All aboard!

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We spent the next 48 hours on a train across the country. The train uses a new railway that was just built and has only been running about six months. The train is the highest in the world and reaches an elevation of more than 16,000 feet. It has a couple stops but they're only about 15 minutes each. So it was pretty much 48 hours straight on the train!

The train has been controversial since constuction began. There were concerns about the ecosystems through which the train was built. However, according to several sources including the propoganda that played over the speakers on the train, the engineers worked with environmentalists to used new techniques to protect the tundra and other fragile land. Another issue with the train is that it means Lhasa will become even more accessibile to the Chinese and encourage further immigration to the area. The Chinese say the train will bring modernization and development, but we wondered at what cost for the Tibetans...

Because the train was new, it was pretty nice. We were in a soft sleeper and shared a four-bed cabin with a nice couple from Germany. However, we spent most of our time in the dining car drinking lots of water (you have to stay hydrated to avoid altitude sickness) and playing cards. The only bad thing was that smoking was allowed on the train (smoking is prevalent throughout China but its only the men), so that wasn't fun as we got to higher elevations and breathing got tougher...

The first day the train went through much of central China. The landscape was primarily farm land until we got into the desert. The second day the train climbed in elevation and went through different mountain ranges (Tangula range and Nyenchen Tanglha range) with mountains over 23,000 feet outside the windows.

The views were amazing and the train ended up being one of the favorite parts of the trips!

We arrived in Tibet later that night excited to explore in the moring...

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