MIRRORING THE SKY
Early the next morning, we began our
journey west to the Chaka Salt Lake,
passing by vast grass fields leading
up to the foot of the magnificent Qilian
Mountains. “Chaka” actually means
“salt lake” in Tibetan, rendering the
English name redundant.
The lake covers an area of 105
square kilometres, with enough saline
to meet the world’s salt needs for
more than 160 years. It forms a perfect
mirror, so much so that it’s difficult
to tell where the landscape ends and
the sky begins.
With bare, salt-crusted feet, we
clambered back into the vehicle to
make our way to the majestic Qilian
Mountains in the winding journey to
Dunhuang, breaking the trip up with
an overnight rest.
Arriving in Dunhuang – a location
of strategic importance, at the
juncture of two major trade routes
within the Silk Road network – our
first stop was the Dunhuang Yardang
National Geopark, an eerie landscape
of geological landforms dispersed
The lake covers an area of 105 square
kilometres, with enough saline to meet the
world’s salt needs for more than 160 yearsIMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK