visiting Qinghai Lake

Robina and I will be visiting Qinghai Lake or Koko Nor, over the weekend. Qinghai Lake is in Qinghai Province just next to Tibet. in fact, the beginning of the Qinghai-Tibet railway starts near the lake. Qinghai Lake is the largest inland salt-water lake, at the elevation of 3205 metres. The place is famous for the large number of migratory birds (Bar-headed geese, cormorants, Brown-headed and Black-headed Gulls) that nest there every summer; feeding on the local endemic fish, Scaleless Carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii)or "Huang Yu" in mandarin. Hopefully, we can spot another endemic but rare species along the way, the "Przewalskii antelope"(Procapra przewalskii)

In terms of culture, Qinghai has a large Tibetan ethnic minority. we will be visiting a Tibetan town and lama monasteries. we should be able to spot Yaks and drink butter tea! As a carpet enthusiast, I hope to pick up some Tibetan and Qinghai style carpets, which are hard to come by and expensive in Beijing
Qinghai Lake from Google Earth