New York City-based writer Patrick Symmes and Irish photographer Seamus Murphy scoured the Far East in search of the legendary city of Shambhala for the October 2007 feature story "The Kingdom of the Lotus." Here, listen to a podcast interview with Symmes and see Murphy's photo outtakes from the assignment.

PODCAST Q&A: Patrick Symmes
Outside contributing editor Symmes discusses his quest to find the legendary city of Shambhala, a journey that would take him through Nepal on foot, on to Kathmandu, then Lhasa, then over Tibet and onward, sometimes west and always north. Symmes discusses the challenges of the assignment, where he began, and more.

EXCLUSIVE GALLERY: Quest for Shambhala
Photographer Seamus Murphy trains his lens on the Far East as he and Symmes search for the lost city of Shambhala. The duo pass through the Dalai Lama's former palace and travel among nomads, sheep herders, and pilgrims in this gallery of outtakes from the feature story "The Kingdom of the Lotus."

MORE FROM PATRICK SYMMES AND SEAMUS MURPHY

Patrick Symmes Archive
In his career with Outside, Symmes has written about the Amazon mahogany trade, fly fishing in Mongolia, and rafting down China's Yangtze River. He has also traveled amongst Maoist insurgents in Nepal and profiled gangs in Brazil. Read more of Symmes's work for Outside here.

In the Field with Seamus Murphy
Read an interview with the photographer about his Syrian expedition and see another exclusive online gallery of his work.

For even more on Patrick Symmes, head to www.patricksymmes.com.