First stop, Xining

We're making three stops in China--Xining (the green pin), Chengdu (the yellow pin) and Shanghai (the red one).

Our first stop will be Xining, which sits at 7,000 feet on the Tibetan plateau. It used to resemble something from an old country-western movie, with its dusty streets and remote feel. On my first visit to Xining several years ago, I was greeted by loud shouts of "Lhasa, Lhasa" by a crowd of dissheveled bus recruiters. At that time, the only way to Lhasa from Xining was by sleeper bus. Peanut butter and Coca-cola were about the only western foods I found in 1998.

However, we're told that Xining has transformed itself of late. Among other things, we've heard that the Chinese recently acheived their ambitious goal of building a rail track through the mountains, linking Lhasa to Xining (and the rest of the modern world). More news on the train and other developments when we get there...