James Hilton's twelfth book, Lost Horizon, came out in 1933. He is said to have been inspired to invent the fictional paradise, Shangri-La, a feature of his novel, after reading Austrian American Joseph Rock's National geographic Magazine articles about the southwestern provinces and Tibetan borderlands.
Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley whose inhabitants are, if not immortal, then certainly aging very slowly. The book's protagonist, Hugh Conway, is a veteran of the trench warfare of World War I and the suffering he has witnessed and undergone himself has taken its toll on his emotional well being and physical health. It is for this reason that he feels so drawn to the tranquility of Shangri-La which offers him the inner peace, love and sense of purpose that he had lost.
It is not difficult to understand why the name is perfect for a chain of luxury hotels. The Shangri-La Hotels came into existence the same year as I did, in 1971. And so have been providing a luxurious haven for travelers for 43 years.
I like coincidences and I am quite happy to claim that one. Not that this trip required anything more to make it the perfect treat. Well, perhaps one more thing...
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