A Matter of Scale
From Himalayan peaks to Andean steppes, a certain way of rising above it all.
1,800 metres above sea level
Forestis Dolomites
Palmschoß 22, Bressanone, Italy.
The Dolomites make a rather fine alarm clock. Wake to the peaks, step outside, and the day is suddenly measured in mountain paths, pine forests and high stone walls. There are gorges to follow, ridgelines to reach, and cairns appearing here and there to mark the way. Up here, time seems to move at a different pace.
2,250 metres above sea level
Amankora Paro
Balakha Village, Tsento Geog, Paro, Bhutan.
The Himalayas have long inspired legends, great feats and landscapes that scarcely seem real. At this almost monastic retreat, the hope is to come a little closer to something sacred: a kind of liturgy for both the spirit and the eye.
3,812 metres above sea level
Belmond Andean Explorer
Departing from Cuzco, Wanchaq station.
From Cuzco to Arequipa, via Lake Titicaca, the landscape takes on an almost otherworldly scale. Through the train windows, passes and peaks slip by in quick succession, each view replacing the last. Perhaps this is travel at its purest: sitting back and watching the world pass.