Lhasa/Xining - A pictorial TR

[Ric]

Plenty of Wild Tibetan antelopes grazing along the way....

 

[Ric]

One of the few stops along the way.....



Direction on where we are heading.....



Continous readings on altitude, velocity, date and time



Those who are interested, I have a powerpoint presentation on the Qinghai Plateau Train. Interesting facts on engineering (building over permafrost terrain), finished 1 yr ahead of schedule, etc. PM me your email address and I will forward (3MB).

Next Xining..

 

[Paddy55]

Ric

Fascinating - great photos.

Around 5000m when you had altitude sickness?

Paddy

 

[Ric]

Paddy,

It was around 4700m on the way to Lake Namtso.
Interestingly, I didn't feel that I was getting into an unconscious state!
But there was a span of about 4 hrs where I don't recollect much at all.
Recollection started back when I arrived at the hotel back in Lhasa (3700m).

Ric

 

[Fifa]

Thanks for the fantastic TR Ric.

Did you book the train tickets before you left home, in China or in Lhasa?
I have heard they are often difficult to get.

 

[Ric]

Hi Fifa,

We had them booked through a TA before hand. IIRC, its about RMB770 per person.

Ric

 

[Fifa]

Hi Fifa,

We had them booked through a TA before hand. IIRC, its about RMB770 per person.

Ric

That's a great price for a sleeping berth.
How was the food on the train?

 

[Ric]

Food is not the best but quite edible especially if you are hungry!!

 

[drron]

Wow,what an interesting time.Great pics.

 

[docjames]

That's one ugly fish (not helped by the deep frying!).:shock:

 

[tenchuu666]

Awesome photos and an amazing place to visit. Added to my list of must see cities.

What was the Lhasa beer like?

 

[Ric]

What was the Lhasa beer like?

Ah ha! I don't know! Have to ask my friends! I am a tee totaller!:shock:

I was tempted to try but our guide told us to take it easy on alcohol up there.

Ric

 

[Ric]

Xining....as we have only a few hours there before we catch our flight to Guangzhou, we headed direct to the Kumbum Monastery.

Xining West railway station exit.......a good number of muslim population resides here

The Kumbum Monastery....



The monastery is quite famous for it's research into medicine, so much so that a hospital is attached to it. Entrance to the monastery is through the hospital front gates...



Brief intro to the monastery...

 

[Ric]

Other shots of the monastery...





The windows are not actually windows. They cannot be opened. Ventilation is through the part of the wall made by reeds....the brown parts




And blessings to all....thanks for viewing!

 

[Major]

Certainly one of the most fascinating places on earth. Great photos, thanks for the TR.

 

[munitalP]

The power point presentation was great - a little "red book" but all the same awesome. Lhasa is again at the top of my bucket list.

 

[tangof1]

Fantastic trip report, makes me want to go there. Possiblity i could do this on my China trip next year.

A couple of questions, did you book anything through a tour? Did you get to see Mt. Everest at all during a tour?

 

[Ric]

Yes, except for getting to Guangzhou ourselves, everything was organised by a travel agent as a tour.
Much easier that way as a special permit is needed to get into Tibet and also they have "connections" to get train tickets etc.

Certainly go if you possibly can. It's a beautiful place. But just be wary of altitude sickness.

Ric

 

[Sprucegoose]

Great trip and report.The AS would concern me though. If you can get doctor to travel with you that would be the go I reckon?

 

[tangof1]

Thanks for the info, i'm too a little worried about the altitude sickness but hey its all part of travelling i guess, if i did it will be going via Shanghai which stops at Xian on the way and returning to Guangzhou.