MY Xinjiang tour was eventful: pickpockets ripped open my handbag without me noticing and I had an argument with a horse owner who tried to make me pay him more for the ride than had been agreed.
But my compensation was a visit to Tian Chi - translated as Heavenly Lake.
The majestic mountain peaks, pine-studded slopes and glacier-fed sapphire blue lake make up a landscape with a striking resemblance to that of Switzerland.
It nestles in the foothills of the mountain range of Tian Shan - meaning Heavenly Mountains - which spans the centre of Xinjiang forming a natural division between the north and south.
The mountain range is often the subject of Chinese martial art novels in which the heroes pick the 'heavenly lotus' growing on Tian Shan to improve their martial arts and to cure 'lethal' wounds.
Tian Chi is about two hours' drive from Urumqi, the Xinjiang capital.