What to Pay Attention to When Self-Driving in Tibet Best Route Sharing

Tibet is located in the southwest of China, and is also the highest region in the world. The air environment here is well protected. It has the largest pasture and glacial snowfields in the world. Lhasa is the largest modern city in Tibet. Below we will share with you what to pay attention to when self-driving in Tibet.

In 2012, seeing the photos taken by my colleagues back from Tibet made into an album, I was amazed that our country still has such vast beautiful scenery, so I have always been thinking about going there myself. This trip was also a temporary decision. It was probably because I hadn’t traveled far for a long time.

After deciding, I quickly prepared my luggage and necessary medical safety supplies. Cameras, hats, sunglasses, red ginseng, windbreaker, etc. The 50L bag was packed full. I thought to myself that I’ve been in good health all the time, so I don’t need to prepare a lot of medicine. Because the last time I went to Lijiang and Lugu Lake, I didn’t have any reaction. But later on, the facts told me I was wrong.

I bought tickets from Shanghai to Xining. I left on the evening of the 21st. It took nearly 48 hours. The two-day sleeper was really tiring. I suggest that you fly to Xining first, then take a one-day train to Lhasa. This way you have a period of adaptation.

After the train arrived in Xining, we switched to a train with oxygen supply because we would be passing through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau next, with an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 meters. There is a doctor on the train, if you feel unwell, you need to go to the doctor immediately. There were two aunts in the small compartment where I slept, who threw up. I also had some difficulty breathing.

Shanghai–Lhasa

Loess Plateau taken on the train

I arrived in Lhasa on the evening of the 23rd. I stayed at the nearby All Seasons Hotel for one night. On the 24th, I found a tour of the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple on Mafengwo.

It is really necessary to book this tour, so that you can better understand their history from the tour guide’s explanations.

When I went to the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, I carried all my luggage because I was going to join the self-driving team that my friend introduced me to in the evening.

Although it was just one bag, it really weighed me down. I had difficulty breathing several times when climbing the Potala Palace. Fortunately, the team members in the group were kind and gave me several glucose tablets to replenish my energy.

Prostrating in front of the Potala Palace

Potala Palace

Overlooking Lhasa City from the Potala Palace

The tour guide will explain to us what each room in the Potala Palace is used for, who the Dalai Lama was in each generation, many of which I can’t remember. The most impressive one is the Sixth Dalai Lama, the Prince of Love Poems, Cangyang Gyatso. It was said that the real bodies of other Dalai Lamas are all here, but his is not. Because everyone thinks he is not doing his job properly, he is always involved in romantic affairs. Later, he was exiled and his real body was not found.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the Jokhang Temple. After the visit, we met up with our new teammates. We had dinner at the famous Maji Amie near Jokhang Temple.

Lunch

Jokhang Temple

On the 25th, we were going to Yamdrok Yumtso. There were a total of 7 people in the team. Later, when we went on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, 2 people would leave, so there were only 5 people left. Li Ge, the veteran driver, suggested that we go to the bar to have some fun, to commemorate the occasion. The bar was really crowded, and I couldn’t breathe, so I just went to sit at the front desk.

Muse

Li Ge took us to Yamdrok Yumtso Lake. There were also Tibetan mastiffs along the way for photo opportunities. But don’t take photos easily, ask about the price first, otherwise you might be ripped off. Yamdrok Yumtso Lake is known as one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. Yamdrok Yumtso Lake is more than 4,000 meters above sea level. When I went back that night, I measured my blood oxygen level and it was 82%, which is moderate hypoxia. 80% or below is severe. Normal people are above 92%. So I went directly to the clinic to inhale oxygen for half an hour.

Yamdrok Yumtso Lake

We set off for Namtso early on the 26th. The weather changed constantly along the way. There was rain, snow and hail. Li Ge took us on a route that was not the usual one, so the scenery we saw was probably different from what others had photographed. Before, I thought Namtso would be the same as Yamdrok Yumtso, but when I went there, I felt like I had arrived at the Antarctic glacier. We also rescued a car on the way. They gave us a bag of milk tablets as a thank you.

Namtso

Rescue

Time was running out, we had to find accommodation before nightfall. The original plan was to go to Tanggula Mountain, but we ended up choosing Nagqu. We were driving through the uninhabited area, and Li Ge was also driving here for the first time. We drove for more than 100 kilometers without encountering a single person. Now that I think about it, I’m still a little afraid. Fortunately, the car had mobile and China Telecom mobile phones. In some places, there was no signal from China Mobile, and in some places, there was no signal from China Telecom. This is how we switched between them and navigated our way out. However, the scenery was really charming.

Yak

On the road

Rescued another car

When we arrived in Nagqu, it was an experience I will never forget. The other two teammates were afraid that they wouldn’t be able to catch their flight back to Xining on time, so they wanted to drive through the night to Xining. My body was already on the verge of collapse, I had been inhaling oxygen all the time, so we finally decided to stay overnight in Nagqu.

After dinner, we went to bed around 10 p.m. I took some medicine and thought it would be better, but I felt more and more weak. I tried to get up and drank a few more glucose tablets, but it didn’t get any better. I had a strong throbbing pain in my head. I persisted for a while but still couldn’t sleep. It was about 1:00 a.m. when I felt my body getting weaker and weaker. I could barely get up. I called Li Ge, who was sleeping on another bed, and said that I was about to die. He could send me to the emergency room or call 120.
He was sleeping at the time and was a little impatient when I called him. He said it was normal. Just take a deep breath and persist. So I lay down again. But I knew my own body. After a while, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to last for another half an hour. I was about to lose consciousness, so I tried to sit up and called him again, asking him for help. I said I really couldn’t last any longer. Then Li Ge probably realized it was a bit serious and got up to send me to the nearby oxygen bar to inhale oxygen. At that time, I felt like I was about to lose my strength even while walking. I arrived at the oxygen bar and inhaled oxygen there all night. At first, it didn’t get any better. I still felt difficulty breathing. I was very sleepy but didn’t dare to sleep. I kept telling myself I couldn’t sleep. At that time, I was really afraid that if I fell asleep, I wouldn’t wake up. I thought of many things and bad things would appear in front of my eyes. I started with medical oxygen. It’s a big iron can that continuously delivers oxygen. It costs 100 yuan per hour. After inhaling it for a while, I felt it was not getting any better, so I switched to an oxygen concentrator. It costs 150 yuan per night. Later, I realized that the oxygen concentrator delivers oxygen according to your breathing rhythm. In fact, I felt even worse after inhaling it. In the end, I switched back to medical oxygen. So I suggest that everyone don’t try to save money. When you inhale oxygen, try to use medical oxygen. It will continuously deliver oxygen, which is more comfortable for people.

The next morning, the owner of the oxygen bar told me many things. He said that he almost didn’t want to receive me yesterday. He said that Li Ge was so smelly when he came in. He had pooped on himself, and it was so late. I asked why this happened. He said it’s normal to lose control of one’s bladder and bowels on the plateau. This kind of thing happens often. He said that during the summer peak season, there would be several attendants standing outside their oxygen bar. People with altitude sickness would often be sent here. The attendants would judge which people could be saved. Some people were really sent here without consciousness and could not be saved. They wouldn’t be allowed to come in. Thinking back on it, I was a little scared. Being in good health on the plains does not necessarily mean that you will be fine on the plateau. I also met many people who came to buy oxygen in the morning. When I left, I also bought an oxygen bag. It seems that oxygen bags are indeed easier to use than oxygen tanks.

Next, we went to Tanggula Mountain. The car broke down on the way, but fortunately, it was not far from Nagqu and the repair company had spare parts. If it had happened in the uninhabited area, we would be doomed. The Tanggula Mountain section often gets stuck in traffic. We went there that day, and it was said that the traffic was jammed for 200 kilometers. Fortunately, Li Ge was an experienced driver and we overtook the traffic. When we encountered the police, we lied and said someone in the car had severe altitude sickness. If the road was not easy to drive on, he would use his Land Cruiser to go off-road and detour. However, I was not in good shape that day, so I kept inhaling oxygen and didn’t take many photos. We had lunch at the highest military post on that day.

Since my teammate had to catch a flight, Li Ge was also in a hurry to get to the airport. There were still constant problems on the way. There was also a blizzard all the way, it was really like the one in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”. I couldn’t see anything in front of me. I really don’t recommend self-driving for first-time visitors to Tibet, because you don’t know how far the blizzard will continue. It could be another hundreds of kilometers. And you are not familiar with the road. We also saw wreckage of cars by the roadside. We didn’t dare to get out of the car to rescue them. We could only keep driving forward.

Goodbye, Tibet

We finally got out of Tibet. We went to the uninhabited area of Qinghai Hoh Xil, fortunately, there was no more blizzard. Now, being in the uninhabited area also feels like a blessing. Hoh Xil is still very beautiful. I gradually mastered the rhythm. I started to breathe with my mouth again, and I have to breathe deeply. The oxygen in my nose is not enough.

Hoh Xil

Herd of cattle

Wild donkey

After leaving Hoh Xil, we went straight to Golmud. I could finally take a shower. I hadn’t taken a shower all the time. My body didn’t allow it. I slept with my teammate’s beanie on my head to keep warm. I didn’t dare to take it off. So if you come here, baseball caps are useless. We stayed in Golmud for one night and went straight to Chaka Salt Lake and Qinghai Lake the next day.

Unfortunately, Chaka was closed that day, so we could only go to Qinghai Lake.

Qinghai Lake

The rest of the trip was a straight drive back to Xining. We didn’t have time to see the Kunlun Mountains or the Tuotuo River. But I guess I wouldn’t have been in the mood to see them anyway.

Even though the time was short, it was really worth it. These experiences are something I’ve never experienced in all these years. I look forward to coming back to the Roof of the World with a different self next time.