In the tradition of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, a woman's journey to eastern Tibet in search of its legendary warriors.
Exotic and compelling... her outward and inner journeys are remarkable." - The Los Angeles Times
Logan writes of getting to Lhasa with all the wistfulness of Chekhov's three sisters dreaming of Moscow." - The New York Times Book Review
Scientist-turned-adventurer Pamela Logan travels to the wilds of eastern Tibet in search of knowledge and inspiration for her karate practice. Her goal is Kham, whose people are famed for their ferocity, banditry, and ruthlessness. Overcoming mountains, snowstorms, sickness, and interfering police, she traces routes used by famous Himalayan travelers Alexandra David-Neel and Peter Matthiessen ― and blazes some new trails of her own.
Biking and hitchhiking, traveling on horseback and on foot, she explores a rugged, spectacular region that since the Chinese occupation of Tibet has been closed to outsiders. Along the way she meets scores of memorable characters: Muslim farmers and Tibetan monks, Western pilgrims and Chinese police. Her journey brings her face to face with Tibet's incredible prostrating pilgrims; from this and other experiences she slowly pieces together a spiritual connection between her martial arts training and Tibetan Buddhism. As she explores the heart of Kham, she discovers a kind of courage that gives new meaning to the word "warrior" ― and is an unexpected source of inspiration for her martial arts.
This remarkable book of a woman's quest for warriorhood will fascinate anyone who is interested in pushing their physical and spiritual limits: travelers, athletes, philosophers, Buddhists, martial artists and pilgrims of every stripe.