By 8am I was packed into the 1984 Land Cruiser, and heading for the highest salt water lake in the world. Nam-Tso is at an elevation of 4800m, and with passes of over 5100m, I found myself in serious pain for much of the ride. I spent the first five hours at the lake curled up in a bed, praying I would not be the one tourist who dies per year in Tibet from acute mountain sickness (AMS). I had ignored the warnings about waiting before traveling to the lake because I felt so good in Lhasa (elevation 3600m), but a rapid ascent of 1500m was very foolish. To put the altitude in perspective, after only four days in Lhasa I found myself at nearly the same altitude as Everest Base Camp...