Sky Train

We're currently at the highest section of the Sky Train from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet. It's the Tanggu-la pass at 5072m. My ears have popped quite a lot and I am extra thirsty but otherwise so far I'm ok. May be something to do with the fact that I'm basically sitting on my arse not really expending any energy and there's oxygen being pumped into the carriages - which is helping I'm sure. It was a little bit freaky waking up this morning to the hissing sound of gas being piped into our room though - or maybe I've watched too many James Bond films/series of 24 where the gas is always something bad and James/Jack has to smash his way out with his bare hands and his brute strength. Gosh.

George is looking a little odd - I think he's feeling a little bit off colour. I'm making him drink water but he won't taking any ibuprofens yet. Drink water Georges. Do you want an ibuprofen? No.

We arrive in Lhasa in Tibet either at 9:30pm (according to the Lonely Planet) or at 5:30pm (according to the tour people in Tibet). We'll see when we get there I guess! 

Tibet has been a little tricky to get to - on top of our Chinese visas we had to obtain Tibet Travel Permits and you can't get hold of these independently - only through a tour guide. And you can't visit the tourist sites solo, you have to be accompanied by a guide. Not sure what they think we'd do if we weren't supervised but there you go. Luckily the people at the place where we're staying (the sister hotel of the Red Capital Ranch at the Great Wall) have been amazing and sorted all of that out for us.  They got us our train tickets too and everything was delivered to the Red Capital Ranch. Very stress-free.

The train has been quite nice really - much cleaner and nicer than the Trans-Siberian trains - we even have TVs at the end of our beds (though they are pretty rubbish and fuzzy - and of course all in Chinese). They have a very amusing magazine on this train called 'China's Tbet'. That's CHINA'S Tibet in case anyone was in any doubt! The articles are in Chinese and English and looked quite interesting but on closer inspection are full of very thinly veiled Chinese propaganda about Tibet. The magazine opens with an interview with a Mr Zhu Weiqun who says that "if the Dali Lama really wants to change his relationship with the central government, he must change his tune and alter his course". So that's how discussions go here...

There is also an article about a small population of Catholics in Tibet - the lady featured in the article has pictures of both Jesus and Chairman Mao on her wall - but more of Chairman Mao (and rightly so the article says) as she believes he is the one that feeds them (and rightly so the article says). She still prays to Jesus before her meals (but this is more of a habit she inherited from her relatives the article says - I think they'd have her praying to Chairman Mao too). 

More when we get to Tibet!