Not much to report on Day 15. We don’t have much time in Chengdu and leaving Kunming at 6am spent the morning and early afternoon on the train. Today we were in first class and got a little breakfast box as well as a bigger seat with more legroom.
The scenery has changed and the train as gotten faster (262 kmph)
Off the train to meet up with the new guide, ‘Hank’ and then off to lunch. I am still coughing so decided to have the evening off as I want to be race fit for Tibet in 2 days time.
Our hotel is quite posh so can order room service. Ordered a hamburger and chips rather hesitantly but it was delicious. The view from my room is wonderful.
Day 16: pandas and the train to Xining.
Up early – lovely congee with pickled mushrooms for breakfast before getting on our bus to the panda sanctuary park.
The pandas were amazing – particularly the red pandas. They are the cutest little characters and I liked them more than the giant pandas
On the other hand, the giant pandas are complete doofus. They climb trees and go out limbs that can’t bear their weight and crash to the ground. Then they do it all over again
I bought Morag a red panda ( no point buying one for Geordie as he will destroy it immediately). She is enjoying the journey with me.
After yet another delicious lunch we joined the scrum and boarded the train to Xining. Trains are very comfortable in China and have European toilets. This is a long journey from Chengdu (8 or 9 hrs). The countryside from the train window. is very different – more like a desert. We are constantly going through long tunnels.
I am about to start taking diamox twice a day – a prophylaxis to prevent (or treat) altitude sickness (Xining is 2275 mtrs) and we will climb the next night to Lhasa(4-5,000 mtrs).
Xining
Xining has all the appearance of a frontier town. It is much grittier and poorer than all the other cities, and has a much greater number of minority ethnic groups.
We are staying at the worst hotel of the trip. Although the rooms were OK, breakfast was inedible. By today I am starting to have trouble breathing and cannot walk without wheezing. I have taken a whole course of amoxicillin but it hasn’t made a dent on the chest infection. Bronny and I sit down for a difficult conversation, and decide that I should not go to any higher altitude (to Lhasa) and instead go to the A&E. I had a bit of cry as Lhasa was going to be one of the highlights of the trip. They will be there for 3 days and then return to Xining, and I will rejoin the tour. In the meantime I will change hotels and get better.
So the only thing I got see a little bit was a teashop where a very kind woman made me beautiful floral green tea and would not take any money and the ground floor of the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum which holds an incredible display of Himalayan art, including the world’s longest Thangka scroll. It was incredibly beautiful and reminded me of the Institute of the Arab World in Paris.
Next say goodbye to my tour mates and off to A&E.
I spent the next 6 hours having tests and being given oxygen and put on a drip loaded with drugs. The hospital was pretty ordinary, but the staff were competent, although no one told me what was happening to me – even though I had a lovely guide and translator (‘Pandora’ – who knew about Pandora’s box). It also cost what is an arm and leg for Chinese people (NZD350) and Pandora told me this was the charge for everyone, not just foreigners. Released after 6 hours and told to come back in 3 days for another load of intravenous drugs.
The only redeeming feature of the day was I booked the Sofitel (at a mere NZD114 a night). Got there and it was an apartment. It will be OK for 4 nights
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