The high altitude of Tibet is starting to take its toll on some of the PETRONAS Adventure Team members when they were diagnosed with AMS. Despite the problems, the team was rewarded with magnificent Tibetan landscape scenery along the way.

Here’s how Azman Baharuddin puts it in his own words:

“4th September. From De Qin to Zhuka (2 Sept), we travelled 269km on very bad roads. Four healthy people are down with mild Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) but are reportedly doing well, having recovered with rest, oxygen, and a descent in altitude.

The team is well-prepared for any emergencies related to AMS. We are carrying a life support system. Each car has a pillow filled with oxygen, and oxygen tanks to refill them when necessary. As a precaution, expedition doctor Avtar Singh advised members to periodically use one to two minutes of oxygen throughout the day. The team stopped for a packed lunch as they crossed into the Tibet Autonomous Region from Yunnan Province. An archway and border stone marked the border.

The mountainous landscape remains breathtaking. If you neither like mountains nor hills, Tibetan scenery can easily convert you. It’s astounding to see the handiwork of Mother Nature. There are also immaculate fields of crops surrounding rectangular shaped houses with decorated windows in the Tibetan architecture style. We went over two mountain passes – 4322m-Hung La and 4380m-Wu La.

All of China seems to be undergoing a construction phase, whether it’s for maintenance, upgrading dirt roads to asphalt, or building new bridges. Some stretches can be remarkably dusty due to the construction.

Mornings, evenings and nights are cold (10 degrees Celsius so far) but gets warmer after the sun appears by mid-day. We were supposed to camp tonight (2 Sept), but due to unforeseen circumstances, we stayed at a hot spring “resort.”

The following day, we drove to Ranwu Lake, but because of breakdowns and other delays, we camped beside a river instead. Expedition leader Halim Abdul Rahman wanted to ensure that team members can set up their campsite while there was still light.

After travelling for more than 380km, and going through Se Ji La, we are in Linzhi tonight. Tomorrow will be a very long day as we make our way to a mountain pass more than 5,000m high. We have been told that the roads are treacherous and the experience will separate the men from the boys. As Convoy Leader Faruk Rahman puts it succinctly, tomorrow will be the toughest day of our lives.”

LATE BREAKING NEWS!

“5th September. We have just received news that a major landslide between Linzhi and Zedang has closed the road indefinitely. Due to this setback, the team will take the northern route towards Lhasa, about five hours traveling time on relatively good roads.

But due to government restrictions and the 40th Anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region, foreigners are not allowed to stay in Lhasa between September 2-8. So from Lhasa, the team has to backtrack, using the southern route to reach Zedang, another five hours of travel.”