Bita Lake

When we got out of the car at the entrance to Bita Lake, the first thing that struck us was how cold it was. It felt like about 10 degrees in the middle of July! The second thing was the effect of the altitude. At 3500 metres, we could feel our hearts pounding and our breath becoming shallower.

We walked through the forest for an hour or so down to the lake. It was incredibly quiet and seemingly timeless. The grasslands by the lake were covered in wildflowers and grazing yaks. A Tibetan man (or maybe a Han dressed in Tibetan garb) was standing on the banks singing Xinjiang folk songs at the top of his voice! A single vendor was set up down near the boat dock selling fresh yak milk and yak meat sticks. There was something other-worldy about this place.