Destination – China - Tibet to Beijing – 42 hours by train – Whatever Yuan…
Before we start, we have to say that, because of the altitude, we’ve been without cigarettes and alcohol for 7 days, which will end when we reach Beijing. Not that we smoke a lot, kind of 2-3 a day each, but the 3 are sacred. And if you know us, you know what 7 dry days really means. The funny thing is, apart from the altitude symptoms, we are feeling great, however, we can’t deny we are looking forward to some wine, whiskey, rum, brandy, beer or gin as soon as we get to our hotel in Beijing with a ciggie of course.
We leave Lhasa in the afternoon, our guys, Tashi and “Raul”, take us to the train station. It’s all goodbyes, have a safe journey and we’re so happy you gave us such a nice tip. Well, they deserve it. They definitely made our crossing and our visit to Lhasa very comfortable. The train station is big, super modern and super clean, if a bit grey, but well, it’s China after all. The train, for our 42 hour journey, as you can see on our pics, is amazingly new, modern, comfortable and way too cool. We share our cabin with a nice lady who speaks a bit of English and later on, also with a quiet dude. People are very polite and much friendlier than we expected. The food on the train is fabulous and the “soft sleeper” berths are even more comfortable than we expected. To top that, the snow capped mountains, permafrost, rivers and lake views on the first day of the trip are truly unforgettable. The second day is a bit more arid, but the vastness is still quite impressive. Looking forward to arriving in Beijing…
