Ascending to the Once-in-a-lifetime destination: Tibet

Tibet is a unique place of mystery. Both because of its location and because of the “mysterious” to-the-last-minute paperwork it takes for you to get there.

Personally, Tibet had been on my bucket list since I can remember myself and now given the chance, no amount of COVID precautions, rejected documents or other words of wisdom were about to stop me from going.

The famous green Qinghai-Tibet railway awaits us to board it.

But it is one thing to want to go and a completely different story to get all the puzzle pieces to fall into place. It was like wishing for the stars to align and to then pave our path to the heavenly seat of the famous Tibetan monks. Nonethtless, defying all ods, our trip began on the side of China and for the purpose of a fully immersive experience we decided to take the Qinghai-Tibet railway. Besides, how could we not? The train ride is a journey and a half in itself.

My Indiana Jones’ senses tingled as we entered our traditionally rimed and decorated train compartment. My mind when into hype mode as we sat for dinner next to hard working farmers from the plateau on their way to their seasonal jobs, which awaited them at an altitude of 4,380 meters above sea level. One of the women did not break eye contact with me as she used her bare hands to splinter one of the bones on her table and then use it as a toothpick. "She likes us" I said to my friends. Jokes aside, these guys were watching us and smiling playfully from under their masks . Our poor attempts at broken Chinese, along with the fact that foreigners had become a rarity since the start of the pandemic, made us quite the talking point.

Oxygen valves can be found in each compartment for when the breathing gets tough.

But we were entertaining for more than just that. For us sea-level dwellers no amount of calculations could have prepared us for the climb ahead of us. 4,380 meters you say? pfff… piece of cake. The idea was: we ride the train, make it into the plateau, get used to altitude sickness along the way, easy peasy.

And that was exactly what didn't happen. Altitude sickness is a lot more real and scary. The 40-hour-train from Beijing eventually hits Tanggula pass at some point in the early hours before sunrise and Lhasa appear on the horizon the next day. The oxygen content is so low at this point that the train locomotive needs to be changed in order for the train to keep going. You feel it, the engine feels it, everyone feels it.

For me, what I originally assumed to be a panic attack in the middle of the night, actually turned out being an honest gasp for air. Feeling my way around in pitch darkness I made my way down from my compartment in the least elegant way possible. All the while I was cursing my anaemia for making my muscles ache and turning this descend into a full fledged expedition in search of oxygen.

When people ask me if Tibet is worth the visit, I full-heartedly recommend the trip. It is one thing to admire the culture and beauty of the place, but it is another thing completely to get a glimpse of your own limitations. We had not even approached Lhasa yet, and here I was gasping for air, confused, with a foggy mind asking for help from compassionate train inspectors who were, fortunately enough, more than quick and willing to respond.

After a long night on the train, the beautiful clear views of the Tibetan plains greet you to this magical land.

Oxygen is a beautiful thing. Breathe it in and at once your mind is clear, remove it and you are instantly plunged into confusion and a throbbing headache. I sat by the wall clinging onto the plastic tube I had been given waiting for sunset and too afraid to return to the confusing dark place I had come from. When the first rays came through over the mountains and I saw the plateau for the first time, I was vindicated in my determination. We may have not been prepared for the difficulties of becoming climatised but seeing the warms rays of light come over the mountain tops at the top of the world, was indeed...breathtaking (apologies for the pun) By the time we reached Lhasa, my entire body was in pain and with great difficulty did I carry myself and my luggage out of the wagon and onto the platform. Within minutes after I got off, the platform was flooded by the colour red. Monks upon monks descended from the train and filled the station with their red and yellow robes. We had indeed arrived and I could not wait for the things we were about to see.