Tour 2003 - Shangri-La

Dear Family and Friends,

In his 1933 classic, Lost Horizon, John Hilton described a utopian, idyllic valley he called Shangri-La.  Inspired by the real life exploits of George Leigh-Mallory who lost his life in 1924 attempting to climb Mt. Everest, Shangri-La was somewhere in the Tibetan Himalayan mountains.  Shangri-La was a place of peace and security; living was not a struggle but a lasting delight.  People did not age; there were no wars.  The society was based around a 'Lamasery' (a Tibetan Monastery) in a beautiful, snowless, sunny, fertile land called the Valley of the Blue Moon. 

Ever since the publication of Hilton's novel, people have speculated as to the actual whereabouts of this wondrous place.  Wonder no more.  The Chinese government, always eager to adopt anything that will bolster tourism, has now proclaimed Shangri-La is, in fact, the old city of Zhongdian (in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Northwest Yunnan Province).  So, Zhongdian no longer exists, and thus I found myself in Shangri-La.  (The local Tibetans don’t give a shit what the Chinese call their city.  They call their home Gyelthang.  It never was Zhongdian, and it won’t be Shangri-La.)

Tour 2003 - Yunnan and Kunming - almost home: safe, sound and SARS-free

Dear Family and Friends,

I have now arrived home, safe, sound, and SARS free.  Internet access was not so readily available as one would like in western China, so I wasn't able to send off an e-mail report of my China wanderings.  I have decided to send a couple more e-mails to you all to finish my 2003 journey.   So, delete it if you don't want to read it, otherwise, here is the first of two China journey notes. 

Around the World in a 60s Daze. China - The Last Chapter

May 2, 2002.



Dear Family and Friends,

As my great friend Craig Ferguson might say, "You could write books on what I don't know about China". Having spent four weeks skipping around China like Svend Robinson on a Trade Mission, I am hardly qualified to comment on this vast, culturally rich, diverse and ancient land. Nonetheless, I am going to do so, but somehow doing so reminds me of the sign Gerry Ennis used to have in his office at Shell, "To yeers ago I culdn't even spel enjineer, now I are one."

Four weeks ago China existed for me largely as the Mysterious East, exotic, inscrutable, teeming. And of course, as characterised by American press, it was Red China, the Evil Empire, repository of all things Communist, and anti-Christ. Well, today I do have a slightly more informed and realistic view of China and its people. This will be a long message to tell you about it. I hope you will accept my apology for being so wordy, but I never use four words when a thousand will do.