The fifth stop in Tibet from the northwest: Golmud? Tuotuo River? Tanggula Mountain? Damxung County
Finally entered Tibet!
Overnight at Tuotuo River
On June 1st, we departed from Golmud in the morning and took G109 to enter Tibet. The road conditions were very bad and the speed of the car could only be about 60. From around 10 o'clock in the morning to around 8 o'clock in the evening, it took more than 9 hours to walk 400 kilometers to reach Tuotuo River.
We originally planned to stay and rest in Tanggula Mountain Town, but Tanggula Mountain Town is more than 5,200 meters above sea level. We were afraid that the altitude would be too high and altitude sickness would be too serious, so we chose Tuotuo River, which is 4,600 meters above sea level.
Everyone is suffering from altitude sickness!
Starting from Golmud and arriving at Kunlun Pass, the road conditions on this section are pretty good. I stopped to take pictures at Kunlun Pass, and I didn’t even feel that it was more than 4,700 meters above sea level.
However, the section from Kunlun Pass to Tuotuo River is life-threatening~
To reach Tuotuo River, you have to pass through Wudaoliang. As the saying goes: after passing Wudaoliang Liang, crying for father and calling for mother. Motion sickness plus altitude. Everyone suffered from dizziness, headache, and vomiting to varying degrees.
This is the so-called altitude sickness! It turns out that this is what it feels like. My head seems to be under a tight spell, my stomach feels nauseous, and I gasp for breath whenever I move.
Stay at Sanjiangyuan Hotel in Tuotuo River for the night. Fortunately, there is a greenhouse in the hotel, which can effectively alleviate the problem of hypoxia. They designed this flower room with great care.
I had dinner in the greenhouse. Even if I couldn’t eat it, I still thought the atmosphere was beautiful!
Looking at the guide, there are many ways to alleviate high reaction. We took Rhodiola rosea capsules in advance and drank glucose after getting off the bus. Although we brought oxygen bottles, everyone said we should not take oxygen easily unless we have to.
After a short rest, everyone’s condition improved. I was in a relatively bad state. I couldn't eat anything and felt like vomiting after drinking some water. I only ate some potato chips so I wouldn't be too hungry at night.
I washed my hands in the hotel's washroom. The water was salt-alkaline water, which had a strange smell and made me want to vomit when I brushed my teeth.
Don’t drink this water. There is also drinking water. There is a thermos bottle in the room. You can drink the water in it. You can also ask the hotel for it.
Another manifestation of high reflex is insomnia. I slept very poorly at night and was always in a daze. There were three of us in the room, and we almost all spent the night half awake.
Pain, but be patient. How can you see a rainbow without going through wind and rain?
Hoh Xil Nature Reserve
After passing the Kunlun Pass, you enter the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve. The reserve area is very large, 45,000 square kilometers, and we spent a day running.
Hoh Xil has a harsh natural environment and lacks fresh water resources, making it difficult for humans to survive, so it is called the "Hoh Xil No Man's Land".
This section of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway is commonly known as "washboard road", "wave road", and "crater road". It is very difficult to walk, and the swaying will cause severe motion sickness! We also saw with our own eyes that some cars had their oil pipes damaged and had to be parked on the roadside to have their oil pipes repaired.
Vehicles and people are prohibited from entering the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, but the Qinghai-Tibet Highway runs right through the eastern part of Hoh Xil. In the car, we were also fortunate to see many Tibetan antelopes, Tibetan wild donkeys, and Tibetan yaks.
These animals are not afraid of people or cars. Some of them are grazing on the roadside and do not react at all when they see cars coming.
Some Tibetan antelopes are lying on the ground, with only a pair of horns exposed, which is very cute.
I saw a Tibetan wild ass, but I couldn’t take any clear photos.
At the end of the day on June 1, we had almost completed the core area of the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve.
On June 2, we started from Tuotuo River and continued southward along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. The roads are getting a little better, and the dizziness and headaches are getting better.
The terrain and landforms are still plateau frozen soil and alpine grassland. Such terrain makes the weather change rapidly.
In one day, we experienced cloudy days, hail, rain, snow, sunny days, and were lucky enough to see a rainbow.
The most beautiful scenery is on the road.
Although the high reflection and bumps dampened the interest in enjoying the scenery, the scenery is still so beautiful that it makes you want to cry! I was so moved that I wanted to lie down!
Along the way, there are snow-capped mountains, undulating grasslands, light green ground, antelopes jumping from time to time, and changing clouds in the sky.
This kind of wide-opening scenery cannot be seen in inland cities or in the mountains and rivers in the suburbs of the city. It is very shocking, vast and unforgettable!
There is a saying that describes the feeling of going to Tibet: the body goes to hell, the eyes go to heaven, and the soul returns to its hometown!
Along the way, we saw enough of the snow-capped mountains, the grasslands, and the blue sky and white clouds. I don’t know where my soul is, but my eyes have really gone to heaven.
The Qinghai-Tibet Highway and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway extend side by side, and the green train passing through the plateau is also a sight to behold. It is said that this train runs directly from Shanghai to Lhasa, runs stably, and may cause less symptoms of high fever.
Along the way, I also saw many cyclists, carrying luggage on their bicycles and wearing helmets, walking on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway with an average altitude of 4,700 meters. We saw a cyclist with a face as black as carbon. When we got off the bike to take pictures, he smiled at us.
Cyclists have higher requirements on physical fitness and strong perseverance. They work much harder than us who drive by ourselves. I admire them very much!
One of my husband’s dreams is to ride the Sichuan-Tibet Line. If one day he really rides on the road like this, I can't imagine what I will say. Admiration, distress, worry, congratulations, they should all be there!
On June 1st and 2nd, we were both on the road. On the 3rd, set off for Lhasa.