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Complicated Histories, Sichuan, and Tibet. The Other Shangri-La With Shivaji Das

In this episode, we escape to the mountains of the Tibetan Highlands, which lie at the intersection of the Sichuan and Yunan provinces in China, in search of Shangri-La.

Shivaji Das talks about the stunning natural beauty in this remote place, and we also discuss the cultural clashes in the region and the people he met along the way. We talk about complicated histories, and how our view of a place is shaped by who we are and our perspective on the world — and also how others see us.

Shivaji Das is an award-winning Indian writer, traveler, international speaker, and photographer, now based in Singapore.
His books include Angels by the Murky River: Travels off the Beaten Path; Journeys with the Caterpillar: Traveling through the islands of Flores and Sumba, Indonesia; and today we’re talking about The Other Shangri-La: Journeys through the Sino-Tibetan Frontier in Sichuan.

Show notes

The attraction of remote and unusual places
The origins of Shangri-La
Some of the historical, religious, and cultural issues that make the Tibetan plains a complicated area
The architecture, people, and food of the area
The value of traveling as a multi-cultural partnership
Recommended travel books

You can find Shivaji Das at ShivajiDas.com

History, Faith, And Beauty. The Complete American Pilgrim With Howard Kramer

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What does it mean to be a secular pilgrim — when you’re not a Christian, but you love churches, history, beauty, and religious symbolism?

In this episode, Howard Kramer talks about some of the most beautiful places to visit in terms of architecture, as well as natural locations, and how sometimes, the most emotionally resonant places, those that inspire awe and wonder, are not the most famous, but those that touch us at a deeper level.

Howard Kramer is the author of The Complete American Pilgrim, The Complete Christian Pilgrim, and The Complete American Military Pilgrim. His extensive site, TheCompletePilgrim.com, contains articles and pictures of some of the world’s greatest sites of religious interest.

Show notes

Pilgrimage as a journey of meaning, regardless of religious belief
The four stages of pilgrimage
Interesting churches in the USA, chosen for natural beauty, architecture, history, and meaning
Other places of religious interest
Recommended travel books

You can find Howard Kramer at TheCompletePilgrim.com

Not Quite Lost. Travels Without A Sense Of Direction With Roz Morris

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How can you see your own country with the eyes of an outsider? How can you follow your curiosity and discover new things about a place you already know?

In this interview, Roz Morris talks about finding fragments and tiny miracles while exploring England and how we can experience our own land from a new perspective, increasingly important while we can’t travel in the way we used to.

Roz Morris is the author of Not Quite Lost: Travels Without A Sense of Direction, literary novels, My Memories of a Future Life, and Lifeform Three, as well as books for writers.

Show notes

The joys of discovery when traveling without direction
Seeing your own country with new eyes and following your curiosity
Finding unusual and interesting places to stay
Visiting sites out of season
How writing fiction can be inspired by travel
On using a specific notebook for travel and why that matters
Personal connections to a place

You can find Roz Morris at RozMorris.org

The Gardens Of Mars. Madagascar With John Gimlette

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An island nation off the coast of Africa, Madagascar has an incredible diversity of unusual landscapes and wildlife, of which lemurs are the most famous but by no means the only ones! 90% of its flora and fauna are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.

While there are some resorts, much of Madagascar is remote and escapes the influence of modern life with unique religious and cultural practices, as John Gimlette talks about in this interview.

John Gimlette is a multi-award-winning travel writer. His latest book is The Gardens of Mars: Madagascar, an Island Story.

Show notes

Unique aspects of Madagascar including the landscape and wildlife
Influences of Borneo, Africa, and France
The beliefs about ancestors that guide the Malagasy life
Food and drink in Madagascar
Recommended travel books

You can find John Gimlette at JohnGimlette.com and on Facebook.com/JohnGimlette.

Questions To Consider On A Pilgrimage

Travel Memoir

As part of my preparation for my six-day pilgrimage on The Pilgrims’ Way from Southwark Cathedral, London to Canterbury Cathedral, I wrote down this list of questions and things to consider. I printed it out and stuck it in the front of my journal. Although I didn’t answer every question, every day, it helped to frame the journey as an inner quest as well as an outer pilgrimage.

I recommend The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau as a way to prompt the questions that might help you.

Walking The Pilgrims’ Way. Six Days From Southwark Cathedral, London, To Canterbury Cathedral

Walking

The Pilgrims’ Way has two possible starting points: Southwark Cathedral in London or Winchester Cathedral. The two paths cross at Otford. I chose to walk from London as this is the route of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, as well as the way Becket himself traveled between the two cities.

This is the day by day, more practical experience of the journey. You can read/listen to my lessons learned from the way here.

Preparation and resources

I walk regularly so I was well-trained for a multi-day walk although I had never done six days solo before. I did a one-day navigation course to brush up on my map-reading skills, for which I was grateful. Check out my multi-day kit list here.

Walking the Pilgrims Way guidebook and maps. Photo by JFPenn

I used The Cicerone guide, Walking the Pilgrim’s Way by Leigh Hatts, which is excellent. I also carried OS Maps of the entire route. To reduce the amount of paper, I cut out the sections I needed and pulled out the section I needed each day.

Preparation and resources

Follow Jo Frances Penn