We knew that Tibet was not an easy place to visit. We also discovered it isn't always an easy place to leave.
On Monday, April 24th, we were met by a new Tibet Vista representative and taken to the Lhasa train station. Like much of our time in Tibet, we were guided, practically by hand, through many of the steps and formalities.
While going through security, to enter the station, I was informed I would be losing some of my belongings. Although I had been travelling with my Swiss army knife for over 25 years, I understood that it could be considered a security risk. I was less understanding although very amused, to learn that my deodorant, shaving cream and sun screen were also considered safety risks.
At some point during this peculiar reduction in weight operation, our guide, who seemed content with the proceedings, told us he would move onto the next challenge, which was collecting our tickets at the check-in counter. He hurried along as we were left to repack our bags.
By now we were having some fun with the security officers who seemed more interested in practicing their English than confiscating anything else. The mood was light, my backpack was lighter and we were given the green light to proceed.
We then moved into the middle of a huge room where we could see our guy at the counter, at which time things got even more unusual. It became obvious that there was an issue since the man and ticket agent began to argue until he left in a huff and made his way back to us. He informed us that we had only one reservation number which meant only one ticket.
He appeared to be getting increasingly flustered as he riffled through papers and began calling people on his cell phone. After numerous calls and heated arguments with the same station official, he began to look more and more frustrated.
We just stood there not knowing what to think as we looked back and forth from the heated dispute taking place in front of us to the large clock on the station wall. The large impressive clock was now ticking closer and closer to our departure time.
Finally, for whatever reason, which we will never know, our situation was resolved. It was now only a few minutes before our departure time and therefore we knew we had to move fast. With our two tickets in hand and a little light on toiletries we quickly made our way to the tracks and found our train. With our one lower and one upper bunk we pulled out of the station at 4:10 pm and were on our way to Beijing.
Although a little out of breath, after trying to catch the train we quickly noticed oxygen was being pumped into our compartment. This pleasant surprise continued for the first 24 hours of our trip. It was a luxury that literally felt like a breath of freah air as we sat back and settled in to enjoy a very scenic and comfortable train trip.
After two days, we arrived at the Beijing West Station early in the morning on Wednesday, April 26th. We took a taxi to a hotel a couple of blocks from Tian'anmen Square.
During the ride we took note of how much better the city looked compared to our last visit. In November, Beijing was a cold, damp, grey and polluted city. Now everything looked so bright and beautiful. The air seemed fresh, the trees were green and the sky was clear and blue.
The next day we took on the Bejing subway system and made our way to The Summer Palace.
Located in the northwest of Beijing, it is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in China.
The Summer Palace was initially built in 1750 by Emperor Qianglong. It covers an area of 70 thousand square metres and holds over 3000 houses. In 1924, it was first opened to tourists.
The Summer Palace is one of the loveliest spots in Beijing. The arched bridges, pretty promenades and decorated corridors are nestled into the landscape. It was a beautiful day and we spent most of the day here walking around the area.
The next day, Friday, April 28th we flew Asiana Airlines back to Korea again. After our adventures in Tibet and the difficulty we had leaving Lhasa we were glad to have a simple, smooth and uneventful travel day from Beijing to Seoul.
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