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Nepal’s flag is one of the most distinctive as it is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world! It is made up of 2 overlapping crimson-red triangles with blue borders. This is known as a double-pennon and is said to symbolize the Himalayas and the country’s 2 major religions; Hinduism and Buddhism. The crimson…
My second craft activity during my time in Kathmandu was to try my hand at painting a mandala. Mandalas are a Tibetan Buddhist tradition that serve as meditation aids, visualising divine palaces where deities reside. Since our time in Lhasa, travelling across Tibet and now in Kathmandu we had seen hundreds of shops showcasing this…
Wood-carving is a celebrated tradition in Kathmandu Valley, and is deeply embedded in the architecture, religion, identity and daily life of the city. Historically, the Malla era (12th-18th century) is thought of as the golden age of woodcarving in the region. The Malla kings invested a lot in the arts and architecture and this led…
I have a few days before I start my 10-day trip around Nepal and will be staying in the Thamal area of Kathmandu. My plan is to relax, eat good food, participate in some arts and crafts classes and potentially take a scenic flight over Everest. Thamal is the tourist district in central Kathmandu and…
Tibet lies within one of the world’s most tectonically active zones. Earthquake hazard in the region is tied to the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Active faults criss-cross Tibet, with strike-slip faults in the north and west, normal faulting trending from north to south and thrust faults along the Himalayas. There are…
Our first glimpse of Mount Everest came just as the sun was rising at the first pass of many that we would be travelling over today. Our goal was to reach Everest Base Camp in the late afternoon. The light was perfectly catching the East side of the mountain and the mountain stood so distinctly…
Climate change is hitting Tibet especially hard, and many scientists describe the region as ‘the third pole’ because of its vast reserves of water and gases in glaciers and permafrost. Below is a brief overview of what is being observed in Tibet: Tibet is the ‘water tower of Asia’ and so climate change here has…
The monastery was founded in the 11th century by Khon Konchok Gyalpo, a member of the Khon family. The Khon family were important within Tibetan Buddhism at the time, and established a new school of Tibetan Buddhism here called the Sakya School during what is known as the ‘second spread of Buddhism in Tibet’. Something…
Tashi Lhunpo is a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Shigatse, Tibet. It was founded in 1447 by Gedun Drupa who later became the first Dalai Lama. And it is traditionally the seat of the Panchen Lamas, the second highest line of reincarnated lamas in the Gelug school after the Dalai Lama. We were lucky enough…
Today we departed Lhasa on our way to Gyantse along one of the most scenic and historically important routes in Tibet. In total it is about 260km and takes about 8-9 hours when you include stops to enjoy the scenery. We would be travelling along the Friendship Highway for the next few days, the main…
Potala Palace dominates the skyline of Lhasa and is much bigger and more spectacular in person than you might imagine. It is the top tourist and pilgrimage sight in Lhasa and tickets must be purchased in advanced. We jumped on the public bus for 2 stops and then jumped off to pass through the first…
Sera Monastery lies at the foot of Serowoze mountain on the northern outskirts of Lhasa and is part of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1419 by a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa and is one of the three major Gelug university monasteries in Tibet. The monastery is a large complex and…
Our first experience in Tibet was to visit a family home on the outskirts of Lhasa nearby the Sera monastery, to see what the life of a local family is like and to have a momo dumpling cooking class. We jumped on the public bus just opposite our hotel and paid the 10 Yuan (~15p)…
Lhasa is a city that conjures up exotic images of a far-away Himalayan kingdom. As we travelled from the train station to the old part of the city, we drove past the amazing Potala Palace, towering over the streets below and then turned into a maze of white-washed buildings, all with colorful trim around the…
For the next part of my journey I will be getting the overnight train from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet. The Z21 train runs daily, departing from Beijing West Station and arrives in Lhasa 42 hours and 3,757km later. It is an epic journey, with 2 overnight sleeps on the train and fantastic scenery as…
Shuanglin Temple was a complete surprise to me. I hadn’t done any research into why we were visiting this particular temple or what made it special. All I knew was that it was on the itinerary to visit as part of my guided tour of Pingyao and that it had UNESCO World Heritage Status. But…
I saved the most interesting part of exploring Pingyao ancient city for its own deserved post. Pingyao is famed as the birthplace of modern Chinese banking, from the piaohao (draft banks) that emerged in the Qing dynasty to serve Shanxi’s wealthy merchants. At its peak in the 19th century Pingyao had over 20 major banks…
Colette's Grand Detour 