This movie Lost Horizon was shown in Sibu years ago and gave many young girls hopes and dreams of Shangri La. And I wasn't different from them for I have since then harbour that romantic notion of a mystical land where everything would be just perfect.
We were given this book as part of our class reading programme. 
Our own Shangri La - The Mulu - beauty through the eyes of a good photographer -(Flickr Photo from MacLoo)
This morning as I was cleaning out one of my bookshelves I caught sight of a very old school reader "Lost Horizon" by British author James Hilton and I was immediately reminded of my dreams of "Shangri-La" which might not be a common metaphor for young people today. But to people of my age Shangri La is a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains.
Nope. I am not throwing out this torn and tattered book. It will have to stay on the shelf.
In the last forty years my journeys have indeed been in search of this mythical Shangri-La . Have I ever found it?
With China opening up and with Tibet becoming a really nice tourist destination we may now visit it after a wait of more than 40 years! May be that" mythical Himalayan utopia—a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world" could be a reachable destination for me. In the novel Lost Horizon, the people who live at Shangri-La are "almost immortal, living years beyond the normal lifespan and only very slowly aging in appearance. The word also evokes the imagery of exoticism of the Orient. The story of Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala, a mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition".
(Wikipedia)
Now what is your thought today?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Shangri La
Memoir by I Am Sarawakiana at 7:51 AM
Labels: Shangri la school readers
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7 memories:
I always wanted to visit Mulu Caves but just don't have the pleasure to do it. Two years ago I almost make it there but get caught up by works then have to abandon the trip...sigh. The photo is really nice.
It is nice to be reminded of Shangri la. I do not have a copy of the book "Lost Horizon" but I shall soon have a chance to visit Tibet. May be now I will stay for a longer trip.
Superman
Nice of you to visit my blog!
Mulu is well photographed by foreigners. Perhaps our own local photographers should organize a photography trip to Mulu!! It will really be worthwhile.
I will go too!
Philip
Welcome again! Hope your trip to Tibet is very rewarding and harmonious.
A Miri friend who worked in Nepal once has many stories of Kindness to tell.
Hope to meet up with you one day and swap stories!
hello there
That's a lovely little write up about a lovely grandmother and her fan.
I think we all think well of our grandmothers. My grandmother was a quiet and serious person. Not much to say esp when so much work to do.
I just want to mention too that may be we all have our Shangri la (I did not have the chance to read the book when I was young in school). My first impression of the term was a hotel a long time ago!!
My children only want their Disney Land! Sleeping Beauty also never dies :)
Thank you.
Jalk
Nice comment you have there.
Yes for many years my children believe in Little House on the Prairie that Michael Landon was the real true father and children could only be that good.
Then they believed in Disney fairy tales.
When they grew older things changed and dreams were different.
But it is always better to dream than not dream at all.
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