The cities at the top of the world

Just Back:

Graham Simmons meets the rugged Khampa people in the wild east of Tibet.

Tibetans feared their culture and lifestyle would be threatened when the railway from north-west China to their capital, Lhasa, opened last July. But Tibetan ways still thrive in some parts of the country.

One such area is the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Ganzi, now a part of China's Sichuan province. Until 1949, this region was a part of Tibet, yet the Chinese authorities have treated Ganzi with a remarkable lack of paranoia.

Graham's story is a feature in The Age. Read it now

Global Insider

GLOBAL INSIDER

When the usual travel experience - that of an outsider looking in - somehow gets reversed.

Global Travel Writers brings you stories that fly right off the tourist circuit

This month:

The Adventures of a modern-day Livingstone: Mark Myers shares his astonishing experiences in Malawi.