Qinghai - Tibet Railway
This is the first railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with the rest of
The railway track is a total of 1,956 Km from
To prevent the permafrost from melting and the railway track from sinking, insulated thermal rods (see below) and thick gravel pads have been used to keep the ground cool.
As the train went above 4000 meters, the inside of the train was regulated with oxygen like in an aircraft. Unwell passengers suffering from altitude sickness could easily get the additional oxygen by plugging a nozzle into these outlets located next to seats / sleepers and along the corridors.
The scenery along the Tibetan plateau was simply breathtaking - snow capped mountains, miles and miles of vast wilderness, yaks and sheeps roaming around in the grasslands, highlands with nothing except permafrost and the beautiful Cuona Lake which was a huge lake covering 300 square Km and the highest freshwater lake at 4,594 meters above sea level.
The cuisine on the train was only Chinese. As the train staff spoke only limited English, I was at times the menu translator for the foreigners. The Chinese food was delicious for the standard of a train. For a set dinner costing US$60, we had nine dishes including excellent cod fish and herbal soup with cordyceps (helps with altitude acclimatisation) and more than enough food for four people.
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