TIBET
AT A CROSSROADS - The new railway
not only brings increased tourism to the Rooftop of the World, but an
opportunity to change direction and grow. As more and more Chinese move to
Tibet, many worry that their influence is pushing progress too fast, and that
the magic that attracted them to Tibet
will be trampled by tourism.
TRACKING
TIBET'S TRANSFORMATION - The
world's highest-altitude train has brought an influx of tourists to Shangri-la,
along with renewed controversy over the influx of Chinese workers and enormous
impact on Tibetan culture. But the tracks run two ways. Not only Tibetans, but
Chinese, too, are grappling with new ways of tracking
Tibet.
TRAIN
TO TIBET - Nobody believed it
possible, but Beijing spent billions to create the world's highest altitude
railway, which began breathtaking runs to the Rooftop of the World in July.
Chinese cheered, but Tibetans worry it's just a Golden Spike in the
coffin for their Shangri-la.
TIBET
IN VOGUE - Decades of debates and
the best efforts of the Dalai Lama haven't budged Beijing, but to young Chinese,
Tibet is the utmost of cool. They hunger for Tibetan food, trinkets, tunes and
tours of the Rooftop
of the World.
Tibet's holy artifacts have drawn pilgrims to the Rooftop of the World for
centuries, but lately the treasures have attracted interest from
less-enlightened admirers: thieves, art dealers and Chinese thugs. A special
report for Travel and Leisure on the theft
of Tibet's artistic heritage.
Rooftop
of the World is wired! Politics and religion may still be no-nos but
fast-spreading internet cafes are bringing new information - and hope - to the remote
rooftop of the world.
Dharamsala - His
Holiness the Dalai Lama has been a shining light for the world as he lives in exile
high in the Himalayas, but he hasn't given up home of returning to the Tibetan homeland he
fled nearly 30 years ago. This is an intimate portrait of the Ocean of
Wisdom, revealing his warmth and his wit as we follow the God King around his mountain
refuge for a few weeks
Dharamsala - and you can read a nearly complete transcript of my talks with the Dalai Lama, in an exciting period of time when he is giving his annual teachings and visiting with Richard Gere.
Lhasa
- It could have been a plum assignment, making the world's highest altitude
brew. Instead, running Lhasa brewery has been an ongoing nightmare, with nothing
but problems in the struggle to turn out beer on the
Rooftop of the World.