I was interested in visiting Xinjiang for this trip back to China. The region is one of the biggest and richest in the country. I've heard both good and bad things about the place, which piqued my interest even more.


I packed my bags and boarded the train to Xining en route to Urumqi.

I was in Urumqi for a couple of days and was considering going to Tianchi or Heavenly Lake. There were a lot of negative reviews about it. Since I was running out of things to do, I decided to go anyway. I had apprehensions, but when I got to see the lake, I felt it was worth it.