What a 121km trek across the Gobi Desert taught us about transformation

The motivation for self-transformation must come from within. Our job as institutes of higher learning is to fuel that motivation, says the writer.

- Tan Eng Chye

The formidable Gobi Desert is the perfect classroom in the wild, a fertile ground for self-discovery and transformation.

A 121km trek through its harsh and punishing terrain is nothing short of a Herculean task, not least due to the extreme temperatures that drop to lows of minus 6 deg C at night, then climb to highs of 29 deg C in the day. This autumnal weather amid which I and a team of Executive MBA (EMBA) students and alumni from the National University of Singapore trekked over four days and three nights is in fact milder than the other seasons of the mercurial desert, but no less daunting.

Forget about stopping to smell the roses; we were preoccupied with our survival and crossing the finishing line. We wore shoe covers to prevent sand from causing blisters, changed our socks twice a day to remove any sand that seeped in, and donned compression tights to reduce muscle fatigue. All this while lugging three litres of water on our backs, with the unrelenting sun beating down on us.

We were finally rewarded with a breathtaking view during the last 5km of our journey—an oasis in the wilderness. But any sense of reprieve was short-lived, as the shimmering waterhole that captivated us had to be trudged through, too.

The annual Gobi Desert Challenge pays tribute to the fortitude of Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk who undertook a similar journey to India 1,300 years ago. Today, it is a test of endurance and teamwork for top Asian business schools with Chinese EMBA programmes, with over 50 institutions participating in 2024. This was my fifth time embarking on the trek, but it was immensely rewarding and I still learnt new lessons.