Tibet Experience Still Possible Via Innovative Tour Operator

by Chris Owen on

The borders of Tibet are now completely closed to foreign tourists, after being severely limited for much of the summer. With no indication of when they will reopen, plans to visit have been put on hold for many. The good news is that travelers can experience much of what Tibet has to offer without crossing borders.

As a decent substitute, tour operator JOURNEYS International continues to offer travel to areas where cultures deeply rooted in Tibetan Buddhism still thrive unrestricted by government oppression or control.

Culturally Tibetan areas of Yunnan province in China; Ladakh, India; and the high Himalayan valleys of Nepal and Bhutan are being visited and offer some distinct advantages, especially over not going at all.

Within Tibet, pictures and literature about the Dalai Lama are strictly forbidden. Outside of China, the Dalai Lama is revered and celebrated as a living God. Monasteries and temples within Chinese Tibet are essentially maintained as museums, not as religious institutions.

In Chinese Tibet it is dangerous for locals to talk openly with tourists. In the Ladakh region of India and in Nepal and Bhutan, Tibetan Buddhism is practiced much the same now as it has been for hundreds of years. Visitors are free to discuss spirituality and religion with local people, and often meet Tibetans in exile who will talk openly.

The season is also much longer, and fewer permits and restrictions apply.

For more details on specific trips incorporating Tibetan culture and themes into travel programs see the JOURNEYS webpages for Nepal, Ladakh, Yunnan and Bhutan.



[Flickr photo by ~FreeBirD®~]

Photo Of The Day: The Ganges River At Dawn

by Jessica Marati on

Sometimes, the most poignant travel imagery is captured before the destination has even woken up. Take, for instance, today’s Photo of the Day, taken by Flickr user Calvin Lee on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Later in the day, the river will be filled with pilgrims engaging in religious rituals, tourists taking photos of them and the hustlers that inevitably follow the tourists. But in this image, taken at dawn, you can practically hear the silence.

Do you have any evocative travel photos of destinations at dawn? Upload your shots to the Gadling Flickr Pool and your image could be selected as our Photo of the Day.

The World’s Worst Airport Job

by Grant Martin on

My old friend Lauri, who happens to be a pilot for Finnair, just snapped a photo of what might just be the worst possible job in any airport in the world: runway monitor. Indira Gandhi International Airport is the largest airport in India and a critical hub for scores of airlines passing through the Asian continent. With so much traffic passing through its three runways, debris is bound to collect, so the pathways have to be carefully monitored; as Air France 4590 illustrated, even a small strip of metal can be catastrophic for a passing aircraft.

In New Delhi, the best way to monitor runways seems to be to station someone out on the field. The poor guy in the photo above has only a tiny shanty to protect him from the 104°F (40°C) heat, constant noise and ubiquitous jet fumes. And who knows where the bathroom is.

The only bright side? He’s probably got some great airplane photos for his airliners.net photo page.

India Imposes Temporary Ban On Tiger Tourism

by Jessica Festa on

The Supreme Court of India has placed a temporary ban on tiger tourism, closing India‘s tiger parks indefinitely as they look into a claim that ecotourism is having a negative impact on the habitat of this endangered species.

The government has been trying to create positive changes in the industry for months now, taking the welfare of these animals very seriously. In fact, six states that did not comply with the count’s April mandate to identify core and buffer zones of their tiger reserves were fined 10,000 rupees (about $178).

According to the World Wildlife Fund, India is home to 1,706 tigers – the world’s largest population. However, the number of tigers has decreased from more than 100,000 in the beginning of the 20th century, due to poaching and habitat encroachment.

So, why is this happening? Toby Sinclair, vice president for the Ecotourism Society of India, told CNN he believes the government is allowing too many visitors into the parks.

“The eco in ecotourism has changed to economy,” he says.

Shashanka Nanda of New Delhi, a wildlife enthusiast and photographer, also has an opinion. He believes that, while the court’s heart is in the right place, its not going about the situation the right way.

“Responsible and regulated tourism forges a human connection to wildlife. Just seeing tigers in textbooks won’t affect people to change,” he said. “If you stop tourists and enthusiasts, you’re losing half the battle of wildlife conservation.”

Worried about the future of tiger tourism? The court’s final ruling will be decided on August 22 of this month.

[Flickr photo via Keith Roper]

Show Off Your Budget Travel Chops In CheapOair’s Traveler Of The Year Contest

by Jessica Marati on

Have you mastered the art of the last minute hotel deal? Are you a connoisseur of global street foods? Do your friends constantly ask how you manage to travel, even though you’re perpetually broke?

If you answered, “yes” to these questions, then (1) you’re probably like many Gadlingers and (2) CheapOair has a contest that might interest you. Launched last week, the Traveler of the Year competition will pit two seasoned travelers against each other, to see who can maximize a limited budget during two separate trips to China and India.

In the selection phase of the contest, applicants are asked to submit a three- to five-minute video showing off their creativity, travel experience and screen presence. Ten semi-finalists will be chosen, and voters will then narrow down the selection to two through an online social media campaign.

The two finalists will then be armed with $7500 and sent on a 30-day trip, one to China and one to India. While there, they will document their adventures through video, photo, blog posts and social media. The grand prize winner, selected at the end of the adventure, will earn budget travel bragging rights, along with a $5000 voucher for future CheapOair travel air.

The deadline for the selection phase of the contest is August 19. Register through CheapOair.com.