Yunnan and Tibet (2024)

The writer James Hilton wrote the novel "Lost Horizon" possibly inspired by the chronicles that explorer Joseph Rock wrote for National Geographic magazine, or perhaps by the romantic tales of the early travelers who journeyed through Tibet. Another important influence for me was "Tintin in Tibet," a masterpiece by the cartoonist Hergé.

For this reason, I have especially focused on Tibetan China, searching for mythical enclaves like the ancient city of Zhongdian, whose inhabitants took advantage of a devastating fire to rename it for tourism purposes as Shangri-La. Nearby is the Songzanlin Monastery, built under the mandate of the fifth Dalai Lama in 1674 and imitating the great Potala Palace of Lhasa.

Cities such as Lijiang, Dali, Weishan, or Shaxi have also been restored. The latter began as a trading point for tea and horses during the Tang, Ming, and Qing dynasties and is probably the most intact caravan city on the tea route that led from Yunnan to Burma and Tibet.

West of Shangri-La, the road reaches Tibet on a 1900 km journey that can be traveled in several days by bus or in a couple of hours by plane, flying over some wonderful landscapes. Upon landing in Lhasa, if the traveler has chosen the plane, it is advisable to walk leisurely along Barkhor Street to gradually adapt to the 4,200 meters of altitude. They will do so in the company of hundreds of pilgrims, some crawling on the ground, while others circulate around the prayer wheels. The highest expression of Buddhist faith can be observed in front of the Jokhang Temple, the most revered of all.

The spiritual and political symbol of Tibet is the Potala Palace, the residence of the Dalai Lama before the Chinese occupation in 1959. It was erected three hundred years earlier, has 13 floors, and is 110 meters high. There are dozens of monasteries like Norbulingka, Sera (where the monks hold their famous debates), or Drepung. And starting from Lhasa, you can see wonderful landscapes like Yamdrok Lake on the Gyantse route.