TRAVERSE 117
TRAVEL- TIBET
ALEXANDER SEGER
FINDING THE LOST HORIZON
Vast grasslands and dense forests. Stark, endless highaltitude valleys framed by snow-covered mountain ranges on the distant horizon. Sparkling blue lakes that compete with the deep blue sky. And the majestic Potala Palace in Lhasa. Tibet takes your breath away for many reasons. For nearly 70 years, travellers from around the world sought the mystical Shangri-La, a secluded valley somewhere in Tibet where everyone lives in peace and harmony, as vividly described in the novel“ Lost Horizon.” Until 2001, the place existed only in the imagination of British author James Hilton and his readers. That year, it appeared on every Chinese map, replacing Zhongdian. The authorities decided to rename the town to promote tourism. The traditional two-storey wooden houses in the town centre were rebuilt in a historical style after a devastating fire. Now they serve as backdrops for Han Chinese women dressed in fantasy costumes, posing for photos on the social media platforms approved in China due to their compliance with state control. Ubiquitous video surveillance with facial recognition software is evident, and numerous police checkpoints have been established.
Big Brother isn’ t a fan of individual travel, either. That’ s why I joined the recommended tour“ Go East Young Man” by Classic Bike Adventure. Shangri-La is the starting point of our journey, which begins in the remote, rugged region of Kham, the largely unknown eastern part of Tibet, and takes us to the foot of the highest Himalayan peaks. This journey has only recently become possible: before 2017, the route from Yunnan across the eastern Himalayas to the Tibetan Plateau was off-limits to foreigners.
The wild, craggy landscape of Kham defies common perceptions of
TRAVERSE 117