Julianne's Diary Day Six -- Zhangmu to Shigatse

By Julianne Page

It's been another big day for CRI reporters travelling across Tibet.

Driving towards Mount Everest, the highest point in the world. Another  highlight of our trip through Tibet. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

An early start again saw us meet in our hotel lobby at 5.30 am. Luggage in the back of the car and a packed breakfast to go and we were away before dawn.

Today we headed back to Shigatse from the border city of Zhangmu. It was the route we had taken to get to Zhangmu so I knew the scenery would be stunning and nothing can dull your enthusiasm for seeing it again.

We were travelling for over ten hours by car today but the ever-changing scenery and variety of things we encountered along the way helped pass the time.

There were many highlights on the road. We were on our way before dawn so one of these was being able to see the morning light break over the mountains.

With the sun breaking over the mountains we gradually climbed up again from 2,000 to just over 5,000 metres. It's extremely easy to become short of breath or even exhausted after limited exertion at this altitude. Sometimes our cars would stop to film and photograph the views. Many of us staggered back and collapsed back in our seats panting heavily. Deeper breaths need to be taken and motion, for me at least, had to be limited. Headaches are an unfortunate consequence of being 'on the roof of the world.'The vibrant colours of the landscape on the way to Shigatse were almost overwhelming, such as bright blues, lush greens, blinding whites and golden yellows. I wonder whether the locals are sometimes as overawed by their environment as I was. I'd like to think they don't take it for granted.

To quote a line from the film American beauty', "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it."