By Tracey Grebinsky of CCTV
We took a plane from Beijing to Xining then on to Golmud to begin our journey. Golmud is a town of about 100 000 people in the province of Qinghai western part of china. Flying into such a small airport and almost having a man walk away with my luggage was the beginning of a journey with obstacles to overcome. Lucky for me the mans son noticed the suitcase was wrong and brought it back, his was small and brown while mine was big and blue, go figure. Driving to the hotel was peaceful as our surroundings were natural and open. Ladies worked along the side of the road with their heads and faces covered by silk scarves to protect their skin. I had never seen woman do this kind of hard road labor in china before, but they seemed to be holding their own in the situation. The town felt small as the streets were not crowded but rather dotted with people walking casually by, a nice change from the hustle of Beijing. I sighed.

Upon arriving to our hotel we were invited to the usual Chinese banquet dinner to meet the officials and the people who would be helping us for the week. Mr Fu would be the man to organize it all for us. A thin man with a big toothed smile and a genuine heart cheered and welcomed us to the experience. The dinner was short and filling and we were grateful to go to the hotel to sleep soundly in the silence of the small streets.

The next morning we woke up ready to see some of Tibet. Due to accommodations being poor in most of Tibet, we would drive to our destination then return back to golmud. I was fine with this; I didn't really want to have to sleep with Yak blankets anyway. Our first drive out showed us a glimpse of what was to come as we drove through vast plains exposing blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds. These vast plains turned into rocky mountains covered with light brown sand along the bottom. Heading up along the highway we came to our destination. We were situated 3700 meters above sea level at the tallest bridge built along the railway standing 54 meters high. I reported upon the difficulties for construction that I had yet to fully understand. The air was a little light and I could feel my chest heaving more than normal. No headache or brain swelling yet from altitude sickness, I think I may be ok.

After reporting down below the bridge we ventured up on top. Here we found the first railway workers I would see of many who dedicated so much of themselves to the project. Their faces held smiles while the lines in their face proved the harsh climate they were so often exposed to. The security man asked for our identification as it was probably the most exciting thing he would do for the day. No one was around. No one ever came to visit. Life along the railway was quiet. The sun would be going down soon and we had ventured about four hours drive away from the comfort of our hotel in Golmud. Happy to get a glimpse of the mystery of the high Tibetan lands, my dreams that night were peaceful.

Today we would drive a little further into Tibet with hopes that this gradual progression would help us adjust to the altitude. With much emphasis on the environmental issues surrounding the construction of the railway, I was happy to see my first herd of Tibetan antelope grazing along the side of the railway. Looking very similar to Canadian deer with the little white tails sticking up from behind, the seemed content in their environment, I guess the 2 billion yuan set aside for environmental protection was put to good use. I'm happy to see it.

The road up ahead led us to the longest bridge built along the railway covering 11.7 kilometers long. Situated across vast grassy plains I was reminded of my childhood growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada. The sky is so open and impressionable in the plains. It seems like you can look forever and see what is coming in your near future. As I looked west I saw dark clouds preparing to release their moisture to the earth, to the east I found even more rain clouds hovering low over the land. Fortunately where I was there was sunshine. I was a little out of breath up here, about 4300 meters, but playing in the field was fun. Being surrounded by nature always brings out the best in people.

After about 7 hours of driving through the rain clouds I had just seen, the little noodle place across from our hotel in Golmud was comforting. Simplicity just seemed the most natural way and all of us were tired. Tomorrow we are to begin our long journey to Lhasa. After my belly was content, I sat upon the small stairs of the restaurant. Looking around I see the little old woman carrying her large blue thermos of hot water for her tea that evening. Young boys rode past on a bike yelling hello to me to practice their English. The old man rushed as best he could to keep up to his young granddaughter on their early evening stroll. Life was simple. Life was pure. I did't miss the crazy streets of Beijing at all. Home to the hotel sleep I went, I was tired.
( to be continued)