TIBET - Top of the
World, the most mystical and fascination
Destination :
Tibet is a most unusual and beautiful
land. The majority of this land rests
above 4000 meters (13,000 feet) and is
partially surrounded by mountain ranges.
The awe-inspiring Himalayas are the
highest in the world, as is the never
ending Tibetan plateau. Tibet is a place
for the rugged adventurer as well as the
spiritual wanderer. A land that is held
back in time and houses many secrets.
Nomads remain much the same as they did
one hundred years ago. Then, there are
the monasteries which are striving to
find a place in a country that's
crashing into the twentieth century.
The Tibetan people and their religion
have been inseparable. Even in their
earliest myths one finds references to
the Tibetan's religious beliefs.
Originally, the Bon religion dominated
Tibet. After the introduction of
Buddhist statues and later sanskrit
documents from India, Buddhism crept
increasingly into the Tibetan culture.
Tibetan Buddhism is the culmination of
some early Bon beliefs, Indian Buddhist
texts and several great lamas. Buddhism
and politics had been interwoven since
King Songsten Gampo married a Chinese
and a Nepali princess, who were both
intergral in the emergence of Buddhism.
It was the Fifth Dalai Lama who actually
built the Potala Palace as the
government seat and a religious center.
A theocracy had prevailed until 1951.
After centuries of virtual isolation
Tibet is cautiously opening up to the
western world. Officially, China has
only opened the doors for travelers
these past few years. A visit to Tibet
is a marvelous experience, although it
is not for the faint-hearted. The
traveling is difficult, adventurous, and
unpredictable. The infrastructure is
poor to non-existent, making a simple
road trip a complete adventure.
Traveling in Tibet is not a simple trip
but an experience of a lifetime which we
invite you to take with us. |