Urumqi

This city is the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China's far Northwest. Vast deserts, an ancient glacier, a huge open-air bazaar, and the colorful dress of its 13 indigenous nationalities transform Urumqi into an exotic, far-removed world. Only 68 miles away, Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) offers a vast expanse of placid water, 6,004 feet above sea level. The lake is surrounded by steep green pastures and virgin conifer forests, surrounded by snowy mountain peaks reminiscent of the Alps.