Eric's Beijing Diary

Lhasa-Beijing Express. Much easier getting a ticket from Beijing to Lanzhou this time, mainly because of the new Qinghai-Tibet railroad. Basically, it means that there is an extra train from Tibet coming through Lanzhou and proceeding on to Beijing. Passengers who get off in Lanzhou leave room for people like me getting on at that point, which means that there are more berths available than there were last year, when the only seats available were on the Lanzhou to Beijing run.

Actually, I am not really qualified to make the comparison, because I didn't go to Beijing last year. Last year, I took the train to Qingdao, instead. But there is no question that the Lhasa to Beijing run has opened up spots, because I was able to walk in last night with no connections and buy a soft sleeper ticket for the next day. That is a bit unusual.

I didn't go to Tibet this year, because of the trouble. In May, some foreigners when to Everest and unfurled a flag that said, "Free Tibet" on it. That moved the government to clamp down on individual travelers. Basically, foreigners with a valid visa can travel anywhere in China, except Tibet. To go to Tibet, you need a permit. And the permit is only offered to tour groups. What that means, in simplest terms, is that you can't go to Tibet unless you are part of a tour. I really don't like tour groups, so I don't want to go to Tibet until I can figure out how to get around that restriction.