新疆 Day 7 - Foggy Mountains

In the morning the rain let up, and we drove up the mountain. Then we switched from a large tour bus to a golf-cart-like thing to travel the narrower roads. Yesterday’s clouds still lingered on the hills, floating along through the trees as though it were a living thing. The grassy hillsides were curiously ridged, like a fork pressed into cookie dough. Our guide informed us that these were created by herds of sheep being driven across to new grazing grounds. Horse, sheep and cows dotted the landscape here and there, with local dwellings set up along the way. At one stop, a crowd of local children pulling tiny goats on leashes came up to the touring vehicles. The goats were dolled up with brightly coloured ribbons and sashes, and the children with their shrill voices called out to the tourists offering photo ops in exchange for small change.

It was quite chilly on the mountain, the cold made worse by the dampness all over. By the time we returned to our car, I had lost feeling from my feet to my calves, and my fingers could barely move. We went for lunch, at the same restaurant for the third time, and warmed up with our final meal on the tour—complete with my favourite spicy roasted lamb. 

so cold.