Picture of Xining railway station, the beginning of my 26 hour train trip to Lhasa (Lhasa, China)

Xining railway station

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The train to Lhasa is special for various reasons: it runs on the highest rail line in the world and it is the only train with oxygen supply. Traveling the train is also a pleasant experience.
I was looking forward to boarding the train to Lhasa, and excited to arrive at Xining station. A hostess was formally welcoming passengers to each individual carriage. Once inside, I immediately noted how new and clean the train was, nicely decorated, with a thick blue carpet on the floor, and a tablecloth on the small table in our hardsleeper compartment which, on the other hand, had no door. Departure was punctual, and we almost directly started climbing: Xining sits at around 2,300m while Lhasa is at just under 3,600. The train to Lhasa must also be the only one in the world where you have to fill out a declaration of health, indemnifying the Chinese railways in case you do get altitude sickness. Handing in your ticket and the declaration will bring you a credit-card type tag with your carriage and seat number. The newness of the train could not prevent Chinese from exercising their most favourite pastime: spitting, and while I wondered where they would leave their product, I soon realized that I could hear them all the time because my compartment was next to the wash basin.
Read more about: Train to Lhasa

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