miscellaneous rambling

Several years ago I went to Tibet. It was one of the best trips ever. In the Eastern part, there is a beautiful valley that they nickname "Shangri-La".
The name Shangri-La, is one that is occasionally heard of. It gives images of a heaven on earth. A place of peace. I thought it perhaps a Tibetan version of paradise.

Last year, I stayed at the hotel Shangri-La in Bangkok, Thailand. It was a fabulous hotel. Gorgeous. ( and the buffet was delicious..)
In my room, the hotel staff would place a card, that I used as a bookmark. Printed on this card was a quote from Lost Horizon, by James Hilton.

After a bit of research, I found that the name Shangri-La was coined by James Hilton in his book from 1933. I hunted for the book, and found a second hand copy online, my edition is from 1964. It's musty, falling apart, and yellowed. The cover price is only $0.35! I actually had to pay about $4 for it including shipping. It is a small book, an easy read, and very dated, and very British. But I loved it. The description of the mythical Shangri-La was inspiring. Perhaps there exists such a place in Tibet. Not in the Eastern lower valleys, but in the high peaks, within the Kunlun mountains ( I was there too, but didn't see anything but snow and ice ) as the book says.

I hope one day to be back in Tibet. There is more territory there I want to cover. I wish to circumnavigate Mt. Kailash one day, as well as see the Potala Palace again in Lhasa. And if there is a Shangri-La, then maybe I'll end up there.

If you can find an old copy of this book, buy it. Maybe a digital format exists too. Imagine a place, where time almost stands still.