Remi Lucidi, a sergeant in the French Army, died far from a battlefield. His body was found last week aside a Hong Kong skyscraper where he had been spotted near the rooftop.
21.07.2023 - 08:36 / roughguides.com / Art
The ‘roof of the world’ has exerted a magnetic pull over travellers and adventurers for centuries. This vast, high altitude desert has spawned myths and legends since the dawn of time. Its mountains are home to the Hindu Gods, the scenery is awe-inspiring, its Buddhist monasteries are filled with art and treasure and the religious devotion of its people is humbling.
Put simply, visiting Tibet is a travel experience you will remember forever. But it’s not one that comes without obstacles and moral dilemmas. Read on for our how to guide to explore Tibet.
Tibet has always had a complicated, and often down-right fraught relationship with its massive neighbour China, and over the centuries the level of Chinese involvement in Tibet has varied. At times it has been consumed by the Chinese empire, at others Tibet has been completely independent, and on occasion it has been the dominant power over China. Since the 1950s, though, Tibet has been controlled by Beijing.
For some this has felt like liberation from a feudal system where power and wealth rested in the hands of a few and everyone else was uneducated and poor until the Chinese came along and brought modernisation, education and a degree of wealth to the high plateau.
On the other hand, it can also be seen as a military occupation by a brutal dictatorship where criticism and freedom of speech are not tolerated, religious, cultural and linguistic identity is suppressed and the mineral and hydrological wealth of Tibet is pumped out of the region and into the hands of Han Chinese. In reality there are elements of truth to both sides of the coin.
© Stuart Butler
This is something that only you can answer. Any visit to Tibet will put money into the coffers of Beijing, but there is no major tourism boycott as happened in Myanmar. In fact, the exiled Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, actually suggests foreign tourists should visit in order to see for themselves the suffering ordinary Tibetans are living under.
If you do go though then use only a Tibetan tour company employing local staff and try to frequent locally owned guesthouses and hotels.
Tibet has a reputation among travellers as being a logistically very complicated place to visit and in some ways it is. But in other ways it’s an absolute breeze.
Firstly, let’s get this straight: Tibet is an organised tour only kind of place. Without exception you cannot travel here independently. You cannot travel around Tibet by public transport and you are not totally free to choose where you go and when. All visitors must be in possession of a travel permit. You cannot board a plane or train to Tibet without this permit (and you cannot travel to Tibet any other way) and this permit is only issued if
Remi Lucidi, a sergeant in the French Army, died far from a battlefield. His body was found last week aside a Hong Kong skyscraper where he had been spotted near the rooftop.
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