness.

Today, Tibetan antelopes can walk and graze leisurely in groups - this scene belongs to the present, and this is the best sequel to the movie "Kekexili".

Post by RAELYN TERRY | Oct 27, 2024