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Where grass is greener

(Shanghai Star)
Updated: 2009-05-12 16:55

Located in eastern Xinyuan county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Nalati grassland is not on most tourists' itineraries-for now, that is.

The Nalati grassland, in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, retains much of its natural and ethnic beauty. [China Daily]

Nalati scenic area covers 400 sq km of the country's second largest grassland.

The grassland has quiet streams, fresh air and abundant vegetation. It's home to a 10th of China's Kazakh community, and its rolling hills are dotted with their camps.

When I first saw the gently undulating terrain of Nalati, it brought back memories of the fine silk of Suzhou, I once saw in a museum.

The landscape is carpeted with wild flowers, upon which wander herds of goats, sheep and cows.

Unlike many travel destinations, it's hard to find crowds here, because Xinjiang is not the first choice for the typical adventurer.

In addition, many visitors to Xinjiang focus on its more-developed scenic areas, such as Kanas, Turpan or Heavenly Lake. And, it seems, the Nalati grassland is perhaps too vast for some to really wrap their minds around.

Here, horses are the major mode of transportation and most people ride them to visit friends, haul loads and joyride.

A trek on horseback here is affordable because the prices are fixed by the local tourism authority.

Oftentimes, visitors can haggle a better deal with Kazakh horse owners around dawn, when the tourism inspection team is away.

A must-do in Nalati is staying a night in a Kazakh camp.

After spending a day on the vast grassland, snapping photos, walking and horse trekking, I joined three backpackers for a night in one of the camps.

Be sure to bargain hard. We got a good deal: 50 yuan ($7) for a one night in camp, and it included a Kazakh breakfast with milk tea and puersak, which is fried flour-made Kazakh dim sum made with milk tea.

The camp was spacious enough for 10 people. At dusk, our host brought us a lamb and some beer. Kazakh people are known for their hospitality. We were invited to join the host and his relatives for supper and we ate like family despite encountering a language barrier.