Planning to go to Tibet and Ancient Silk Route

It was really a BIG and HISTORIC celebration for China once again on the 1st July 2006 where China unleashed the first train from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet. It was definitely a heart-warming moment for Chinese and overseas Chinese to achieve such a big engineering feat to build the railway more than 5,000 metres above the sea level where the air level is really thin. I reminsced my time when I was in Nepal, I was trekking all the way to the near summit where it was already more than 5,000 metres above the sea level. At there, I suffered severe AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) which I suffered spitting headache, felt an urge to vomit and absolutely had no appetite to eat anything. My mind was such in a whirl and it was really really freezing in the middle of the winter. I was there alone with my mountain guide and most of the time, i was "bed-ridden", shivering in 2 thick sleeping bags as my inn did not have any HEATERS! Imagine yourself sleeping in the freezer which had plunging low temperature below zero degree celsius! No heater no heater no heater NO HEATER! Imagine IT!


Coming back to the Tibet issue, Tibet is always an alluring destination for me as it is replete with mystical charm. It is a main vicissitude of Tibetan Buddhism - Potala Palace- and understanding of Tibetan Buddhism which i am trying to immerse myself. I recalled of seeing lama monks chatting their prayers, "Ohm Mani Perme Om" with their prayer wheels being whirled in the clockwise direction. Whenever I saw them, i always felt my heart at ease and I remember I bought a book "Who will cry when you die?" in Pokhara, Nepal.

So, I decided to do a little research on how I am going to travel from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet. Perhaps I will go there in the middle of winter again. I don't know why I always visit such an exotic places in the middle of winter. Perhaps I want to test my stamina and limit to see whether I could withstand the harsh wintry climate. I know many friends would deride me as a lunatic to go there in the middle of winter. Last February 2006, i visited Mongolia and over there, it was around -30 degree celsius. It was so freezing that I kept on shivering despite thick layers of clothes I had donned. And my feet suffered from onslaught near-frostbite. But in fact, I, indeed, enjoyed experiencing the tough weather climate that presented to me.

I also wanted to try one of the world's hottest place on planet where I want to try to walk across Sahara Desert. It is really exciting to imagine yourself to don free flowing arab robe and walking across the miles of dunes under relentless and sorching sun.

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It's expected to cost less than US$50 to travel from Beijing to Lhasa on the new Qinghai-Tibet railway - a journey of more than 4,000 kilometers, said sources in Beijing on Monday.

In China, three types of train tickets are available at differing prices. The basic coach ticket, called a hard seat will sell for 389 yuan (US$48.6) from Beijing to Lhasa, while the price for hard sleeper or bunk will cost 813 yuan (US$101.6), and the price for a shared compartment or soft sleeper is 1,262 yuan (US$157.75).

For the 3,360-kilometer trip between Chengdu, provincial capital of southwest China's Chengdu province, and Lhasa, the hard seat price is 331 yuan (US$41.38), the hard sleeper price is 712 yuan (US$89), and the cost of a soft sleeper is 1,104 yuan (US$138).

For the trip between the southwest-located Chongqing, one of China's four municipalities, and Lhasa, a hard seat ticket for the 3,654-kilometer journey is 355 yuan (US$44.38), while the price for hard sleeper is 754 yuan (US$94.25), while a soft sleeper will cost 1,168 yuan (US$146).

Ticket prices from Lanzhou in northwest China to Lhasa, a trip of 2,188-kilometers, are: hard seat 242 yuan (US$30.25), hard sleeper 552 yuan (US$69), and soft sleeper price 854 yuan (US$106.25).

From Qinghai's provincial capital Xi'ning to Lhasa, which is 1,972 kilometers, the hard seat price is 226 yuan (US$28.25), the hard sleeper price is 523 yuan (US$65.38), and the soft sleeper price is 810 yuan (US$101.25).

The Qinghai-Tibet railway is due to begin trial operations on July 1.

The world's highest railway, extends 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. Some 960 kilometers of its tracks are located 4,000 meters above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters, at least 200 meters higher than the Peruvian railway in the Andes, which was formerly the world's highest altitude railway.

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Perhaps I should start saving my money to fly to Qinghai where I could take the world's highest railway from Xining to Lhasa to test myself that I could withstand thin atmospheric pressure above 5000 metres. Previously, I could not withstand in Nepal because I did not give myself enough time to acclimatize to thin atmospheric pressure. ACM is potentially a fatal symptom and it could kill you instantly if you fail to acclimatize!

Then arriving in Lhasa, i would probably continue to the world's famous ancient Silk Route which is on the border between India and China. According to the news, China govt is planning to extend the railway to Yadong and other important towns in Tibet. Yadong is one of the important town on the border between India and China where it lies on the ancient silk route. It is kinda exciting to walk the path that is used to be walked by Marco Polo from Europe to China.
And then would have to continue to move westwards to India to the end point, Kolkata, Indian city before taking budget airline back to Singapore.