Roof of the World

by+Chu+Jiwang

I love romance， and traveling goes hand-in-hand with it. This April， I traveled to Tibet with Taoyuan Entrepreneurs Club against the advice of my family and friends who argued that I was too old to visit a place at such a high altitude. After debating for a few days， I finally decided to go but bring my “walking stick” – my wife Zhu Aifen， just in case. I was fully prepared to meet a tough journey on the Tibetan Plateau， but how could I experience anything there without seeing with my own eyes？ Thats how I live my life.

We flew from Hangzhou to Lhasa， capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Upon touchdown， I was surrounded by stainless blue sky， snow-capped mountains， and colorful prayer flags at the airport， seemingly welcoming friends from afar.

While deplaning， our tour guide reminded us to walk slowly， talk in a low voice， and use an oxygen tank if we felt discomfort dealing with altitude stress.

I felt light-headed and a little bit dizzy as soon as I got off the plane but was amazed by the beautiful scenery around the airport. I finally set my feet on stunning Tibet on the roof of the world！ Never better！

“Are you guys interested in going to Yamdrok Lake？” asked our tour guide. “Its located 5，000 meters above sea level. It takes five hours round trip over a bumpy road.”

“Of course！” I replied without hesitation. “What are we here for？ We should adventure， or well regret it.”

Sitting in a minivan， I squinted at the brightness through the window. Though few in number， the trees stand firmly along the road. In the distance were lofty mountains， barren yet impressive， and unlike anything elsewhere. I looked around at everyone in the van： Their lips were dark – an obvious reaction to the altitude. I was no exception.

Our car zigzagged along the bumpy road with sparse withered grass. The trees were few. I was stunned to see yaks eating grass from halfway up sheer cliffs. On the seatback in front of me was an ad reading“Healthy for a lifetime with beef fed with Cordyceps sinensis！” Cordyceps sinensis is a super expensive medicinal herb eaten by yaks. “Well， if you want the best， you have to pay for the best，” I thought to myself.

We reached the summit near Yamdrok Lake and were gifted a panoramic view of rolling hills in the distance. Standing in the wild wind， we were in awe. But not everyone could withstand it. Some hurried back to the car. I took my wifes hands， climbed over a hill， and took a photo with her in front of a stone tablet with the Chinese inscription of Yamdrok Lake， an incredibly beautiful lake sitting 5，000 meters above sea level.

The sky seemed reachable， so close to me that I wanted to talk to Heaven. Du Fu， an eminent poet of the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， used to describe the unique beauty and magnificence of Mt. Taishan in Shandong Province， but I bet he would have forgotten all about the mountain if he had a chance to visit the lofty mountains in the Yamdrok Lake scenic area， where he would have written even greater romantic lyrics to be handed down for generations.