Airless Travel
Posted on November 6, 2006
I know what it means to vanish into thin air. I once flew up past Everest base camp, as far as an unpressurized helicopter could go and descended in one day. I was sick for days. I spent a week at 10 thousand-plus feet in Yunnan Province, China this spring (see our story) and fought headaches and sleepless nights. And, oh, then there is regular jet flight. Most of my travel discomfort comes not from jet lag, but under-oxygenated aircraft, some pressurized to an equivalent of 9 thousand feet, requiring the lungs of a sherpa to reach the toilet. Boeing’s new “Dreamliner” is supposed to halve that.
Mt. Everest from an airless helicopter - R. Johnson
So, I was very happy when the San Francisco’s Chronicle’s John Flynn took a ride on the High Train to Tibet…so I don’t have to. Flynn is one of the best travel writers in the biz. Enjoy.
» Filed Under China
