Following the meme of my previous post, we can probably add another spot to the ‘dramatically changed by tourism’ list. New Qinghai-Tibet railway:

“Traveling overland through snow-capped mountains and high-land meadows to visit mysterious Tibetan Buddhist shrines on the world’s highest plateau will soon no longer require the grit and resolve of an adventurous backpacker. This July the first train of the new Qinghai-Tibet railway will whisk passengers from Beijing to Lhasa in 48 scenery-filled hours. Tourists venturing to the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region from China’s national capital can now get there by land in the lap of luxury. Special tourist trains will feature hotel-like services and special viewing cars for the journey to the ‘roof of the world’.”

Taking a trail through those peaks would be amazing. But, I find it hard to believe that the shrines will be “mysterious” when surrounded by people.