Sowa Rigpa Wellness At Songtsam

I’ve wished to go to Tibet ever since I used to be a precocious eight yr outdated and browse Lost Horizon. The traditional novel wove a compelling story of survivors from a aircraft crash within the Himalayas who stumbled upon the hidden valley of Shangri-La, a mythic paradise the place inhabitants reside terribly lengthy and peaceable lives. Though the guide is kind of dated, the mystique of Tibet and Shangri-La has lengthy endured. And Tibetan tradition, just like the land itself, stays distant, mysterious, elusive, and largely misunderstood by outsiders.

Mr. Baima Duoji, a Tibetan photographer and award-winning documentary filmmaker, wished to treatment that. Duoji received his begin on the British documentary, China: Beyond the Clouds, shot in Yunnan Province. He studied on the Beijing Film Academy and directed a number of movies about Tibet, together with The Portrait of Mountain, which gained the Excellence Award at Cannes in 1998. While in Cannes, Duoji was launched to his first boutique resort, “and he realized that a hotel can represent culture,” says his daughter, Florence Li, vice chairman, director of worldwide gross sales & advertising and marketing, Songtsam Resorts.

In 2000, Duoji determined to remodel his former childhood residence into an expensive boutique resort designed to showcase Tibetan tradition. Songtsam Lodge Shangri-La was the primary of what’s now an award-winning assortment of 18 luxurious accommodations and lodges in Tibet and Yunnan Province. “We feel a responsibility to support the local culture, local economies and local people,” says Li, and a minimum of 92 p.c of the Songtsam workers hail from native villages. (The newest property within the assortment, Songtsam Lodge Cizhong, opened in June as a vineyard resort in a area of Yunnan generally known as “Asia’s Bordeaux.”)

Intimate and splendid, every Songtsam property is totally different, and hews intently to the native tradition, from Lijiang to Lhasa. Guests sure for Songtsam Lodge Lijiang, are greeted on the airport by a information and driver (assigned throughout their keep) and dropped at the Lodge, which has an otherworldly attraction. The rooms are easy however elegant, that includes excessive ceilings, colourful Tibetan rugs, Thangka work and hand-carved furnishings. A scrumptious snack, heat milk and a cup of puerrh tea, native to Yunnan, await, together with a pair of soppy slippers.

A tour of Lijiang along with your information reveals a quaint metropolis with a Naxi (Tibetan) minority that attracts principally Chinese vacationers to the hilly Dayan Ancient city, with its well-known Zhongyi Market, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The streets are lined with stunning flowering timber known as sakura, and a tram to the highest of the well-known mountain options magnificent views of the encircling countryside. Explore Wenfeng Temple, with a meditation cave the place monks meditate for 3 years or extra. Back on the comfy lodge, phrases like peaceable or serene don’t start to do justice to the sensation right here.

The 23-room Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La is the second Songtsam property in Shangri-La, with views of the magnificent Seventeenth-century Songzanlin Monastery, the most important Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, and a simple stroll from the resort. Guests can get pleasure from a Yak Butter Curd Latte and can doubtless study that the chef is busy getting ready his signature yak dish for dinner. (Yak is the cow of Tibet, relied on for meals, clothes that’s softer than cashmere, and conventional dwellings constructed from disguise.)

There are three eating places: Western-style, Chinese/Tibetan and Hot Pot, the latter devoted completely to the crowd-pleasing spicy dish. Be adventurous and check out Tibetan breakfast–tea, tsamp (barley pastry stuffed with heat yak butter and cheese), fruit. And go to the Tibetan Art Museum on property, which homes Duoji’s in depth artwork assortment.

Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Wellness) within the Himalayas

The model’s give attention to wellness and sustainability contains the latest launch of a variety of latest Sowa Rigpa spa experiences. Sowa Rigpa is an historical Tibetan custom, reminiscent of Ayurveda in India, or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is a holistic medical and wellness system that melds therapeutic (Sowa) with historical knowledge and fashionable science (Rigpa). At the spa, there are a number of applications enabling visitors to “connect with our culture and themselves,” says Li. A spotlight is the deeply enjoyable Ku Nye, a conventional therapeutic massage designed to revive stability to physique and spirit.

Other Sowa Rigpa experiences embody singing bowl live shows, Tibetan meditation and yoga, Tibetan natural medication baths and Hor Me remedy, with personalized consultations that decide a bespoke stress- or insomnia-relieving remedy with natural compresses or medicinal oil therapeutic massage.

In addition, visitors can expertise Tibetan archery, horseback using and excursions to magnificent temples, native village houses, mountain climbing, Tibetan artwork and pottery workshops, close by natural farms, together with the heat, generosity and serenity of the folks working on the accommodations. “At Songstam, we believe the source of happiness is to give to others,” says Li, and you may really feel it. There are additionally lessons in Thangka, a Tibetan Buddhist fashion of portray made with floor mineral pigments painted on cotton or silk, usually utilized in meditation practices. Take a hike at Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of many deepest canyons on the planet, and watch the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze, cascade by way of the cliffs.

Explore Lhasa within the Himalayas

Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa, at 12,000 ft, is among the highest-altitude accommodations wherever. The resort foyer options carved wooden partitions, with stunning woven rugs, bowls of flowers, handmade textiles in a comfortable palette: mustard yellow, for knowledge; tomato pink, for energy; lily white, for compassion. Ringed by the breathtaking Himalayas, the resort options views of the putting Potala Palace, the best on the planet, constructed within the seventh century. Now residence to monks in addition to a office for presidency officers, it takes many steps to climb to the highest, however it’s price it, for the panoramic views and the satisfaction of engaging in it.

A be aware on altitude: It is a good suggestion to acclimate your self by beginning at a decrease altitude and slowly build up. All Songtsam properties supply oxygen, simply in case it’s wanted. There is an choice to have oxygen pumped into your room in a single day in Lhasa, and it’s best to take it, whether or not or not you undergo from altitude illness, however as a result of you’ll get up feeling utterly refreshed and prepared for a hearty Tibetan, Chinese or Western breakfast.

Lhasa is a metropolis of brightly coloured prayer flags, monks gesturing in small teams sporting burgundy robes that blow within the breeze, small outlets, native teahouses and “apple cheeks”—individuals who got here in from the countryside to promote their items, whose faces are red-cheeked from fixed publicity to the cruel mountain solar. Visit Ainee, broadly thought-about the perfect momo (Tibetan dumpling) spot in Lhasa. It’s a small stall with just a few benches, based 40 years in the past by an ex-Buddhist nun. Stop on the Family Coffeehouse, and any considered one of a mess of teahouses within the metropolis heart–group hubs for locals, with out a mobile phone in sight, with Tibetan noodles and milk tea on the menu.

The historical Jokhang Temple in Barkhor Square, off Barkhor Street, the primary drag, is the non secular seat of the Dalai Lama, adorned with 600-plus year-old work, the place Tibetans are anticipated to make a pilgrimage at the least as soon as of their lives. Monks collect overtly within the courtyard each day at 5 pm to debate Buddhist teachings and chant.

“We cater to travelers who have been everywhere, and are looking for soft adventure, spiritual immersion and cultural experiences in Tibet and Yunnan,” says Li. In the tip, “Songtsam’s mission is to inspire our guests with the diverse ethnic groups and cultures of the region and to understand how the local people pursue and understand happiness, bringing Songtsam guests closer to discovering their own Shangri La,” says Duoji.

Credentials for Entering Tibet in The Himalayas

When I used to be an editor at ELLE, my job demanded frequent journey to Europe and past. Inevitably, I’d bump proper up towards my passport expiration, or want a visa in a rush. When I found ItsEasy.com, a number one passport and visa expeditor with headquarters in New York City, it saved me a whole lot of stress. I quickly realized that after 45 years in enterprise, ItsEasy.com had constructed the connections to expedite something, seamlessly, and ship no matter was wanted. Of course there’s a payment, depending on what you want and when, however it’s cash nicely spent.

Travel to Tibet within the Himalayas requires getting a China visa, which might be difficult. The excellent news? Once you get one it’s good for 10 years. The unhealthy? The software is lengthy and detailed and in case you make one mistake, it might imply delays, or beginning once more. These days, forms takes longer than ever, however ItsEasy.com will help you get a visa in only a few days, and they’re going to maintain your hand each step of the way in which. You may even want a Tibet Travel Permit (be certain that and all the time carry that alongside along with your passport), however most journey brokers and accommodations, together with Songtsam, will help with that.