Tibet (Apr. 26 - May 8)

Finally, it was time... We couldn't wait until it was Thrusday night and we were able to board train T27 to Lhasa, Xizang. Firstly, I will write down a brief information about this outstanding train connection:

The distance Beijing to Lhasa takes 46 hours 30 minutes, covering 4,064 km (2,500 miles) departing at 21:30 from Beijing West and arriving in Lhasa at 20:00 on the third day. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072 m above sea level, the world's highest rail track. On August 24, 2005, rail track was laid through the Pass at 5072 meters for the Qingzang railway, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet railway, making the Tanggula Pass home to the highest railway in the world, surpassing the altitude of the highest Peruvian railway by 255 m (837 ft). The railway connects Xining, Qinghai Province to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. The 1,080-kilometre (670-mile) section from Golmud to Lhasa was opened on July 1, 2006. The rail cars are pressurised in order to avoid altitude sickness. More than 960 km, or over 80% of the railway, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m. There are 675 bridges, totaling 159.88 km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost.

These are impressive figures and now let's not make you wait any longer, dig into the Tibetian experience!