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To Lhasa in Disguise (Adventure Travel Classics)
To Lhasa in Disguise - Adventure Travel Classics Author:William Montgomery McGovern Tibet, located high up on the roof of the world, was forbidden to Westerners in the early 20th century. 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, serene... more »ly cut off from the outside world. In 1912 William McGovern, an Oxford trained scholar and an American, determined to get into Lhasa, the capital. An excellent student of Tibetan culture, art, and language, McGovern was a scholar of Buddhist thought and prayer. Because of his 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. This book delivers all that, and more.« less