There
were two Asian lands forbidden to Westerners in the early twentieth
century. The region of the sacred Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina was
well known for being off-limits. The second was Tibet, located high up on
the roof of the world. This windswept, snow-covered Himalayan kingdom was
the home of the Dalai Lama, the living reincarnation of the Buddha. Hidden
behind stony mountains and a phalanx of xenophobic warrior monks, the high
Lama resided in his isolated realm, serenely cut off from the outside
world.
Yet
erect an obstacle and human beings will endeavor to get around it.
Secretive Tibet was no different. A number of foreigners tried to get to
Lhasa, the off-limits capital of the kingdom. They were all eventually
discovered and turned back. Then in 1912 an unlikely candidate for
geographic romance appeared. His name was William McGovern. He was an
Oxford trained scholar, and more surprisingly, an American, for no one
from that faraway country had ever attempted to beard the Tibetan lion in
his den.
McGovern
was no ordinary Yankee traveler though. An excellent student of Tibetan
culture, art, and language, he also brought a hitherto undisclosed talent
in the search for Lhasa’s secrets. McGovern was a scholar of Buddhist
thought and prayer. It was because of this religious sympathy that Tibetan
authorities grudgingly allowed the American, and his tiny caravan, to
enter their country. He was ordered to go to the first border town, and
stop.
However
as “To Lhasa in Disguise” explains, McGovern had no intention of
stopping before he reached the forbidden city. What follows is one of the
most intriguing tales of travel ever penned. McGovern made his way over
dangerous mountain passes, avoided prowling Tibetan patrols, and finally
reached his goal, only to be recognized and arrested. Still a vivid tale
after all these years, if it is adventure and hair-raising travel you are
seeking, then go no further. “To Lhasa in Disguise” delivers all that
and more.
Please go to
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Amazon.co.uk
