Book Description
Tibet's recent history reads like a classic thriller: a real-life tale of skulduggery and intrigue, of betrayals and missed opportunities. Reaching Lhasa is the dream of all Tibetan pilgrims, but China's brutal occupation has reduced this ancient civilisation to a shadow of its former self. If you want to discover real Tibetan culture, you have to go elsewhere on the plateau - to Ladakh, Bhutan, or Outer Mongolia. This is where Tibetophile Michael Buckley steps in. Exploring these remote regions in a series of trips, he embarks on a quest to come to grips with Tibetan ways, from the celebrated spirituality to the downright bizarre, and charts the unique terrain between magic and realism. Never far from adventure or alone for long, Buckley rubs shoulders with hardy nomads and questionable New Agers, cycles snowbound passes, sips tea with dissident monks and chats to the Dalai Lama. Skating between danger and delight, he survives interrogation by Chinese police and encounters such esoterica as giant phalluses and stuffed kangaroos. Darkly funny, informative and inspired, Buckley's account of these amazing lands makes invaluable reading.
