I’ve been preparing for this trip to Tibet for a long time. It’s my first time, and I’m still a little worried about altitude sickness. Tibet is a place I’ve always wanted to visit, it’s full of mystery and intrigue. I’ve only ever seen it online, but I’ve always been fascinated by it.
Tibet is one of my favorite places, if not my favorite. It’s always shrouded in mystery, and every year countless people come here in different ways: by train, by bicycle, by foot… They go through all sorts of hardships to come to Tibet and uncover its mysteries. Of course, I had to be among them.
I set off from Inner Mongolia by train, taking a hard seat. The journey took almost 40 hours, and I didn’t sleep a wink. I was excited, but also terrified. I was excited to finally fulfill my dream of traveling to Tibet alone, but I was terrified of altitude sickness and the possibility of getting a pulmonary edema.
Around 30 hours into the journey, the train reached an altitude of 4,727 meters. Everyone else in the carriage was asleep, but I was standing in the smoking area, looking out the window.
Just a few minutes later, the carriage door looked like this, and my fear returned. I felt short of breath, and then, when the train arrived in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the conductor used an ax to pry open the door. I was practically the first one out, shivering in the doorway. The conductor was a young woman about my age, and she asked me a few questions before reassuring me that everything would be fine. Then, the train continued on its way, and I don’t remember how long we talked. She kept telling me not to worry about altitude sickness, that Tibet was a sacred place and not as scary as I thought.
We talked the entire night. The next morning, as the sun was rising, we arrived in Lhasa. When I got off the train, I couldn’t even take a deep breath at first, for fear of altitude sickness. But then I realized it wasn’t as scary as I thought. It was the off-season, so there weren’t many people at the train station.
As soon as I got off the train, I headed straight for the Potala Palace. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I forgot all about being tired, and just sat in the square in front of the palace, gazing at it. And gazing. And gazing…
After lunch, I went to the Jokhang Temple and walked around Barkhor Street. It really gave me a sense of the power of faith. Tibetan people will spend the entire day here, prostrating themselves. Maybe their hearts are pure.
In the evening, I returned to the base of the Potala Palace. I can’t describe its beauty. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave…
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