Leaving the Everest Base Camp located at an altitude of 5,300 metres above sea level, we were back on the street of Zhaxizongxiang some 25 kilometres away, enjoying a bowl of Lanzhou ramen and having a chat with the shop’s owner Ma.

He explained: Zhaxizongxiang is perched at an altitude of 4,935 metres. As the atmospheric oxygen concentration here is extremely low, the water boils at only 85 degrees. That said, you will need a pressure cooker if you want to cook the noodle here.

After the lunch, we had to bid the Mount Everest Eco Park adieu. Of course, our biggest source of motivation has stemmed from the knowledge that it’s definitely a big deal for ordinary people like us to be able to gaze at the world underneath standing physically on the Roof of the World!

Going forward, our vehicles turned into National Highway G318 at KM5200, before turning into G219 trunk road. We started with moving in a westward direction from Lhasa, but now G219 made a perpendicular turn from southwest towards the northwest, slowly pulling away from the Nepalese border into a region bordering India.

Despite the sparse vehicular traffic along this stretch of the highway, we could still see some mid-sized buses ferrying pilgrims from India. We had no idea where precisely these people were headed to.

After driving for almost two hours, we came across on our right another extensive mountain range quite unlike the snow-capped Himalayas,. Liu, the driver-guide on the first 4WD, told us: That’s the 1,500 km long, 60 to 100 km wide Gangdise Mountains located entirely within the borders of China  with the altitudes of 4,000 to 6,000 metres above sea level. Along with the Himalayas on our left, and Kunlun Mountains on the far right, it is one of the three parallel mountain ranges in Tibet.

Liu said: More exciting journey ahead as we move into the Gangdise. From what we know, on the grassland above Gangdise lies the iconic Chengdu-to-Senge Zangbu section of Highway G317! The so-called “mystical realm of Tianshan Ali in Western Tibet” encompasses the world’s one-of-its-kind super high altitude mountain range highway, G317, perched at a staggering altitude of around 5,000 metres above sea level. We just couldn’t wait to go there!

Driving in 4WDs steadily towards the west and then turning northward, we could feel the altitude gradually rising, until we reached an altitude of 5,097 metres. We felt a little short of breath, but fortunately we had prepared some large oxygen tanks inside our vehicles. Tom — who was seated in the same vehicle — and I had to take turns to use the oxygen tank.

Dr. Zhou explained: Half an hour each person helps ease the symptoms of altitude sickness. On the other hand, among the passengers in the same vehicle, Helena appeared to be unaffected, as she could still cut the apples and prepare snacks for the rest of us.

I was thinking: could this be because women have been built to withstand altitude sickness much better than the men? It occurred to me that almost all the seven ladies onboard were largely unaffected by the rising altitude, while the gentlemen required the oxygen tank!

Sure enough there were plenty of fun moments throughout the journey. Chris always had his kite with him, and whenever our 4WDs came to a halt, he would take the lead flying his kite at 4,000 to 5,000 metres above sea level. I also joined in, but because of the altitude, I lost my balance and stumbled, injuring my seventh spine and having my fun time abruptly cut short! 

Our “ultimate goal” over the following two days was the “centre of the universe, the stairway to Heaven” as claimed by four major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and the indigenous Tibetan Bon Buddhism — the 6,714-metre Kangrinboqe or Mount Kailash, which was mentioned in ancient Indian Vedas and other literature and considered a transit point between the Earthly physical world and Heavenly spiritual realm.

Seven in the evening, we continued our journey along the uninhabited G219. We could see the white clouds hovering above the clear blue sky, and a couple of Tibetan antelopes occasionally hopping past us, at times sending our driver screaming in awe!

On the right hand side ahead of us, the white-clad peaks of Gangdise faintly came into sight. The body of the mountains is made up of Neogene gritstones with steep dome-shaped pyramidal peaks, as if there is actually this stairway hugging tightly to the steep mountain wall leading to Heaven. 

Suddenly the mountains were partially covered by the passing clouds, and Liu told us to be patient, as there would be an observatory less than 20 kilometres in front of us, where we could catch a glimpse of the majestic peak of Mount Kailash.

It was the eighth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar, the day Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. The next one whole week would be very important days for Mount Kailash. Coincidentally, we arrived at Mount Kailash on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, marking the annual Tibetan “立经幡幢” festival. No wonder we could see so many pilgrims from India and Tibet flocking into Mount Kailash — the centre of the universe — just like us!

It’s said that the number of visitors could be as high as 5,000! This explains why there were so many police guards on patrol along the tiny local street. Due to overwhelming demand for hotel rooms, the drivers had to put up the night inside their own vehicles!

Places around Mount Kailash are highlands over 4,900 metres above sea level, and we could feel that the air was even thinner here, forcing us to seek help from Dr. Zhou!

Due to strict control because of the massive crowd, imported eco-friendly vehicle transport services to Mount Kailash had to be suspended. As a consequence, we had to walk our way there for seven kilometres each direction. Don’t forget that the oxygen concentration up there is extremely thin while the UV radiation is at full blast! In the end, we had to make the painful decision to abort the plan to join the local festive celebration at the foothills of Mount Kailash! We were forced to change our travel plan on health concerns!

Feng Jun said: Let’s go back to KM3895 on G219, where the organisers have arranged a live telecast to allow devotees to take part in the ceremony together. Prayer flags printed with Buddhist Scripture were fluttering in the wind, while devotees were chanting, conveying human wishes to God while seeking His blessings.

Tibetan prayer flags serve as a link between the mortals and Divinity, carrying with them the people’s wishes for a better tomorrow. We followed Feng Jun to make three turns as we prayed for peace to the world and prosperity for all nations.

Although the trip was more like “hell to the body and Heaven to the eyes”, we have all learned to take things in stride, as we prepared to continue our journey towards Gangdise along Highway G317 to explore the uninhabited region of Ali. Come join us!

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has traveled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)