A visual trip to the majestic Himalayas.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the Himalayas, because of some books I've been (re)reading. So here's a travel tip related to a place that is so magical, that it's great for dreaming in times when travelling seems impossible and far away.
As a child, my fascination with Tibet started when I read some novels by author Federica de Cesco, who is a great advocate for strong women and getting to know different cultures in a respectful way. She wrote many books related to countries such as Japan, Algeria and America as well, often highlighting indigenous peoples and their traditions. Places like Lhasa and the monasteries in Tibet therefore seemed like magical places, but also interested me deeply because of their complex and often tragic history.
(Speaking of books, the books I saw in Tibet are extremely beautiful, see the two photos below.)
Since I love mountains and hiking, my fascination for the Himalayas also grew in connection to that. When I was considering going to Tibet some years ago, it was clear that I would need to see some mountains as well. So we joined a small group with a local guide for a trip around Tibet and into Nepal. It was an unforgettable experience. I still dream of many of these places, and often look at photos from myself and others.
Nepal, as seen on the pictures below, is a completely different world than Tibet, but equally fascinating. The number of animals we've encountered was very high, and the number of magical places equally so.
If you ever want to see such places, dream now, and travel as soon as you can, because the Western and especially the Chinese influence on these areas is changing things quite rapidly.
(PS: the fitting literature tip would of course be Walking the Himalayas by Levison Wood (more on that here), or any Tibet-related novel by Federica de Cesco. Or any book by or about the Dalai Lama.)
(Images: all by me, 2017)