Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan are Buddhist kingdoms in the Himalayan Mountains of Western Asia. Each in itÂ’s turn has been referred to as Shangri-La. The fact that it has always been so hard to get there has reinforced this idea. Buddhism arrived in Tibet from India about 1,300 years ago. It is a religion concerned with silent meditation and personal responsibility. It does not have missionaries and has not sought contact with the outside world. Tibet was so focused on Buddhism that the Dali Lama was both their religious and political leader. In 1924 when George Leigh Mallory made his last attempt to climb Mount Everest from Tibet, Nepal was closed to outsiders. In 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay climbed Everest from the west because Nepal was open but Tibet was closed. Bhutan long avoided any involvement with the outside world and even now only allows 5,500 visitors a year. The combination of self-imposed travel restrictions and the difficulty of travel in the highest mountain range in the world have prevented all but the most serious western travelers from reaching these countries. As a result the myths have grown up around these mysterious places at the Roof of the World to form in the western mind a concept of a remote place of peace and harmony, Shangri-La. We hoped to learn something about their religion and culture. Gain a little peace and harmony and a new perspective on the world.