There are twelve camels in the camel team of old man Alayi, but only seven of them can actually carry people.
As for the remaining five, they all carry clean drinking water in cowhide bags, which are easy to fall.
To survive in the desert, water is the most important thing. Without water for three days, people will be tortured. They can't even urinate water, and all the salt and impurities in the body will be so sour that people will feel so uncomfortable. It won't take long for people to start peeling and dehydrating, and finally turn into a mummy...
So we almost all used these five idle camels to carry clean water. As for dry food, they were all placed in backpacks. Basically, they were beef jerky, compressed biscuits, energy bars and other things that can quickly replenish physical energy. They are easy to carry. A total of seven or eight days of rations are enough, because old man Alayi said that we can still replenish supplies before entering Lop Nur, because Lop Nur is not It is an absolute no-man's land. At least there are some oases in the marginal areas. Most of these oases are small villages of ethnic minorities. In the past, when there were no sandstorms in the desert, Alayi had entered Lop Nur several times. When he was traveling for business, he accidentally found a few oases. So he said that we should not have to worry about supplies for the first seven or eight days after entering Lop Nur. At least we can replenish them in those small oases. It's a pity that Alayi didn't dare to go too deep, because the local people here have long had a legend that in the depths of the Sea of Death, near the Taklimakan Desert, there is a sea of quicksand and many demons and monsters. It is a place cursed by Allah. Once you enter it, you can't get out.
After we were well organized that day, we set out in the early morning, because we couldn't travel long distances in the desert at night, and it was very easy to get lost. This is definitely not a lie. The desert is full of sand. Only when you really walk into it will you know how terrible the vast sea of sand is. If you don't have a compass, you can't move even during the day, let alone at night when you can't see your hand in front of you. If you don't pay attention, you might fall into the quicksand and be buried alive. And if you walk in the desert at night, you are very likely to be attacked by wild animals!
What? There are no wild animals in the desert?
Those who say this are definitely newbies!
The danger in the desert comes not only from the endless sand, but also from animals, wolves and poisonous snakes. These are the two most dangerous animals in the desert, especially a poisonous snake called rattlesnake that lives in the desert. It is quite cruel. I met a buddy in college, and this buddy is a typical backpacker.
The so-called backpacker is the kind of person who is bored and walks around with a backpack. One year, he was walking across the desert. When he passed a bush, he sat down to rest and ended up sitting on a rattlesnake. The venomous snake bit him in the anus. He was traveling with a girl at the time, a friend he met online. Anyway, in their backpacker circle, there seems to be no such thing as safety awareness. As long as they meet, they can travel together as long as the route is the same. They are not afraid that the other party will have evil intentions and kill him in a deserted place.
After all, the girl and my buddy are casual acquaintances. The place where he was bitten was so special that it was impossible for others to hold his buttocks and suck drugs for him. In the end, when he walked out, the venom had already invaded his internal organs and he died a few days later.
So the desert is not safe. Some low-lying areas have accumulated some water, and there are also animals and plants. The animals in the desert basically appear at night. We are easily attacked by wild beasts when we travel in the dark.
To be honest, this is my first time riding a camel. I always thought it should be more comfortable to ride than a horse. After all, the two humps in front and back are stuck, and the stirrups will not fall off. But after riding it, I realized that I was wrong. It is definitely uncomfortable to ride, because men's parts...
Anyway, the first time I rode it, it got stuck and my stomach ached. I could only grit my teeth and endure it. After two or three hours, I slowly got used to it.
Riding a camel is not slow. We set off in the morning that day, and basically walked hundreds of miles by the evening. At this time, we had basically entered Lop Nur. Looking around, there was endless yellow sand. It was also the first time I saw this endless desert. I was a little panicked. I always felt that if I kept going like this, when would it end? It seemed that the road would never end.
Fortunately, it is November now, and the desert is not so hot, but a little dry. Overall, it is still relatively cool, but it is a little cool at night. It is not as exaggerated as described in the books, such as "wearing cotton jackets in the morning and gauze in the afternoon, eating watermelon around the stove". People who have really been to Xinjiang know that this place is actually peaceful in all seasons and is a very suitable place for people to survive. Otherwise, how could so many beauties be born in the past? The beauties of the Western Regions were the best tribute in ancient times. When the Western Regions countries offered tribute to the emperor of the Central Plains, the beauties of the Western Regions were indispensable items. I don't know how many emperors of the Central Plains were so happy because of this. In fact, not to mention ancient times, there are also many beauties in Xinjiang who cover their faces. They have high proportions, high quality, three-dimensional facial features, tall and enchanting figures, and are very regional.
Because we had enough supplies in the early stage, we had not yet deeply experienced the power of the desert at the beginning. We were just a little tired. However, walking for six or seven days without seeing the end was also a huge challenge for us psychologically. Anyway, my patience was gradually disappearing...
It was seven days later when we arrived at the first oasis.
This oasis is not too big, but the ecological chain is still quite sound. There is a small village of Hui people with only about a hundred people living here. They have lived here for generations, and it seems that they started from the Ming Dynasty. Because they miss their homeland, they have never been willing to move out. They have lived in this oasis for hundreds of years, away from wars and changes in the world. The folk customs are quite simple. After we entered, we only paid a little money and received a very warm reception.
Because this village rarely contacts outsiders, and the things in the house are all passed down from ancestors, I was really shocked when I first entered, because their house is full of "antiques". Apart from other things, these old things alone are worth a lot of money if they are sold. Zhang Jinya is a bastard. He was jealous when he saw other people's things. If I hadn't pulled him, I'm afraid he would have run up to collect the junk...
But this really woke me up. I thought that if I could solve all these problems and still survive, maybe it would be nice to take Hua Mulan around and collect junk to make a living, and end the rest of my life like this.
We stayed in this small village for a day and then set off again. This time, we had more drinking water than before, which was probably enough for us for at least half a month. The old man Alay told us that there might be no more oasis after that, and we had to find the place we were looking for before the drinking water ran out, or find the ancient river channel of the Peacock River. The ancient river channel had been flowing for thousands of years before it changed its course, and there must be abundant groundwater accumulated underground. If we found the ancient river channel and dug it up, we could find the water source. Otherwise, we had to return in time, otherwise we would be trapped in the desert.
The old man Alay is an expert in the desert, so we naturally had to accept his advice. So we discussed it and decided to speed up. We had to continue on the road after only seven hours of rest every night.
After only one day of this high-intensity journey, I was almost exhausted. When night fell, we found a small sand dune to rest, and I was almost paralyzed. I ate a mouthful and fell asleep on the soft sand.
As a result, I woke up from the cold not long after sleeping!
When I woke up and prepared to put on more clothes, I found that almost all my teammates were awake. Old man Alay was sitting on the sand pile, puffing on his pipe, staring into the distance with his eyes fixed, his brows tightly locked.
After a few days of contact, I know that this old man is actually a very optimistic person, except that he is a little greedy for money...
Now that he suddenly showed this expression, I was a little suspicious, and I couldn't help asking: "What's wrong?"
Old man Alay looked at me and suddenly said: "Don't you think... it got a lot colder just now?"
"I felt it."
I nodded and smiled: "Didn't you see that I was woken up by the cold? It's just a drop in temperature. It's normal in this season. Just put on some clothes and continue to sleep!"
"No, this is not normal, very abnormal!!"
Old man Alay said in a deep voice: "The temperature in the desert changes gradually. It won't get cold or hot all of a sudden because of the change of seasons. If the temperature suddenly rises or falls in a short period of time, there is only one possibility..."
I saw that old man Alay was solemn, and I couldn't help asking what that possibility was.
Old man Alay showed a trace of fear on his face, and he exhaled a long breath and said: "The black storm is coming..."