My trip to Altay, Xinjiang, was an unforgettable adventure that opened my eyes to the most spectacular views I could ever have imagined. It was To the Wonder, the mini-series based on the essays of the Chinese author Li Juan, that sparked my curiosity to explore Altay for myself.
I took Li Juan's book with me and read it avidly as I lay on the train from Urumqi to Altay. I was heading to Kanas, where the TV series was shot. When I got off the train, a driver was waiting to take me to my destination.
He was a man in his early sixties, with a deeply wrinkled face. He greeted me with a broad smile and helped with my luggage before driving off to collect other travelers from several nearby hotels.
He drove a five-seat van. A man of few words, his sole responsibility was to deliver us safely to our destination. For independent travelers nowadays, chartered car services are an excellent option. Unlike a large coach built for crowds, this service is designed to efficiently bring individual travelers to their destination.
The only drawback was that he didn't serve as a tour guide. He simply followed the itinerary provided by the tourist agency—nothing more, nothing less. And on paper, the itinerary looked fine. The problem only became apparent once you actually arrived at the destination.
Kanas is vast, yet conventional itineraries prioritize quantity over quality—valuing the number of attractions more than personal experience. As a result, we found ourselves rushing from one spot to the next.
One of those stops was Baihaba Village, a small border settlement deep in the Altai Mountains. Upon arrival, I had no idea how to explore it. The village was small, so I felt no urgency—and soon realized that was a mistake. Trekking the mountain trail would have given me a bird's-eye view of the village. Riding a horse would have been even better; this place is known for its pastoral lifestyle, and horse riding is almost an essential experience.
I remember leaving that place with a longing heart—how I wished I could ride a horse. I looked enviously at the people on horseback, leisurely patrolling the rolling green hills, while I hurried back to the bus station. It felt exactly like what I should have been doing in such an idyllic setting.
Our next destination, according to the plan, was a mountain summit overlooking the Kanas Lake—a blue gem cradled in the mountains—reached only by a long climb. Unfortunately, the weather in Kanas proved to be fickle. One moment the sky was a perfect blue with brilliant sunshine, and the next, droplets of rain began to fall.
So when we started climbing, the sun gave way to a drizzling rain, and the temperature plummeted. I couldn’t stop shivering, and to make things worse, the view was obscured. Kanas Lake looked ordinary now, stripped of its sunny charm. I began to wonder why I was even doing this—climbing a mountain in the rain. But the driver was waiting, so I had no choice but to hurry upward, stopping only briefly now and then to steal a look at the faintly glistening water below.
Despite all of that, it was a pleasant trip—though not without its regrets. My biggest disappointment was not being able to explore at my own pace. It's a mistake travelers often make: you have the destination, you have someone—in this case, the driver—to take you there, and it seems like everything is in place. Only in hindsight did I realize that the most essential element was missing: time. Kanas is so vast that it demands far more time to truly explore.
As travelers, we often focus more on where the trip will take us than on how it might cater to our personal desires. Before we arrive, our imagination extends only as far as the obvious attractions—the places everyone tells us to see. It's only after we reach the destination that our true wishes begin to take shape. In my case, I realized I wanted to ride a horse and soak in the breathtaking views at a slower pace.
So for free individual travelers, I suggest adopting a more flexible schedule—and think twice before choosing a chartered car service like I did. A chartered car service can be a convenient and cost-effective way to get from point A to point B, but it often comes with a fixed itinerary that prioritizes efficiency over experience. What you gain in affordability, you may lose in spontaneity. The ability to pause at a stunning overlook, linger in a small village, or change course on a whim is what transforms a simple trip into a deeply personal journey. So, when planning your own adventure, look beyond the price tag and consider what you're really paying for—not just transportation, but the time and space to let the destination reveal itself to you.