Altai Region-Cash cow. Paradise Alpine region

Journal: 5/6 September 2010 Jiadgeua Altai tourist village room #3145.
The reason we are here is to explore the Kansa Lake and  Hemu (Tuwa village) Altai. The area is alpine country bordering Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The Chinese government has a policy to make this a major tourist area with a new airport and tourist infrastructure. Citt is keen to take a look for professional interest. We spend 2 days visiting Kansa Lake and Hemu Village.

Kanas Lake. Altai

Room # 3145 Your intrepid travelers spend a night cold and bloody freezing. Fully clothed: thermals, jeans, cashmere pullover, socks, fleecy jacket in bed! The room is not heated and the price is the same as 5 star Beijing. 

Kanas lake and Friendship Peak

So here we go, tourism for the foreigners China style where everything is three times the price. Fine if you do not know (like on a package). But your intrepid travelers are mean and know the prices and it hurts. What hurts more is the fact that the locals do not share in the spoils. It all goes to Beijing.
Citt says "Our vow for this area of the journey is not to talk about the price" OK.  


Citt has a special connection to this country.  Shame it is spoiled by greedy operators in Beijing. BUT at the end she is right, as the people make us welcome with awesome hospitality.*

The area borders Russia, Mongolia and China. In fact if you stand on the pinnacle of Friendship Peak you can move with one foot in each country if you have three feet that is.


Our first move after cracking the ice from our noses is to have a "cuppa" and then find some brekkie. 
Marc our driver delivers us to a noodle shop
Ugh, I hate noodles especially for Brekkie.
('Stop moaning Dad')

Kanas River

Belly full. The reason we came here is to explore the region. Citt has had several journeys to the other side of the border and she is keen to see what the Chinese are doing with this area. The Altai mountain range is an important meteorological scientific area for the Russians and Kazakhis. It is also rich in ecological and ethnology being inhabited since 7000 BC ( see standing stones of the Altai, this blog page 1 toolbar). Russia's highest mountain (twin peaked Mt Beluka  4,506m)  is in this range.  It is wilderness UNESCO protected but not so here.

Tuwa horse people

The area is inhabited by the Tuwa people these people are on both sides of the border.  Citt says they are wild mountain people. There are numerous lakes in the region but the most famous is Kanas lake created by a glacier that melted in three different eras. The lake wall is created by moraine from the glacier fed from Friendship Peak. The area is a major tourist attraction for the Chinese. An entry fee is charged. Then another fee for the ride to the top. And another for a ride on a boat on the lake. (see what I mean") (Shut it Dad.)
We hired horses from the Tuwa hoping they would get the money. ( Dad I will belt you.)


All this apart, the area is Alpine timbered, steep and mountainous. Snow leopard, wolf, fox, ermine and wild horse roam the mountains. Poachers are prevelant. See the photos of the pelts. Eco and animal lovers do not look. The area is sub zero for most of the year. 
I will let the images tell the story.


* I mentioned Marc our driver BUT what I did not mention was our interpreter on the end of the phone. Her name is Cocco. Every time we made a change Marc rang Cocco.  It turned out Cocco was a school teacher and she wanted to meet us. A dinner date was established and we sat down with 6 colorful locals and had the best meal. They wanted to know all about us.   Anyway we made it to the plane for our 12 midnight flight to Urumqui. This is what traveling is all about, right? People.