Before graduation, my friend Jun said, “I’ve been longing to go to Tibet.”

    “Why not make it come true instead of daydreaming?” I said.

    “It’s dangerous and so far away,” she said.

    For a couple of days I kept saying, “Let’s make our journey unforgettable. Shall we go to Tibet?”

    Then, one day she said, “Okay, let’s take a train to Tibet!”

    When we got the tickets to Lhasa, we almost jumped in the air. A dream was about to come true.

    Why is Tibet so attractive? Tibet, known as the ridge of the world or the third pole, is a holy and mysterious place. The religion, distinctive customs and spectacular landscapes lure many people. Before our journey, I knew little about it, but I was eager to see it with my own eyes.

    Though we had spent 40 hours on the train, our journey to Tibet truly got started in Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai Province. After changing to a train with an oxygen supply, we were asked to sign a Note of Plateau Travel, which made us nervous. Would it be dangerous to go to Tibet? As soon as we settled down, we heard something pop. “What is it?” Jun asked. Later we discovered it was her bag of chips! The package expanded because of the low pressure.

    “How do you feel?” Jun asked.

    “Fine, nothing special,” I replied.

    “I’m a bit breathless,” Jun said.

    As the train climbed up mountains, the weather changed to ice and snow. We could see nothing but a vast expanse of whiteness stretching to infinity, occasionally dotted by one or two black yaks. Then suddenly, sunlight radiated through the clouds. The light was so strong that we could not help narrowing our eyes.

    The sky was so low we thought we could reach out and touch it. It was May, but snow still capped the top of the mountains. Snow fluttered gently down. Herds of yaks leisurely enjoyed their freedom, grazing serenely or gazing reflectively.

    Inside the train, the passengers were from different regions and all walks of life. People went to Lhasa for different purposes. Some went there for business, some to visit relatives, and some for traveling. Taking a train to Lhasa was definitely arduous. I believe that some of the passengers could afford to fly to Lhasa, but they chose to take a train. Why was that? Probably they regarded this trip as a pilgrimage, or they just wanted to test their limits.

    “The train has arrived at Lhasa Station. Please get off with your luggage,” a voice said. We set foot on our dreamland, finally.