Tibet
If there’s one tour destination that piques the interest at the mere
mention of its name, it’s Tibet. Only in very recent times has the veil
shrouding the Central Asian country been partially lifted—something that
was hitherto impossible due to both the country’s natural geographic
obstacles and foreign policies of the governing bodies—and even with an
increasing number of people now have access to more and more information
about it, Tibet retains its alluring mystique.
When it was inaccessible, the country was considered a wondrous place of
myth, conjecture and untold depth, the kind of place whose secrets would
forever be protected by a supernatural evanescence. Although revelation
of the country’s at times brutal history and reality hampered these
flights of the imagination to an extent, there remains in the minds of
many an irrepressible sense of mystery and spiritual profundity
concerning Tibet.
Tibet’s topography only enhances the impression that the land as more
than just another country. Commonly referred to as ‘The Rooftop of the
World,’ Tibet stands on the Tibetan Plateau, and, with an average
elevation close to 5,000 metres, the Plateau is the highest region in
the world. Its lofty location reinforces the idea of Tibet’s symbolic
ascendancy over all other nations; that it is the country closest to the
heavens, that it was designed to remain an isolated secret, and that
nature’s grandest and most formidable defences—the Himalayas—are
employed to encircle it for protection. Regardless of symbolic
interpretation, its location also means that Tibet is the ultimate hiker
or mountaineer tour destination and promises vistas from the snow-capped
gargantuan peaks that are beyond compare.
After the past Chinese occupation of Tibet, many of the country’s
historic monuments and structures were destroyed in a concerted effort
to establish a unified Chinese culture in the country. Nevertheless,
this policy later was rejected and Chinese authorities instead took to
helping restore Tibetan cultural artefacts and buildings. As a result,
those touring Tibet are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to view
spectacular sights such as the grand Potala Palace, which was once home
to the Dalai Lamas, and Norblingka, the summer residence of the Dalai
Lamas and which dates from the mid-1700s.