By the time Tony co-founded Lonely Planet Publications in 1973, he already had the travel bug. And ever since, travel and discovery have been at the heart of his life and career.
Australian artist and architect Robert Powell died on Ko Samui in Thailand in 2020. Although he is probably little recognised in Australia many visitors to Nepal – not just Australians – will have a Robert Powell print of one of the country’s iconic buildings on a wall at their home. They’re a favourite Nepal souvenir and recognising that connection with Nepal and the Himalaya the Nepali Times ran a lengthy obituary and in 2021 this review of an exhibition of his work. Check my 2020 Robert Powell blog for more information.
His travels and art carried him not just across the Himalaya but also into Tibet, China and South-East Asia. My Robert Powell collection includes works from Angkor Wat in Cambodia as well as Lo Manthang (Mustang) on the border of Nepal and Tibet.
◄ In 1999 the Smithsonian in Washington DC presented an exhibition of his works on Lo Manthang and published a book/catalogue – Earth.Door.Sky.Door – of the collection. Here’s an Asian Art review of the exhibition and here is the book on Amazon.com.
His painting The Passage through Tsuk features in the Smithsonian book and on my 2025 travels through Mustang to Lo Manthang finding the location that inspired the artwork was, for me, a major priority. The passage is in the town of Chhugsang (or Chhuksang), close to the Kali Gandaki river, and I’d been very close on my 2011 Mustang trek, without realising it! This time I tracked it down.
The Passage through Tsuk in Earth.Door.Sky.Door ▼
▲ In a tiny glimpse towards the bottom of the work the sago namgo protection from the evil spirits of the sky and the earth appears. The blue dog skull closes the door to the sky and keeps its demons out of the house. The ram’s skull offers the same protection from the demons of the earth.
◄ And here I am at the passage on my visit to Chhugsang – and what’s that above the entrance behind me? Yes the ram skull and the dog skull – Earth.Door.Sky.Door.
Australian artist and architect Robert Powell died on Ko Samui in Thailand in 2020. Although he is probably little recognised in Australia many visitors to Nepal – not just Australians – will have a Robert Powell print of one of the country’s iconic buildings on a wal...
Sam Dalrymple, still in his ‘20s, is the son of well-known writer William Dalrymple, and Shattered Lands: Five Partitions & the Making of Modern Asia is easily the most interesting historic – through to current events – title I’ve read this year. I’m also surprise...
◄ Until 28 January 2026 the British Library has an intriguing exhibition about ‘secret maps.’ Maureen and I were involved in getting the exhibition off the ground and I’m there with the Secret Maps poster at the British Library. As the library’s website announces i...
I was briefly in Northern Ireland in June 2025 for a family wedding – Maureen’s family – there was one in 2024 as well. My plan to walk the spectacular Gobbins Cliff Path, north of Belfast, while I was there fell through because the walk was closed due to a 'recent ro...
Every year there are some great views I glimpse out of an airplane window and as usual, when I look back on a previous year’s travels, I’ll quote Joan Didion ‘the most beautiful things I had ever seen had all been seen from airplanes.’ ▲ Hard to beat this one and t...
My trip through the Mustang region of Nepal up to Lo Manthang – part 1 and part 2 – was bookended by stays in the Kathmandu Valley and a brief stop in Pokhara. I wasn’t planning or expecting to see anything new, my visit was just a reminder of familiar places and inte...
In Mustang in Nepal – Part 1 – I followed the Kali Gandaki north to Lo Manthang, now I’m there ... ▲ In the centre of Lo Manthang the 1448 Jampa Gompa has amazing outer passages around the inner core and upstairs is pretty damn impressive as well. This big gompa is...
Despite the arrival of the road to Lo Manthang and on to the China/Tibet border Mustang remains an exotic destination in the north of Nepal. For many years Lo Manthang, the ‘capital’ of the district, played a role as a trading junction between Tibet and India. The inv...
In the two months from mid-August to mid-October I travelled to a number of countries – Seychelles, Mauritius, Algeria (north coast and south Sahara) – and to one French colony – Reunion. In fact I started that little circuit with a longer visit to Nepal, that will be...
I’d not really thought about Réunion, until I was heading for Mauritius, but it’s only 200km to the west so why not pop over for a few days? Réunion is in fact much closer to Mauritius than Rodrigues, the second island of Mauritius. In area it’s slightly larger (2512 ...
© Tony Wheeler’s Travels 2013