Vietnamese couple spends 200 million VND to travel all over Xinjiang, taking pictures as beautiful as paintings

(Dan Tri) - On the 3,500km journey, Mac Ky Nhu's family was immersed in breathtakingly beautiful natural scenery, sunsets lasting until 10pm and lakes with no visible shore on the other side...

Having just returned from a trip along the North - South of Xinjiang by car, photographer Mac Ky Nhu (real name Nguyen Duy Khanh, born in 1989, Hanoi) found his mind still lingering on the lush green summer of the Far West of China. Previously, when he accidentally watched a clip filmed in Xinjiang, Mac Ky Nhu was immediately attracted and decided to experience it. Similar to previous trips abroad, he and his wife spent 6 months preparing from schedule, clothing to finances. On June 12, after an 8-hour flight from Hanoi to Urumqi (capital of Xinjiang), Mac Ky Nhu, his wife Cao Thu Trang (born in 1990) and son Nguyen Mac Khoi Nguyen (born in 2017) spent a whole month, driving about 3,500km to explore nature in a place where even a moment of sleep could miss the beautiful scenery.

11pm still standing watching the sunset

Mac Ky Nhu's family set off when Xinjiang was in the summer, with clear blue skies and beautiful sunshine. The landscape in the North has mountains, forests, and lakes, while in the South is a vast, majestic desert. Initially, the couple planned to go by camper, but due to the climate and having a small child with them, they switched to a regular car and stayed at a hotel. Being meticulous and fond of taking pictures, Thu Trang carefully prepared for her husband and son outfits of the same tone, suitable for the setting. Before stopping at a location, the whole family would preview the photos and coordinate their outfits beautifully. On the first day, the small family spent time wandering around Urumqi - the largest remote and landlocked city in the world (2,500km from the nearest sea). Visiting the famous Grand Bazaar, the young couple admired the Islamic architectural style, typical shopping items and local food. The only downside to Mr. Mac Ky Nhu is that the dishes are not to his taste because they are quite bland and have a lot of animal oil.

Leaving Urumqi, Mac Ky Nhu drove his wife and children along Highway S21 through the desert and past the Five-Colored Bay. In just one day, they experienced the sudden heat and coolness, welcomed the sunset at 11pm and greeted the sunrise a few hours later. Crossing the mountain pass, Hemu village - located about 10km from the Siberian border of Russia - kept Mac Ky Nhu's family here to explore the primitive beauty of the ancient Xinjiang people. But to get to the village, they had to park their car at the bus stop and take a bus about 30km. Buses are also a popular means of transport here to control the number of vehicles as well as preserve the natural environment. In the following days, the Hanoi photographer couple leisurely admired the enchanting scenery of Kanas Lake and Sayram Lake - known as "the last tear of the Atlantic" at an altitude of over 2,000m. The excitement of Mr. Mac Ky Nhu and Ms. Thu Trang increased many times when the car rolled to the most anticipated destination: Nalati Grassland.

Nalati means "the first place to see the sun". This 3,000-year-old grassland stretches 150km with pristine natural scenery, located at an altitude of 3,000-4,000m above sea level. This is not only the home of ethnic minorities in Kazakhstan for generations but also a must-see destination along the "silk road" in Xinjiang. During the two days spent here, Mac Ky Nhu and his wife allowed themselves to be a little "lazy" to feel the freedom, no rush, no jostling, just quietness and peace.

Unexpected incident in return for valuable experience

The further south you go to Xinjiang, the lush green of the trees and grass gradually gives way to sand, rocky mountains and desert. From the Nalati grassland, Mac Ky Nhu's family car passes the Duku Highway - a nearly 600km long highway located on the back of Guantian Mountain, accounting for nearly 80% of Xinjiang's beautiful scenery. Mac Ky Nhu describes this pass as "not for taking a nap because stopping at any point will give you a completely different beautiful view". In particular, due to some dangerous and harsh natural factors, this route is only open for about 4-5 months a year. The rest of the time, the pass does not allow vehicles to circulate after 10pm. That is why there are quite a few camping cars along the road and by the streams at night. However, because he was absorbed in admiring the scenery, Mac Ky Nhu did not have time to cross the pass before closing time. He and his wife had to look for a hotel at the foot of the pass, but unfortunately, these places do not welcome foreign guests.

Because of the incident, Mac Ky Nhu's family found a nomadic tent to stay overnight a few dozen kilometers away. That night, they were treated to a delicious meal by the host and slept soundly inside a traditional Kazakh tent (called a "yurt" - each tent consists of a willow frame, covered with felt, which can have different thicknesses). The interior of the tent also has a ceremonial meaning, the right side is usually for men, the left side is for women... The next morning, the small family welcomed the sunrise together among the mountains and grasslands, watching herds of horses, sheep, and goats leisurely grazing on the fields. Mac Ky Nhu was even more certain that: "Coming to Xinjiang, beautiful scenery is everywhere, it's true". Just then, after wandering on the majestic roads and grasslands, the small family arrived in Kashgar - near the end of the journey before preparing to turn back. The thousand-year-old oasis city has ancient streets with earthy brown tones, colorful decorations and lots of brocade, so just raise your camera and you will have beautiful photos. In addition to the diverse food sold on the streets, the local people are also friendly and hospitable. Mr. Mac Ky Nhu assessed that on the Xinjiang route, this is an ideal intersection to rest and experience.

After nearly a month of traveling across North and South Xinjiang, Baisha Lake was the last stop for Mac Ky Nhu's family. The three of them spent a whole day here, admiring the panoramic view of the lake, enjoying the sunshine and sudden rains, the cool breeze blowing from Muztagh peak, watching the rain fall on the other side while this side was still sunny... Likened to a paradise left behind hundreds of millions of years ago, Baisha Lake is a "wonder of the desert" with an area of ​​10 hectares, "shining" like a pearl on the Pamir plateau. Returning to Vietnam, Mac Ky Nhu and his wife still yearned for the long journeys that brought them the experience of four seasons in one day, the scenery of rivers, streams, grasslands, snowy mountains, glaciers... and more than 280km at an altitude of over 2,000m. For the couple, everything captured in photos cannot fully express the emotions as when directly seeing and feeling with all their senses. Up to now, the 35-year-old photographer has not yet recalculated the total cost of the trip due to many unexpected expenses. He estimates the amount to be more than 200 million VND - not a small amount of money but for him, it is completely worth it.

Let your baby move from 8 months old

Since the first day they fell in love, Mac Ky Nhu and Thu Trang have shared their passion for traveling. When Khoi Nguyen was born, their trips had a new member. Khoi Nguyen's first trip was to Nha Trang beach when he was only 8 months old. After that, the little boy set foot in many provinces and cities across Vietnam on 3-5 day trips. Among them, Da Lat is the destination that he loves the most and has traveled to the most. Not only traveling domestically, Khoi Nguyen also followed his parents to travel abroad such as Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, China (Lijiang, Shangrila, La Binh) and Southeast Asian countries... Sometimes, when they can arrange the time, the whole family takes trips lasting 15 days to a month. Some of their memorable trips are a month of self-driving across Vietnam; a month of exploring 47/47 provinces and cities of Japan; 15 days visiting Korea; a month of self-driving around Europe; 15 days around Harbin...

While many parents are reluctant to take their children on long trips for many safety and health reasons, Mac Ky Nhu and his wife have a different opinion. "I think if you have the conditions, let your children go when possible. They will have many experiences, be exposed to and learn new things everywhere. From there, they will be more confident and bold," he said. Of course, according to the male photographer, parents must also determine that taking their children on trips will also encounter many difficulties. To make the trip go smoothly, the couple always carefully prepares everything from cotton swabs to disposable toilet paper bags for the baby, medicine, and food specifically for children. Mac Ky Nhu and his wife also do not put too much emphasis on the money spent on traveling because they think that money can be earned but youth and time cannot. Moreover, children have many childhood experiences, photos and videos with their parents are preserved through each journey.

Photo: Mac Ky Nhu

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/vo-chong-viet-chi-200-trieu-dong-di-khap-tan-cuong-chup-anh-dep-nhu-tranh-20240718151437700.htm