Shops at Rest Stops

We saw many small stalls lining the edges of rest areas, even on the highest peaks. Most of them sold local specialities, while a few resembled convenience stores. Most owners are not locals, though. Many of them come from other provinces to profit from the thousands of tourists that come through the highway from June to October. For the rest of the year, the Duku highway is closed due to heavy snowfall, and they head back. If they’re lucky, the money they make from selling things along the road will keep them afloat from October to June of the next year, after which they will be back. Some of the specialities they sell are fresh jars of honey (you can see hundreds of bee hives just off the road), milk, qiegao (a cake made from various grains and raisins), as well as Hotan jade from the south (but most times these are fake).