Michael Mastronardi--Wednesday, March 09, 2005

At the end of last November, I enjoyed the singularly pleasurable experience of visiting The Heavenly Lake for my very first time. I already knew many of the geographical details about this place with its international reputation of unsurpassed natural beauty. I knew that the Heavenly Lake was also called " Lake Tianchi" in Mandarin. And that it was located 110 kilometers from Urumqi and took two hours to ride from the city. And that Heavenly Lake was a high-mountain lake located in a valley on the northern part of Bogda Peak 1910 meters above sea level. But no travel book or Internet description could prepare me for the experience of actually being there. When I first glimpsed the snow-capped peak of Tianshan Mountain visually dominating the Lake, the entire landscape filled me with a feeling of immense awe. My breath was literally taken away by the unsurpassed beauty with the sky blue waters of the Lake; the surrounding forests' towering firs and pines that reached into the sky; and, the winter night skies that revealed the universe of constellations and shooting stars. In a yerk at the dead of night, I was gently lulled to sleep listening to the wind blowing through the Lake and the surrounding forests. And in the light of the early dawn, my heart came to a stop as I watched a single majestic eagle soaring in the sky.

Heavenly Lake is truly a paradise here on earth.

天堂般的湖泊--天池 作者：Michael Mastronardi

去年十一月底，我有幸独自一人第一次来到了美丽的天池。我事先已经了解到有关此地一些详细的地理概况，以及在国际上享有的盛名的，神圣的自然景观。我了解到，"Heavenly Lake"在汉语里被称之为天池。距离乌鲁木齐一百一十多公里处。骑自行车两小时即可到达。天池是一个高山湖泊，居海平面以上，位于博格达峰北部一千九百一十米处的峡谷内。当时没有一个旅游指南或是网页介绍到那里旅游应该准备什么。当我首次从视觉上看见天山被雪覆盖着的山峰时，整个风景使我产生了巨大的敬畏的感觉。 这个无比美丽的湖，天蓝色的湖水简直让我无法呼吸； 森林中笔挺的的冷杉和松树，直插云霄。 再加上满天的星辰和流星给这寂静的冬夜更增添了一份神秘的色彩。 在帐篷里过夜，我安静的聆听着风温柔地吹过湖泊和周围的森林。 破晓时分，当我看见一只雄鹰在天空中展翅翱翔，我的心跳都快停止了。

天池真是人世间的天堂！

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