Riding motorcycles to Tibet fulfilled a childhood dream
"This was still back in May 2009," Zhou Bingnan told reporters. "The trip to Tibet" had been a childhood dream of his. "Flying is too fast, and taking the train lets you see the scenery along the way but you're still just a fleeting passerby. I wanted to go on a road trip, but I didn't have a private car." Zhou laughed. So at the time...
To go to Tibet, Zhou Bingnan bought a new motorcycle and spent over a year preparing: downloading satellite maps online, purchasing necessary items, and seeking advice from experienced people. Zhou said, "The plan was very detailed—we even knew exactly how many kilometers we would ride each day." During that year of preparation, they considered every possible scenario and mentally "simulated" the entire journey. Zhou Huimin joked that she even carried a bottle of pepper spray for self-defense. The couple also bought some school supplies, planning to give them to children there.
Faced death threats, saved by Tibetan locals
After all the preparations were complete, the couple set off on their journey in May 2009. "Back then, we would wake up at 6:30 a.m., set off at 7, and ride until 6 p.m. We’d eat dry food when we were hungry." Along the way, the couple repaired their motorcycle, picked mangoes, explored, and made friends from different ethnic groups... The memories of those experiences remain vivid and bittersweet. The couple also faced life-threatening danger on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Zhou said that because most of the road was under construction at the time, many sections were muddy, and at one point, their motorcycle even overturned, leaving them lying on the ground unable to move for a long time until local Tibetan people helped them get to safety.
After arriving in Tibet, the couple did not experience altitude sickness. They stayed there for a few days and truly experienced the unpredictable weather. "Sometimes it would be raining, and then suddenly it would start snowing or even hail—within a single day, you could really experience all four seasons."
When they first arrived in Lhasa, they saw the beautiful Napahai Lake, the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the majestic Potala Palace, as well as pristine snow-capped mountains and grasslands. "In the midst of such breathtaking scenery, all the hardships along the way faded away." However, the weather wasn’t great that day, so they couldn’t see Mount Everest clearly. They stayed in Lhasa for three days, waiting for the weather to clear, and then quickly rode their motorcycles to the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters. This time, the magnificent Everest was no longer hidden. "Clouds surrounded the silver-white Everest—it was incredibly beautiful."
"The people there are very kind. The children had never even seen cookies before. When we gave them some, they were overjoyed." Even now, recalling that experience still feels touching. As they flipped through photos taken at Everest, the couple talked animatedly to the reporter about their journey. Zhou Bingnan said, "Not just five years later—even twenty or thirty years later, this experience will still feel like it happened yesterday."