Ai'ding Lake, Xinjiang Uygur, China

4suriChristchurch 5:00 PM Aug 24, 2012

Death Valley - but better
You will either love, or hate this place. Not many tourists come here, and it is not on most tour itineraries. But it is a fascinating, harsh place.. This place is the second lowest place on earth (140m below sea level) whilst also being about the furthest place in the world from the ocean. I suspect it is also close to the hottest place on earth in summer. We did actually fry an egg on the road here. There is a monument at the lowest point (a very hot 1 km walk from the carpark) And a series of plaques naming other low places in China (not surprisingly the cities at sea level, like Shanghai!). That is it. By the way the "lake" dried up a while ago, so it is now a salt pan - although fish skeletons can still be seen in the lake bed. It is one of those places you go to - to say you have been. If you are that sort of person. PS there is a fee, but never anyone there to collect it. Addendum - a couple of very nice Uighur villages to explore on the way to Aiding Lake from Turpan. And the road passes near some real karez systems (not the ones made for tourists in the Karez attractions) that can be explored - but take care they can be dangerous.