I have been remiss

My blog has been left unattended and unloved for far too long; the Christmas summer break, a pile of books and DVDs saw this blog go to the bottom of my pile.  However, Tibet is always on my mind more so now than ever given the recent escalation of violence in Ganze in the eastern regions of the land.  I hear that it is most likely that the region will be closed to visitors again this year until the end of March.

If you are contemplating a trip to Tibet this year, I strongly urge you to speak to your travel agent or visit the Lonely Planet website for updated information.

Visiting Tibet is like that, you can never be sure the date you planned your trip will actually go ahead given the volatility of the political situation there.  Only last year while I was readying myself to leave Kathmandu, the hotel owner assured me I would not make it over the border as it had been closed.  After some conversation and clarification it turned out it was the Nepali-Tibetan border that was closed but entry via Lhasa airport was fine.  So always be ready for possible last minute changes to plans.

At this stage I am planning a trip in August this year and am looking for clients to join me.  I have not mentioned it yet on this blog but I work with a travel company based in Lhasa who have been operating since the mid-80's.  They are a good travel company who really care about their clients, their guides are very experienced and the guide I work with speaks five languages very fluently.  I joined forces with the company last year bringing travellers with me to Tibet for the south-eastern route and Everest Base Camp trip, this year our destination depends upon the group but I hope to do a trek from Ganden to Samye Monasteries.

I am most interested in ethical and sustainable travel in Tibet, as visitors to the country I aim the small groups I take with me to have as minimal impact upon the environment as possible through the responsible disposal of waste through to respecting cultural practices.  By bringing travellers to Tibet I hope to support and encourage employment opportunities for Tibetans in the travel, hospitality and other related industries.

Anyway, that's it for now.  I hope you enjoy reading my blog.