The aeroplane is two hours late, so the group members do not arrive in Lhasa until the afternoon. A communal supper is organised near the OId City so that people can get to know each other. Rickshaws take us back to the hotel, past the Potala Palace, which is bathed in the enchanting glow of many lights.

Day 2 16.05.2009
We visit the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple. The Jokhang Temple is packed before midday. Pilgrims offer sacrifices of yak butter and pray. We simply stand and try to commit every detail of this wondrous image to memory. After lunching as a group, we set out to explore the neighbourhood in our own fashion. By evening, all members of the group have returned safely to the hotel.

Day 3 17.05.2009
After loading up the vehicles, we drive to the famous Drepung Monastery, which for a long time was the largest monastery in Tibet. Even today, it is extremely impressive. It is almost as if one is walking through a small town. Unfortunately, four Ukrainian participants were unable to join our group because they had received their visas too late. The last arrival is collected from the airport at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Our band now consists of: two Germans, two Italians, one Ukrainian, one Russian as well as one German, one Italian and one Chinese guide – a very international party. We set off together for Shigatse. The route is pretty and on the asphalt road everyone has a chance to practise driving the vehicles. We run into a sandstorm – they are nothing more than an inconvenience when you are inside the car, but no one wanted to get out. Just before 8 o'clock in the evening, after driving 305 kilometres, we arrive in Shigatse.
 
Day 4 18.05.2009

We are leaving Shigatse early. We buy fresh bread and decide to give the Tepun Monastery a miss. Instead, we visit a small monastery outside of Shigatse. Three monks live there, and they are delighted to show us their monastery, their sitting room, their sleeping quarters and their communal kitchen. We spend a long time here, and are reluctant to leave. Our route is on minor roads through tiny villages, and we stop constantly to take pictures of the countryside and people. We picnic on the banks of a river, and after crossing the Lhakpa La Pass just outside of New Tingri we can even see Everest, set against a brillant blue sky. At about 5 in the afternoon, we arrive in New Tingri and enjoy the fine weather in the hotel courtyard. Principal activities in the evening: Reading, writing journals, drinking tea.

Day 5 19.05.2009
Today is Mount Everest day. We set off in the morning under a cloudless sky. The only cloud our horizon is that two of our number stay at the hotel - the altitude is a serious factor. We drive along switchback roads to the first pass. After two police checkpoints, we are finally in the pass - the view is simply breathtaking.
The road winds on up to base camp, Everest dominates the surroundings. We would really like to stop every two minutes to take more photos. The Tibetans are happy for us, they stand on the side of the road and stare in wonder. Lunch is eaten in Rokbuh Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. After the meal, we go on to base camp, and then back along minor roads. The scenery is breathtaking: rock formations, glaciers, dried up riverbeds. We are glad of the Landcruisers. Driving would be hard going in anything else. In Tingri, we learn that the road we want to take the next day will be closed after 7 o' clock in the morning. We will have to get up early, whether we like it or not.

Day 6 20.5.2009
We leave the hotel at 4 in the morning. The night is dark, the sky studded with myriad stars. We make good time on the dusty road, and leave the road that is to be closed on the stroke of 7 – Perfect timing! Our reward is to watch the sunrise on Shisha Pangma. The original plan was to have a leisurely breakfast here, but with the thermometer showing -3 degrees, that idea was scotched.
Instead, we made a lot of short photo stops and stopped to eat from 9:30 to midday. By now the temperature was a balmy 4 degrees. As noon approached, clouds drew , but the rain held off and we continued unhurriedly towards Saga. Just before Saga, we came upon a police checkpoint – because of the swine flu. We were each given a thermometer and told to hold it under our armpits for ten minutes. Meanwhile, the Landcruisers were sprayed sporadically with a foul-smelling substance. In Saga we fill the vehicles with petrol, the sun has come out again, and there is time to look around the town before supper. Construction is going on everywhere.

Day 7 21.05.2009
We leave Saga at 8:30 in the morning. Our route takes on good gravel roads into the Tibetan Highlands. At about 11 o'clock, we stop beside a herd of yak. The Tibetans are curious, and women and children hurry to wonder at us. We take photographs of all of them and are glad to have met such friendly people. After lunch, the road passes through sand dunes, which are just begging to be driven on! After 230 kilometres, our destination Baryang comes into sight at about 4 pm. The rooms in the guesthouse are simple: There is a hot shower... but it only operates between 6 and 8 in the evening.
We eat supper in the village and there is still time for a walk. We are accompanied by a throng of inquisitive children and everywhere we go, Tibetans gaze in wonder before uttering a friendly greeting, "Tash Delai".

Day 8 22.5.2009
There are 290 kilometres to cover today. Our journey continues to Lake Manasarovar. And after just a few kilometres we reach the first military checkpoint. We must show our permits one more time. Peter, our Chinese guide, collects all our passports and the drivers must present themselves with their Chinese driving licences. The whole thing takes just under an hour, and then we can go on. On the way, we see kashmir goats being shorn. Of course we stop, take pictures and attempt to find out what happens to the wool. Communication is not easy, but we think we understood that the wool is exported to India and Nepal for further processing. In Hochot we eat noodle soup for lunch and continue on to the sacred Lake Manasarovar. The lake is surrounded by the most wonderful offroad terrain! We see Mount Kailash in the background. The lake glitters a dazzling blue; in the distance is the Gurla Mandhata mountain range. The scenery is astoundingly beautiful and the monasteries along the way all tempt us to stop. Unfortunately, the "Hilux" appears to have developed a fault in the rear wheel bearing. Closer inspection is postponed until this evening. We stop for the night close to the Chiu Jui Monastery and discover that the right rear wheel bearing is broken. Unfortunately, we do not have the parts we need, but we will try to get a replacement tomorrow in Ali.

Day 9 23.5.2009
We set off early for Mount Kailash. Sadly, the sacred mountain is veiled in clouds and we catch only a brief glimpse of its summit. But that's enough for a photo. The road is asphalt today, so we travel the barely 300 kilometres very quickly. We reach Ali just before 3 pm, fill the cars with fuel and drive to the hotel. Our guides set off in search of a workshop, hoping to get a replacement for the defective wheel bearing – alas, they do not succeed. Supper is at a Chinese establishment.

Day 10 24.5.2009
From Ali we drive to Domar. There, the "Hilux" is to be loaded onto a truck and taken to Yecheng. We leave the very good tarmac road at Rutok. Away from the road, we find a monastery in an enchanting location, and visit it at our leisure. The monastery is built on a hill, which we must first climb. Happily, we have all become somewhat acclimatised to the altitude. The tour continues, past the fabulous Pangong Lake after lunch and on to Dram. Another generous coffee break beside the lake, and as the bewitching light of evening covers the countryside we roll into Dram. The town probably exists larely to service the local military base. Our transporter has not arrived yet, so we decide not to load the "Hilux" yet. The truck is supposed to follow us tomorrow.

Day 11 25.5.2009
Early on this day, we drive up and through the highest pass on the entire XWORLD Tour itinerary. With the cars, we reach 5390 metres! After the pass, the sky closes in, the thermometer drops below zero, there is snow on the sides of the road, and every so often it collects on the road as well. But it is only a dusting, and we make good progress. It starts to snow, and then we are at the border with Xinjiang Province. We are leaving Tibet.
We reach the day's destination – Dahonglituan – early in the evening. The restaurant is the family's living room and a duck in the farmyard is slaughtered especially for our supper. It is just a pity that the Chinese prepare poultry by breaking up the entire bird, including the bones, before cooking it. But our Chinese guide enjoyed it very much.

Day 12 26.5.2009
Today is going to be a long one. We have just under 500 kilometres to drive. After about 100 kilometres we decide to load the "Hilux" onto the transporter after all. We wait for two hours, but there is no sign of the transporter. So we go on. The road is like a sheet of corrugated iron, and progress is slow. It is narrow and oncoming traffic is heavy. Shortly before midday, we have our first accident involving a vehicle not in the convoy – it is not easy to determine who is at fault and the nearest police station is at least 300 kilometres away. After two hours of intensive negotiations, we are on our way again. The transporter has still not caught up with us – very odd. Then the last police checkpoint. Again, we wait for almost two hours. Everyone must present themselves with their passport to the officer individually. The cars are also checked. Dusk falls slowly, and the moon rises. We negotiate our last pass. By now, the road is asphalt again. Our altimeter reads 2000 metres and the temperature is in double digits. We reach our hotel at about 1 o'clock in the morning and are curious to see the region in daylight.

Day 13 27.5.2009
The last day's leg, from Yecheng to Kashgar. Everything is green, the streets are teeming with donkey carts, rickshaws and people. After the Tibetan Plateau, this seems like an alien world. We can walk around in T-shirts, the roads are metalled and crowded. Before driving to Kashgar we fill the petrol tanks once more and then drive through the oasis towns on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. We have 260 kilometres to drive. We stop often to take photos. Lunch is taken in Kizil, where we are apparently the biggest attraction of the day. We reach Kashgar just before 5 pm, with all vehicles rolling on their own wheels.

Day 14 28.5.2009
The last day is given over to sightseeing in Kashgar. We visit the Id Kah Mosque, the Old Town, the bazaar and the Jade Market. We mark our final evening with a meal at an open-air Uyghur restaurant.