Somewhere, far away, in the middle of Indochina, there lies one of the most remarkable architectural treasures of mankind. Perhaps the largest religious complex in the world, Angkor Thom brings together more than a hundred temples in the Cambodian jungle, among which the most important is the one who gave its name to the entire complex – Angkor Wat.
Have you ever thought that everything that is seen on TV on Animal Planet is not only the priviledge of some “elected” people who are lucky enough to work for the major television networks … In fact, it’s very simple to become an Animal Planet expert … take the plane to Nairobi or the Kilimanjaro International Airport and from there the jeep or the van of the safari operators and, within hours, you can be face to face with His Majesty the Lion!
Over 40 km away from Lhasa, capital of Tibet, there is the Ganden Monastery, another jewel of Tibetan architecture, built high up on a hill that is gradually being revealed as one climbs. This monastery is the seat of the Gelugpa order whose leader is the Dalai Lama and this is why it was shelled by the artillery in 1959 and 1965. Here we could find the remains of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa order and great reformer of Tibet. In 1965, when the Red Guards conquered and destroyed the monastery, the chörten with the remains of Tsonghapa was broken, and, to the general surprise, his body was perfectly preserved as if he had lived, although he had been dead for 550 years. Despite the miracle, the Red Guards destroyed his body, only a few fragments of the skull being saved by a brave monk. Today, these fragments are resting in Tsongkhapa’s new chörten.
It is a legendary place, where, for hundreds of years, man has merged with nature following the Buddhist religion. For centuries, people have not died, but reincarnated in successive lives. For centuries, faith was stronger than the economic or military force. But this land, regarded by many as the mythical Shangri-La, was crushed under the Chinese tank tracks over half a century ago. A whole culture was beheaded, a whole people was punished. But the roots were strong, so the signs of revival begin to sprout. This land is Tibet.
As of today, I will start a series of interviews with blogging travelers (or travel bloggers, as you wish). And my first interview is with Alexandra Kovacova, a crazy, sexy and fun traveler from Slovakia (by the way, if you anytime go visiting Vienna, do at least a side trip to Bratislava. It is worth it, although you might have few chances to meet Alexandra there – you have better chances in Mexico, Bolivia or Thailand).
Hello Everybody !
My name is Cezar (where the nickname "Imperator" comes from) and I have travelled to 105 countries around the world. In this blog, I would like to share with you stories, memories, travel tips & tricks and news to help you plan your journeys !
For any questions or comments, please, feel free to contact me at imperatortravel@yahoo.co.uk
My trip around the world can be summarized in the movie below which I invite you to watch.
