I nodded my head,surprised.
“How do you know I am a new comer, Sir?”
He laughed and replied, “That’s because anyone who knows the Gobi well would never cross
the merciless Alashan plateau in a four-wheel drive!”
When he saw my puzzled face, he laughed even harder.
“Come with me, young man!” I will take you to a better transport which will carry you safely
to the edge of the Alashan plateau.”
I was confused about the ‘transport ’he suggested me but I somewhat agreed I couldn’t cross
this boundless land with my car. So, I followed him to a large piece of flatland where hundreds
of cattle and herdsman were there. When I passed the herds of sheep and horses, the awful smell
nearly suffocated me. It was awful. I couldn’t imagine how the people could live amongst them for
years on end!
“So you can’t bear the smell of the animals
I gave a hand sign saying ‘yes’ embarrassingly.
“We don’t like the smell too but they are our treasures in this barren desert. They can worth
more than gold here! Now, take this. It will bring you to the Alashan plateau, I promised!”
“A camel?” I questioned as he handed me the red bridle.
“Don’t you ever mistaken this blue blooded Bactrian Camel for the ordinary ones. They are the
kings of the camels! Can you see the two big humps? Water is stored inside which allows them to
survive in the drought.”
“Thank you very much. But how do I return this valuable camel to you?” I asked sincerely.
“You really have a sense of humor! They know the desert better than us! It will find its way
back home! Amjilt husey, young man!
I roped myself completely white, luggage was put on the camel and I was ready to go.
Numerous sand dunes rippled the desert, creating a stunning view. My camel and I climbed
dozens of them, going up and down, up and down… as if I was riding on a roller coaster.
Across the sand dunes came the valleys. Large and small valleys interspersed within the desert.
Something laid here which made the valleys distinct from the others--- the blue lake.The blue lake
was spring-fed and crystalline clear. The turquoise in the lake and the azure blue above the sky
gave a perfect serenity to the desert. It was like being in a dream. Whilst I was dwelling in the
beauty of scenery, it suddenly hit me like the reason why I was here--- the treasure! The serenity
almost had me forgotten the treasure. By now, I was halfway through the plateau but still there
was no sign of the treasure. The plateau seemed so plain, I couldn’t find any possible place that
the treasure was hidden. I had no idea where it could be so I took out the poem and read it with
the hope that I could get some hints from within. After reading it several times, I decided to give
up. When I shifted my eyes off the paper and wondered hopelessly at the surroundings, I noticed
that there was another colorful lake nearby.
“How come I didn’t spot it for so long?” I muttered to myself.
I got on the camel and rode towards the colorful lake. After some time, I was still not
there. That was impossible for the lake to be that far since I just saw it and it seemed so close.
Suddenly, a thought came to my mind----it was a mirage! It was a reflection from a distant
lake. Where I was trying to go was merely a virtual image. The groaning and grunts of the
camel seemed to be mocking at my stupidity for chasing after an unrealistic place. Hang on a
second, virtual, unrealistic….Intangible! That was what the poem meant by intangible beauty, it
