Train arriving in Lhasa

We'd been contemplating whether, or how, we should go to Tibet. I was not keen on paying the PRC for expensive permits to visit Tibet, it seemed absurd them proclaiming Tibet part of China's motherland but then also charging for entry permits, which directly fuels the regime.

Jackie got a message from a friend who had just got the train from Goldmud, without a permit. So we decided to give it a go ourselves. We got the night bus from Dunhuang to Goldmud arriving at around 5am. We got a taxi to the nearby train station and got a ticket over the counter, using our guidebook and ordering in pigeon mandarin for the 5.30am to Lhasa.

It's a beautiful 15 hour journey from Goldmud to Lhasa, on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR). The train line is the highest in the world, going to heights over 5000 metres and has oxygen on tap. It has caused much controversy, provoking H.H. the 14th Dali Lama to warn of 'cultural genocide' as Tibet's famously isolated homeland of 2.8 million is linked with China seething 1.3 billion, a point echoed by many in my film Team Tibet.

As it was early, 5.30, and we'd be travelling through the day, we'd bought the cheap (170 RMB) hard seat ticket. The carriage was packed mostly with Tibetans, but also Hui and Han Chinese. Some had an insane amount of luggage and could have been migrating. Others looked like they were Pilgrims. We took our seat and soon our friendly neighbours were sleeping on our shoulders and sharing their bag of boiled eggs.

There's only so many boiled eggs you can eat and we hadn't come as prepared as others in our car. We tried the ever popular instant noodles but they don't fill you up so we headed to the Canteen car. In the Canteen car we met people from all over Europe, USA, China... and we had some good food, which wasn't too expensive. It was great place to sit, eat, read and watch the stunning scenery go by.

The road runs close to the rail track at times and we passed scores of Tibetan pilgrims, prostrating their way to Lhasa. The plains were full of Yaks and a lone shepherd. We saw huge birds of prey flying in the unbelievably blue sky high above the snow capped mountains.




At one station there was a lot of construction, we were told it was going to be a hub for the 'development' of Tibet. The train bringing raw materials and migrant workers.

As we approached Lhasa, there was much excitement amongst the pilgrims in our carriage.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Train
• Lhasa
• Tibet
• China
• Pilgrims

[richardedkins]

why is that? @ThePogokiller

[xyrules666]

dont want to pay the PRC for expensive permits ? then simply fuck off from china, u then pay nothing

[richardedkins]

well done 'xyrules 666'

i can see from the pictures on your channel you are a main of reason and intellect!

Can you not see the dilemma, in paying permits to PRC to enter Tibet when the country is disputed and human rights violations by the PRC on the indigenous population are well documented.

China is a beautiful country with great people, but there have been many abuses by PLA in Tibet and throughout China itself, its time this was truly recognised and people move on, building a fair free land

[aguswidjaja]

@richardedkins There are police abuses in Los Angeles too. There are probably more in the US than in China. Discrimination is still rampant in the US. Gays, blacks, polygamists are still being mistreated. Stop insulting China in the name of human rights. Scum like you do not care about human rights. Clean up your own house before criticizing others.

[richardedkins]

I am not American, I am not insulting China, I do care about Human rights

I agree Discrimination is still rampant in the US, UK and many countries. We all need to 'clean up our own houses'

all the best aguswidjaja

[richardedkins]

betalover1 continued

"China's social problems are of a different kind, more like slavic people or even the Irish in the USA. Sociologically this is true. The Tibetans are not American blacks, but slavs"

[gongdaweinan]

well said, after all, Tibetans are getting a better life as part of china

[zakkbest]

Lol, that's impressive. I never know you need to have a permit. You can take a plane to Lhasa and they don't check on you. Just smile, Chinese people are friendly, if you smile they will see you as a friend.

[jackidol1]

@wanly596 and fucking who gave you right to think what tibetan people need... leave them alone... and stop thinking for tibetan people..let them decide what they what they want... free tibet.. and fuck the chinese race of whore... who whine all the time like little whore... fuck off....

[ThePogokiller]

This video pisses me off

[azzy314159]

Is the woman @ 0:10, in the red shirt, hiding a bandolier under her shawl?

[TheZhenyehuo]

@wanly596 yes, thats exactly what they want! tibet for them is just like one huge theme park, if they were developed, where else can find these poor people and make themself feel better?

[wanly596]

@tadorjee What an idiot! Without Qinghai-Tibet plateau, Chinese nuclear missiles still can easily reach any part of this world, just as USA and Russia could do. Qinghai-Tibet plateau is so close to reconnaissance satellite orbit and the weather is sunny most of the year, only idiot would hide their strategic weapons in this area !

[wanly596]

@tadorjee Why do you always want to deprive people in Tibet of their fundamental rights to enjoy the industrialized life. What do you mean by keeping tibet culture intact? Leaving people in Tibet isolated? Leaving people in Tibet living in poor and starvation? Leaving people in Tibet staying away from modern civilization? Do you have basic idea about Tibet history, Tibet culture and Tibet people? Do not act like an expert when you are not!

[kaiwkc]

@richardedkins For ur information, the mainland Chinese also need to apply & pay for an 'entry permit' to visit Hong Kong & Macau, which are also parts of China, and the control are much tighter than entering Tibet. The reason behind that is to advoid the place from being over-crowded from the 1.3 billion population suddenly. Thats why they also do this to Tibet to 'protect' this beautiful place from being overcrowed. Pls think in a much more mature way.

[derekjoe]

Now Dalai Lama warned about the cultural genocide followed by the railway, at the same time he also criticized the below-average life standard of tibetan people in China. So could His Holiness try to figure out a better way to boost tibetan economy than building a railway? I don't think so!

[saigce]

@zakkbest

you are right, im a beijinger, i have been lhasa, i remember there is no enter permit if you are in china