The silver Nissan Serena sits in the port parking lot. The Malaysian license plate on the tail stands out. The rear window is covered in stickers—"Heavenly Ali," "Tea Horse Road Self-Drive Tour"—with a tiny Malaysian flag swaying gently in the wind.
This is Ah Du's car. He set off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, driving through Thailand and Laos, and just entered China through Mohan Port yesterday. Next, he plans to go to Kunming first, then Dali and Lijiang, and finally to Ali in Tibet.
"I heard the altitude over in Ali is really high. Can my car make it up there?" Ah Du murmurs to his friend on the phone.
His friend laughs on the other end: "You already drove all the way from Malaysia to China. What place can't you get to? Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Ah Du smiles, looking at his car—this Serena that's accompanied him for thousands of kilometers. Although it's not an off-road vehicle, it's never let him down. He pats the hood, as if cheering up his old buddy.
"Let's go," he says to himself. "There's still a longer road ahead."
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Many Malaysian drivers have a Tibet dream. From Kuala Lumpur to Lhasa, the whole trip is over 5,000 kilometers, passing through Thailand, Laos, Yunnan and Sichuan in China, and finally Tibet. Although the journey is long, China's road infrastructure is excellent, and driving conditions are great.
"I've read so many guides already," Ah Du says. "The roads in Yunnan are great, and the roads in Sichuan are pretty good too. It's just that Tibet has high altitude, so you have to drive slowly and acclimate."
Indeed, as long as you plan your route well in advance and prepare the necessary supplies, driving your own car from Malaysia to Tibet isn't an unattainable dream.