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| Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA1), Malaysia |
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| Hong Kong International Airport (Transit) |
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| Urumqi Tianshan International Airport (Diwopu), Xinjiang, China |
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| I am (KM) in Urumqi ! |
D-1 Sunday Aug 9 2026 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - met up with my travel buddy in KL Sentral & together we took a Skybus airport shuttle bus to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1 (KLIA1) to board a CPA flight to Hong Kong for a connecting flight to Urumqi arriving 07.00 on the following day. My last visit to Urumqi was in late Aug 2025 on a 29 days free & easy Southern Xinjiang & Ancient Silk Road visit.
1) The start of my Rapid KL LRT train ride (RM2, senior) from SS15 LRT station (11.50) > KL Sentral.
2) Arriving in KL Sentral (12.35) - meet up with my travel buddy Boon at the Information Booth.
3) Sky Bus Ticketing Booth, lower ground floor, KL Sentral - bought shuttle bus ticket (Rm10, senior) for a bus ride departing 13.00 from KL Sentral > Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA1)
4) On board the airport shuttle bus from KL Sentral > Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA1)
5) Arriving in KLIA1 bus terminal (14.25), lower ground floor.
6) Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1 Main Complex / Airline Check-in Counters - issuing of boarding pass & luggage check-in etc.
7) International Departure, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1 - immigration clearance, security screening & duty free shops.
8) Aerotrain ride (24 hours service) from KLIA1 Main Airport Complex to Departure Hall / Gates.
9) KLIA1 Departure Gates & Waiting Lounge
10) On board the Cathay Pacific Airline (CPA) flight from Kuala Lumpur > Hong Kong (transit) - departing KLIA1 17.40 arriving HK 22.00, transit time in HK approx. 3hr 15 mins.
11) CPA in-flight meal - dinner is served at 18.30, picked the chicken rice set & enjoyed eating the Haagen Daz ice cream !
12) Flight time from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > Hong Kong, China - approx. 4hr 20 mins
13) Arriving in Hong Kong International Airport & we took an airport shuttle bus ride to the Arrival Hall.
14) Upon arrival at the Arrival Hall, we just followed the Transfer sign as both of us have slightly over 3 hours to find the right Departure Gate to catch a transit flight from HK > Urumqi.
15) Checking the Departure Gate number for our transit flight departing 01.15 to Urumqi.
16) Posing for a photograph in Hong Kong International Airport - hope I could re-visit Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou & nearby cities in 2027 to chase my China Dream !
17) In the meantime, both of us just relaxed & moved around the Departure Hall of this modern, state of art airport building .....
18) Sky Garden, Hong Kong International Airport - a smoker's haven, my travel buddy's delight !
19) After our flight Departure Gate number is announced on the Notice Board, we took a internal airport train & arrived at the Departure Gate Main Hall & find our way following the direction sign to Gate No 70 .....
20) we were in Gate 70 at 23.22 waiting to board our transit flight from HK departing 01.15 > Urumqi (arriving 07.00) !
D-2 Monday Aug 10 2026 (Urumqi, Xinjiang) - our CPA transit flight from Hong Kong arrived in Urumqi Tianshan International Airport (after a transit in Hong Kong) at 07.00; upon arrival & immigration clearance & luggage collection, we took a airport metered taxi (CNY40 = Rm24) to our hotel in downtown Urumqi (approx 17km located near the Urumqi High Speed Railway Station) for a stay of 2 nights - exciting & challenging days awaiting us starting first in Urumqi, as for the next 20 odd days, we will be taking public transport from Urumqi ie high speed trains & public buses / MPV vans to 10 county towns (Fuyun, Beitun, Altay City, Burqin, Jiadengyu, Karamay, Kuitun, Yining, Nalati & Tekes Baqua City - but aborted a visit to Fuhai due to public transport issues) in northern Xinjiang !
1) Boarding our CPA flight departing from Hong Kong International Airport at 01.15 to Urumqi.
2) Arriving in Urumqi Tianshan International Airport - immigration clearance & luggage collection etc; finally we are in Urumqi, China !
3) A photo taken in Urumqi Tianshan International Airport saying This is Xinjiang !
4) Took a metered taxi (CNY40) from the Urumqi Airport Taxi pick up point > Qingguo Light Luxury Hotel, Lianhu Road, Urumqi (approx 17km)
5) Hotel Accommodation (Urumqi, Xinjiang): my 2 nights stay in Qingguo Light Luxury Hotel, Lianhua Road, Urumqi, room tariff Rm125 (US$30), 2 single beds.
6) Commercial district area & the nearest bus stop nearby our hotel.
7) Urumqi Railway Station, Xinjiang - approx 1.4km from our hotel, familiarisation visit as we will be taking a public bus from the Passenger Transport Center, North Square to visit Tianshan Tianchi tomorrow & also a high speed train ride from the Urumqi Railway Station > Fuyun, our next destination.
8) A local tourism showroom / booking office in Urumqi High Speed Railway Station North Square promoting day & package tours to various touristy places in & around Urumqi & other nearby county towns; for this northern Xinjiang free & easy trip, both of us have the opportunity to visit all these major touristy places as per picture shown below (except Duku Highway but we managed to visit Dushanzi Grand Canyon, the official northern starting point of Duku Highway) !
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| Keketuohai, Fuyun, Xinjiang |
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| Sailimu (Sayram) Lake Yining, Xinjiang |
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| Kanas National Geopark, Jiadengyu |
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| Duku Highway, Xinjiang |
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| Nalati Grassland, Xinjiang |
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| Tianshan Tianchi, Urumqi, Xinjiang |
9) An iconic landmark of Urumqi Railway Station, North Square.
10) Urumqi Long Distance Bus Station, near the North Square of the Urumuqi High Speed Railway Station, this is the station where we will be boarding a public bus to Tianshan Tianchi for our tomorrow's visit.
11) Commercial buildings nearby the Urumqi High Speed Railway Station.
12) Noodle lunch in a local restaurant nearby our hotel in Urumqi - my travel buddy 's delight, beef noodle lunch & a beef pie (enough calories for him) & for me, Xinjiang style cold flat noodle (CNY6), a light meal !
13) Public bus ride (CNY1) from Passenger Transport Centre, Urumqi High Speed Railway Station > Erdaoqia Bus Stop for a visit to Urumqi International Grand Bazaar in the evening - a "gift" to my travel buddy for his first time visit to Xinjiang !
14) Arriving in Erdaoqiao bus stop, the nearest walk to Urumqi International Grand Bazaar.
15) Erdaoqiao Market, Urumqi, Xinjiang - the largest retail & wholesale market for the ethnic minority goods in Xinjiang.
16) The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar Gourmet Street, Urumqi - a vibrant culinary hub in Urumqi, China, famous for its bustling night market atmosphere & rich in Uyghur flavours; just eat & eat as though you are celebrating your birthday today ! Mutton rice for a starter, double the portion served if you have a low cholesterol & needed extra energy to do a big walk in the Grand Bazaar Market & Walking Street & the surrounding till the wee hours of the night !
17) Chaydose Tea House, Urumqi International Grand Bazaar, Xinjiang - a highly specialty tea brand & beverage shop, the brand has earned a reputation among travellers as serving " the best up of tea you must drink when you arrive in Xinjiang "
18) Here is Xinjiang - the "old face" of the bazaar market, Urumqi; the architecture of most buildings here mimic the classic Islamic & Central Asian styles featuring domes, arches & intricate brickwork - a stroll in one of the old buildings comes with a strong down the memory lane feeling as lucky me this is my 4th visit wandering around the Urumqi International Grand Bazaar .....
19) Showroom display of snow lotus, Urumqi International Grand Bazaar, Xinjiang - a real eye opener, the Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Lotus known locally as Xuelian is a rare alpine perennial flower that grows high in the rugged Tianshan Mountains of northwest China's Xinjiang region; thrives at extreme altitudes ranging from 3,000m to 4,800m in rocky crevices, glacier moraines & harsh alpine scree; takes between 5 to 8 years to mature, utilizing semi-translucent yellowish-green petals to trap warmth & fine hairs to conserve moisture against freezing temperatures & intense ultraviolet radiation; it flowers only once in its lifetime before dying & is classified as a nationally protected wild plant in China where picking or disturbing it is strictly prohibited.
20) Promenade Flower Lane, Urumqi - the vibrant floral displays & pedestrian walkways around the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street, which features colorful floral arches, lavender scented stalls & lively walking promenades; if you are thirsty, treat yourself an iced promenade beverage drink in a nearby sit-in cafe watching passer-by .....
21) Bought a French loaf (CNY10, takeaway) from a bakery shop - coffee time for me this afternoon when I rest my feet in the comfort of my hotel room !
22) Big walk, small walk, we continued our evening walk till nightfall at around 22.00; Xinjiang experiences exceptionally long summer daylight hours lasting up to 15 to 15 hours where the sun may not set until 20.00 to 20.30 ! So cut short your sleeping hours whenever & wherever you are in any of the Xinjiang city or county town. The night is forever young !
23) Dabazar Walking Street, Urumqi International Grand Bazaar, Xinjiang - my most recent visit to Grand Bazaar was in Aug 2025, still lingering in my mind as though it was Yesterday Once More ! Fate ? Or KM just make thing happens !
24) The popular Pyramid landmark for Instagram, Urumqi International Grand Bazaar - interestingly, this is my 4th visit posing a picture in front or beside this landmark (my previous visits were in May 2006, May 2015, Aug 2025). I will be over the moon if ever I make a 5th visit to Urumqi in the near future !
25) Light-on in Urumqi International Grand Bazaar (around 21.35) - time to leave this castle-like Urumqi most famous Bazaar Market - badly in need of a deep slumber tonight since our flight arrival in Urumqi Airport at 07.00 this morning !
26) Public bus ride from Erdaoqiao bus stop to Urumqi Railway Station South Square & a short walk back to our hotel; as for my travel buddy, Boon, it was a "Grand" day for him after seeing the Urumqi International Grand Bazaar on our 1st day of arrival in Urumqi ! The best is yet to come for our ensuing days in northern Xinjiang ! Gooood Night !
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