What the heck is Karakul Lake anyway?

Mother on left, her calf in the little gully in the middle, lake in the background.

You may have wondered why the url of this blog says "karakullake".  Well, when I started this thing years ago, I decided to name it after my favorite spot on Earth.  It's a pristine lake on the western tip of China near Kashgar.  It's a stone's throw away from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.  The above picture was taken during my 2004 trip with a state-of-the-art 3 megapixel camera.  Fortunately, someone else with better picture taking skills (and a better camera) posted this.  Enjoy.