I DECIDED not to take the express train to Lhasa, capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, from Ge’ermu in Qinghai Province on June 18. Instead, I rented a car as I believed that traveling through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by road would make it easier for me to take pictures.

After arriving in Ge’ermu that evening, I contacted a person surnamed Ma, who said his brother would drive me to Lhasa on June 20 if I paid 2,000 yuan (US$263) for a two-day trip.

I told Ma I had paid only 64 yuan for a hard seat ticket on the 12-hour train from Xining to Ge’ermu that morning, and his offer was too expensive for me.

After much bargaining, Ma accepted my offer of 1,700 yuan for the trip. He said that few tourists from inland provinces chose to travel through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by car after the rail line from Ge’ermu to Lhasa was put into operation June 1, 2006.

The next day, I took a minibus to Cha’erhan Salt Lake, which is more than an hour from Ge’ermu.

When I returned to Ger’ermu at around 5:30 p.m., Ma told me the Tangula Mountain Pass had been closed for a whole day because of a heavy snowstorm and his brother would probably not be able to drive me through the pass on June 20.

At around 8 p.m., I was told the Tangula Mountain Pass was not yet open.

I couldn’t wait any more. I decided to change my plan and buy a train ticket to Lhasa. I was very lucky to get a train ticket at Ge’ermu Railway Station that evening.

Upon arriving early at Ge’ermu Railway Station at 6:30 a.m., I had to wait a fair bit, because the train was more than half an hour late. I boarded the train at around 7:30 a.m., and found the other five berths in my cabin were all occupied.

I began to make friends with the five passengers, who comprised a young couple from Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, a surgeon also from Nanjing, a young engineer from Xi’an in Shaanxi Province and a young salesman from Lhasa.

After passing Nashankou Station, the train began to climb up the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is described as “the roof of the world.”

As the train passed the Kunlun Mountain Pass, I saw the snow-covered Kunlun Mountain ranges far away.

At around 10:15 a.m., our train reached Wudaoliang Station, which is located within Kekexili Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province.

It was then that I heard cries of “Here are antelopes!” I quickly got my camera ready and began to shoot a herd of Tibetan antelopes leisurely roaming in the snow along the railway.

The antelopes seemed to have gotten used to trains since they showed no signs of being scared by our train as it roared past.

Around 12:30 p.m., I saw the Tuotuo River, the main source of the Yangtze River, through the fast-moving windows of the train.

After seeing the Tuotuo River, I decided to go to the dining car to eat my lunch. I ordered a dish of fried tomato with egg and a dish of steamed fish, with a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup and a can of beer.

As I watched snow-capped mountains and glaciers outside the window, the train quickly passed Tangula Station at the Tangula Mountain Pass.

At an altitude of 5,072 meters, the station is the highest railway station in the world. The pass is the natural boundary between Qinghai Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The earth at the pass is always covered with permafrost and the weather unstable. Even in summer, the section of Qinghai-Tibet Highway at the pass is usually blocked by heavy snow. The oxygen content in the air here is only 60 percent that at sea level.

While some passengers complained of being affected by the high altitude, I didn’t feel anything.

After going through the pass, our train began to enter Tibet. The first significant sight that we saw in Tibet was Cuona Lake.

At an altitude of 4, 650 meters, the lake is the highest freshwater lake in the world. Herds of Tibetan yaks can be seen eating grass around the lake which has crystal-clear blue water.

At around 5:15 p.m., our train reached Nakchu Station, the first major railway station in Tibet. This is also the only stop between Ge’ermu and Lhasa.

After the train left the station, we began to see grasslands with blue skies, white clouds, cows and sheep, and Tibetan huts.

The northern Tibetan plateau along the railway looks more fertile than the snow-covered plateau in Qinghai Province.

When we saw the Lhasa River at around 8:50 p.m., the young Tibetan salesman named Baci told us Lhasa Railway Station was very near.

I asked him: “What change do you think the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has brought to your life since its operation last year?”

“It has certainly made more convenient and cheaper for me to travel around China from Lhasa,” said Baci, who grew up in Lhasa.

Our train arrived at Lhasa Railway Station at 9 p.m. as the sun began to set.

Before bidding farewell to each other, the six occupants of our cabin decided to have a group photo taken at the station, in the hope that we would meet again some day.