A way more interesting account written by a way better writer : a book by Michael Woodhead called In the footsteps of Joseph Rock: Travels in southwest China, 1990 to 2012 . Woodhead started out with a website https://www.josephrock.net/
Back to Brahm.
I was turned off by Brahm’s preface, which began with introducing himself in a multi-hypenated manner. He seemed to be keen on establishing his credentials in other areas. What has this to do with his journey?
I was expecting him to talk about about the physical location and physical journey, if not the spiritual journey in the search. I enjoy the travel genre and wanted more.
The book was about him knowing famous people. He was name dropping them and and interviewing them where they think Shangri-la is. He even named dropped a Living Buddha, His Eminence Beru Khyentse Rinpoche.
He was instructed by the Rimpoche right at the start of the journey that the Shangri-la is a mistaken concept. He explained that lots of people came to Tibet to find it and they took drugs while here. The Rimpoche also told him not to go to Qing Hai. Instead, answered him that Shangri-la is not a physical location. He would be able to get to it by meditation. I say instructed because Rimpoche is a Living Buddha. A Living Buddha is giving him a right advice.
Perhaps for Brahm it’s just another conversation with a famous person.
Brahm ignored this great instruction and went on travelling here and there asking various famous persons where is Shangri-la. This was the same for the Tea Horse Road journey that he took. That other book was for me way more of a mess. He no longer spoke of Shangri-la. He continued to name drop famous people of Lijiang. He travelled through the lands but introduced the place and the people living there as if he did his research from Lonely Planet or Fodors. Honestly, if I wanted to read that sort of thing, I would just go to https://www.yunnanexploration.com/
