Into Thin Air!

The air is noticeably thinner, deep breaths turn shorter and quicker, but as the train runs through the Kunlan Mountain Pass at 4,767m above sea level the scenery immediately provides a distraction from any discomfort. The numerous peaks rise steeply from the desolate barren plateau of the Gobi desert and It feels like you should be able to just reach out and touch the 6860m snow covered mountain peak of Yuzhu Feng. It is truly stunning and if it wasn't obvious already we feel we are traveling through a wilderness of unmatched beauty on our journey to Lhasa. Suddenly any concerns over a 23hr train journey disappear and what appeared a distant dream some months ago is now very real!

The 1956km Qinghai-Tibet railway linking Xining in central China and Lhasa (Tibet) was completed in Oct 2005. In locomotive terms it is the worlds highest & longest plateau railroad and has the highest railroad tunnel. The highest point reaches 5,082m above sea level.

The stopping off point and gateway to this dramatic railroad standing at 2300m is the city of Xining. You would be forgiven for thinking it is just another huge Chinese city- of course it is just that but to us at a point when we were about to give up hope we would find a part of this immense country where westerners aren't seen as an easy target, it represents 'real' China! Taxi drivers will actually use the meter and although locals will stare at you with no reservation there is no hawking or hassle to be seen, instead what appears as genuine delight to see a western face! If only they would stop spitting in public.....

Shortly after climbing the Kunlan pass the railway gradually decends and the snow covered peaks slowly move back to the horizon behind the flat, stark, caramel coloured desert. The altitude drops to around 3500m and breathing feels normal again. We are all encouraged that we passed our first altitude test with relative ease.

Research had suggested that although it is possible to try and power through altitude sickness there are proven drugs to ensure the experience is more pleasurable. Communicating this to a Chinese Pharmacist is a different matter but with the assistance of Sally's Art degree we were able to draw some mountain peaks and an up arrow and promptly left the chemist with a supply of Tibetan plant extract 'Rhodiola'. A more hardcore drug called Diamox wasn't as easy to find but our new travel companion (Alex) had a plentiful supply. Within 3 hrs of meeting her we found ourselves popping white pills out of a plastic bag with somewhat reckless abandon! I know one of our friends told us not to accept sweets off strangers but these were drugs so I'm sure it's fine.

Although there had been numerous emails we had not actually met Alex until a couple of hours before we boarded the train. She had answered a lonely planet forum post asking for travel companions for the 9 day tour from Lhasa to Tibet which would help share costs. It turns out she is from Cheltenham (30m from Worcester) but has been living in Hong Kong for the past couple of years. It was immediately obvious we would get on well over the next few weeks and she would enjoy my entertaining banter!

Soon after boarding the train Alex proved her worth in ensuring we could make an upgrade from the hard sleeper carriages of 2 sets of 3 bunks to the more spacious 2x2 bunk soft sleepers. The train was fairly quiet and although one other Chinese fella was with us for the first 8 hrs of darkness he soon moved away from us Westerners leaving the remainder of the trip in almost luxurious comfort to enjoy the scenery. We boarded the train at 10.40 pm and slept on and off until a Chinese lady singing over the PA system woke us up at 8am as we stopped at Golmud station for 30 mins. Sally had cleverly timed this to coincide with a morning comfort break but the toilets (1 normal, 1 squatter per carriage) are locked when we are in the station so to Sal the 30 mins seemed to last forever!

The train contains 4 hard sleeper, 4 soft sleeper and 4 hard seating carriages. Hard seating mainly occupied by the less wealthy, in this case Tibetan families some adorned in traditional dress. They all seemed content in their seats and whether eating nuts or playing cards all of them stopped to gaze at me with a friendly smile as I wandered through. They had soon created an impressive mess and somewhat distinctive smell.

13 hrs in produced what we think was our first viewing of a herd of yak although they were some distance away- a few moments later a larger herd even closer to the track confirmed our suspicions. According to our guidebook we had also seen a yellow goat and another indigenous goat like creature called a 'chivu' although I admit the likelihood is that they may well have been the same thing! Brown bears also inhabit the plateau so eyes remained peeled! It later becomes apparent that mad panics for distant Yak photos were pointless as the numbers and proximity to the train increased substantially!

The landscape is ever changing and snow soon gives way to a rolling heathland scene similar to Dartmoor National Park. A short time later although there are no obvious signs of snow or mountainous peaks the train has ascended to 4600m. The sun is shining in the picture postcard blue sky and it's hard to believe we are this high above sea level. Is it too early to be confident that altitude will not spoil the party?

All of a sudden as if our train was a Delorian and had cruised to the magical 88mph the landscape immediately transforms and we are now in the wild west with distant mountains, canyons and a muddy brown river. The guidebook reminds us that the altitude is still a very respectable 4500m! However perhaps the previous assessment was a little hasty, as although there is no obvious shortness of breath or nausea we all start to feel heavy tightening pressure in our head- similar to nasal congestion!

As we remain at this altitude for the next couple of hours, Sally feels the full effect and her head starts pounding. With the altitude showing no signs of decreasing as we head to the highest point where mainland China & Tibet meet I tracked down an attendant and managed to get a breathing tube to connect to the oxygen supply available in the carriage. With the current oxygen level at 60-65% of that at sea level we hope being back at 100% will provide a cure for Sal. It is also obvious to myself and Alex that oxygen levels are decreasing as breathing is now noticeably more difficult, especially when moving around the train! Hopefully this will help acclimatise for the remainder of the trip. With 6 hrs of the journey remaining the altitude of just '3500m' in Lhasa appears very appealing!

We venture through Dangla Pass at 5000m and immediately descending to the Young Tun grasslands of Tibet. Within 15 mins we have dropped 300m metres and the heavy weight lifts and breathing feels almost normal again although Sallys oxygen supply is appearing to have little effect!

Before darkness settles 3 hrs short of our destination there are still some glorious views to take in- the sacred 400 square km glistening blue lake Tsona that passes within 20 metres of the train, various Tibetan settlements, numerous yak and the penultimate village stop of Nagchu. The train still moving at about 50mph at an altitude of 4500m but since dropping from 5000m normal respiration has resumed!

Darkness descends around 7.30pm to inform us that we are approaching our destination of Lhasa, finally pulling in at 21.50- some 23 hrs 10 mins after departure! Although not immensely pleasurable for Sally the scenery was quite literally breath taking for all of the daylight hours and the time passed surprisingly quickly. Hopefully the journey will also provide essential acclimatisation for the 9 day tour ahead. 4 days exploring the holy city of Lhasa before traveling down through the Himalayas and Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. All tourists must be part of a tour in order to visit Tibet so it is refreshing to know we have an English speaking guide waiting to take us to our hotel.....and much needed sleep!