"The myth of Shangri-la originates in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs in ""beyul,"" sacred sanctuaries that reveal themselves to devout pilgrims and in times of crisis. Ancient prophecies locate the greatest beyul in the the Himalayas' deepest ""gorge,"" the ""Tsangpo,"" veiled by a colossal waterfall. A series of 19th-century European expeditions explored all but a five-mile section of the gorge. World-class climber and Buddhist scholar Ian Baker made news worldwide when he finally penetrated this all but inaccessible stretch and discovered there a 108-foot-high waterfall. Now in paper."