This year I’ve been so lucky to travel to a new country every month. Completely unexpectedly, my trip to Lijiang and Tibet was by far my favourite trip. It was another solo trip. I am all too used to this. However, the locals seemed quite perplexed that I was alone.

A prominent moment on this trip, and in my entire travels so far, was when a waiter in a restaurant said he would “wait for Mr. Richard before he served lunch.” Of course there was no Mr. Richard, and he would be waiting a long time if he wasn’t to bring out lunch until then.


It made me chuckle, but it also made me realise that there are so many different cultures around us. For me, and maybe for you reading this, we would never bat an eyelid at a young solo traveller. But Tibetans find this strange. The waiter and I later had a conversation together, and he explained he had never met a woman my age (27) who wasn’t married. I felt strangely proud of this.


Maybe this was the reason I loved Tibet so much… or maybe it was the breathtaking beauty, the religion, or the heartwarming culture. Whatever it was, I well and truly fell for Tibet.
















I stayed at the Banyan Tree Ringa Resort­ newly opened this year. Just on the border of China and Tibet, the nearest town to it is Shangri-­la. It’s cold that high up most of the year, but the sun is still present and teases you through the day.




Check your local government website about obtaining a visa from Tibet and China, as some countries have strict rules on entering this part of the world.

Sarah of Coffee with A Slice of Life is a 26 year old professional world wanderer who has been travelling the globe for the last 4 years, one cup of coffee a time. She is in love with the open road, and writing about it, and will do almost anything to keep living her dream... Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.