We were a small group of travellers who came together as a part of a tour travelling through Tibet via the Beijing to Kathmandu route. We were young and old, singles and couples, from all corners of the world.
Most of us had never met the others, yet we were about to share a physically challenging adventure of a lifetime, sometimes in very close quarters. First stop was the Beijing train station, where we boarded the Qinghai-Tibet train to Lhasa – hard sleeper class (Ladies, I am on a budget!). It should be noted that China requires all travelers to enter Tibet with an approved group/guide and the process for getting a visa into Tibet was complicated, so this was arranged by our travel company.
For the next 42 hours, six of us would share a narrow berth with a half a dozen bunks placed three levels high. We also shared a “washroom” with other train cars, which, as the trip went on, became a source of entertainment as we raced around the train to source either a clean stand-up toilet or the much desired “western” style, which may or may not be opened for use. Hard class gets the stand-up kind – great for improving the balance! (I would sneak into the first-class cars when a sit down was kind of essential – there are things I cannot do in the standup squat position)
This trip takes you on the highest railway in the world, through the Tibetan plateau – and the scenery is beyond majestic. But we did stop yelling “YAKS!” after the first hundred. We were traveling in a world none of us had ever experienced before, made aware of the political situation and careful in what was said. (Click here for more information on this)
The train itself has oxygen pumped into the cars to stave off any potential of altitude sickness so you cannot rely on this trip to acclimatize one to the low oxygen content as we climbed higher and higher. The meals offered were basic, card games were played, books read, and our small group of strangers became friends and allies.
Two days later, exhausted from lack of restful sleep, un-showered and hungry, we arrived in Lhasa – and the altitude hit our bodies. Hard.
Lhasa’s altitude is at 11,973 feet (3650 Meters) and regardless of your physical fitness, your body will feel it. Carrying a pack up one flight of stairs felt like balancing a load of bricks on legs that were more wet noodle that muscle. We were all wheezing. The funny thing about the effects of high altitude – it is random. Fit youngsters may feel it more than that old broad who lives at sea level. (And who was smart enough to get a prescription from her doctor. Seriously, see your doctor before heading off to high altitude destinations)
In order to give us time to acclimatize before moving on to even higher altitudes, we spent the next 3 days exploring Lhasa – at a slow and measured pace. Potala Palace, the winter home of the Dalai Lamas until 1959, should not be your first destination in Lhasa. The up and down 13 stories of stairs will do you in if not acclimatized. (And almost did me in – my fitness level is not that of a mountain goat) But it is not to be missed and your guide will arrange a time for your group to step back in time and into the grandeur and relevance of a most remarkable piece of history.
You will share the tour of Potala Palace with families from the nomadic tribes. My blonde hair was a source of amusement, and I could hear soft giggles and soft touches behind me. One young child was so taken that I lost a small handful of hair in the process.
As you move from one level to another and up and down stairs, through seemingly endless rooms, you feel as if immersed in a living entity. These walls still breathe with the chanting of Buddhist monks, beat with the rhythm of the ceremonial gongs, and will surround you with the richness of the Buddhist culture. And the sorrow.
So, if you are a solo traveler and Tibet sounds like your cup of ginger lemon tea, then do your research and find a tour or guide that works for you. I travelled with GAdventures. Not a luxury tour by any means but it was a trip of a lifetime for me.