The 7th annual Tibet House US Benefit auction is taking place on November 18th at Christie's Auction House in New York City. The event is aimed at promoting and preserving Tibetan culture. Proceeds from the auction will be divided to sustain the Tibet House and another organization with like-minded initiatives. Some funds will support projects and programs spawned by the Tibet House in their mission of displaying and maintaining the ancient traditions of the Tibetan civilization. The event will also donate to Tibetan Children's Village an integrated educational community for destitute Tibetan children in exile located in Dharamsala, India. The fundraiser will also benefit the Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey.

Items to be auctioned off include a package of four VIP concert tickets and a meet and greet backstage with Sting, internships at Rolling Stone and US Weekly, a private journey for two to Bhutan with guest accommodations, a luxury yacht cruise for seven to the Bahamas with a week long stay in a private house on the beach, lunch at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City with Uma and Robert Thurman, shopping and lunch with Donna Karan at her store, John Lennon, Martin Scorsese, and Miles Davis memorabilia, a one-week stay in a villa on the French Riviera, contemporary art and photographs from Annie Leibovitz, Patti Smith, Ed Ruscha, Donald Baechler, and more. TIckets to the event are $225 per person with VIP tickets that include a preview and private reception available for $500.

Okay, this thing creeps me out. Totally. And I don't really understand why somebody would take a real human skull and convert it into a camera, but this guy did it with the blessing of a Tibetan Lama.

On the inside it's two individual and separate cameras that each "see" out of pinholes in the eyes, creating three dimensional (and very spooky looking) photos. On the exterior the skull is adorned with various precious metals, stones, and gems (diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and opals), along with other interesting tidbits like sand and blood.

Interesting? Yes. Creative? Yes. A camera I want to use? No.

Via Bornrich

It's not looking to be a good week for train lovers. Yesterday, I mentioned that GrandLuxe Rail Journeys was shutting down their luxury train operations. Now the AFP brings news that the planned "five-star" train from Beijing to Tibet won't be starting service in September as had been reported back in March. A reason for the delay wasn't given nor was a new date for the launch provided. Speculation is that there was a delay in the delivery of the train's carriages. But the AFP also notes that government figures show that the number of tourists visiting Tibet in the first half of 2008 fell by about 70 percent over last year after the violent riots in March. In a clampdown on the area, Beijing barred all tourists from going to Tibet until the end of April and didn't allow foreign visitors back in until the end of June.

Classic Rug Collection has just introduced its "Luxe Collection," a series of Eastern-inspired rugs hand-knotted from fine silks and featuring patterns borrowed from the graphic pasts of Morocco, Tibet and Nepal. Classic Rug has been known to provide custom decor to discerning interior designers and is perhaps best known for its collection of Gee's Bend inspired rugs, which were formerly on exhibit at the Whitney Museum and will be part of a special exhibit this September at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Note: Classic Rug Collection founder Barbara Barran also has a reputation for her commitment to eradicate child labor in the carpet industry.)

The Luxe Collection is primarily available by special order, although Classic Rug has teamed with 66Degrees.com to offer its limited edition Bargello rug through August 2008. The four by six foot piece inspired by 13th Century Florentine design is crafted from silk and pashmina in Nepal. I love this juxtaposition of age-old pattern from one part of the world and age-old technique from another. The Bargello rug sells for $4,400.

China already has a train line to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa but now they are planning to create, according to the AFP, "the most luxurious train in the world." The new train will have 12 passenger cars, two dining cars and a sightseeing car. The passenger cars will have four small suites (108 square feet) decorated like a five-star hotel with a double bed, living room and bathroom area. The five-day journey from Beijing will cost over $5,000 and will leave every eight days. The new luxury trains will start running September 1.

If a trip to Tibet is in your future you're not alone -- due to recent upgrades the area is currently experiencing a dramatic increase in international interest and tourism. As a result, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide is planning to open a St. Regis Resort in Lhasa, which will be the first of its kind to open in the area in over a decade. Scheduled to start hosting guests in 2010, the 169 bed luxury hotel will offer the same services guests of the St. Regis New York have become accustomed to, including the famous English-trained butlers who will quietly and efficiently anticipate your every need and personalize your experience around the clock.

Trekking Tibet will soon take on a new luxury slant. In July the first train of the new Qinghai-Tibet railway will whisk take passengers from  Beijing to Lhasa in 48 hours. The tourist trains will include viewing cars. The train is aimed at those who have always wanted to see Tibet but were wary of the arduous nature of the journey. The train will include oxygen bars to help travelers adjust to the higher altitude. The new train is expected to increase tourism in a major way and developers are working on improving tourist facilities along the railroad.