Tibetan Buddhists believe that when they die and their ‘soul’ leaves their body, it is very disconcerting. This spirit wanders confused, afraid and dazed, in a state that exists between life and death called the Bardo. Long haul transit to the other side of the planet tends to replicate this state. After a somewhat chaotic …
The Amalfi coast, despite being overburdened by tourists, is an amazing place on this planet. It is a totally built environment, but like parts of Bali or Japan, seems to have struck a very happy balance with the aesthetic of the natural environment.
The Irish are, it seems, a happy bunch, despite a fairly tragic history. Perhaps they are buoyed by the thought of ‘constancy’. YB Yeats said: “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” A very relaxing and entertaining place to be.
We were lucky enough to be asked to visit Ladakh and give our opinion on the work being done there by a small Australian Non-Government Agency. What a magical place. Following the Chinese invasion and subjugation of Tibet, Ladakh is probably one of the last places on earth where Tibetan culture flourishes as it has …