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Books > Sport & Leisure > Travel & holiday > Travel writing > General
A Visit to Wazan, the Sacred City of Morocco Originally published
in 1880, this book offers a fascinating insight into a Morocco
that, at that time, was untouched by western influence. Contetns
Include: Introduction, Langifr, The Great Cherif and the Cherifa,
Preparation, On the Road, Druidical Remains at Majorah-Arjila, By
the Way, Al Kasar, The Way to Wazan, Wazan, Asigen, Rest, Across
Country, Toward Tetuan, Tetuan, Return to Tangier, Tangier Again.
Also includes appendix and maps and illustrations. Many of the
earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and
before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.
Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable,
high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
ryruwi PENTHOUSE of the GODS A Pilgrimage into the Heart of Tibet
and the Sacred City of Lhasa By THEOS BERNARD CHARLES SCRIBNER S
SONS NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS LTD LONDON To VIOLA CONTENTS.
I. ECSTASY I II. THE QUEST 28 III. GYANTSft 62 IV. TOO GOOD TO BE
TRUE 91 V. FROM GYANTSfi TO LHASA 124 VI. THE FORBIDDEN CITY 161
VII. SHRINES, AND MORE SHRINES 185 VIII. I AM INITIATED 204 IX. I
ESCAPE WITH MY LIFE 221 X. FURTHER EDUCATION OF A LAMA 243 XI. MORE
SIGHTS, MORE CEREMONIES 267 XII. SIDELIGHTS AND INSIGHTS 289 XIII.
GATHERING UP THE LAST THREADS 310 INDEX 339 ILLUSTRATIONS The white
Lama Theos Bernard Frontispiece FACING PAGE Temple worship 6
Worship in the Temple of the Dalai Lama 7 Great mesh screens
protect gold images 8 A Deity in the Chamber of Horrois 9 Under the
Tibetan Plateau 36 lake among the clouds 37 Head lama of the
Kaigyupa Monastery 42 A Tibetan mendicant with his teapot 42 It
never pays to poison 43 Asking for alms 43 The author crossing a
trail through a cliff 46 My transport winding its way up the Lhasa
Valley 47 Resting at the foot of Chumolhari 50 Crossing a i6,
ooo-fbot pass 51 One of the guardians at the Gyants6 Monastery 64
Temple carvings and paintings by Lama artists 65 Mural painting of
the late Dalai Lama 66 A mural painting of one of their Goddesses
67 fix Illustrations FACING PAGE The Kigu Banner hangs one hour
once a year 72 The famous black hat dance 73 Jewelled headdress
worn by noblewomen from Tsang province 80 Back view of same
headdress 80 Tsarong Lacham of Lhasa 80 Rear view of headdress worn
by noblewomen of Central Tibet 80 Jigme 8 Tenna Rajah 81 Tsarong
Shap6 8 1 Mary 8x Tibetan children 108 Tibetan children 109
Crossing those mountainousplateaus of solitude 132 A small Tibetan
village where author spent the night 133 The Penthouse of the Gods
taken from Chakpori 146 Stairways leading into the temple of the
Penthouse of the Goda 147 The author before the Holy of Holies 1 50
A street scene in Lhasa 1 51 Presents sent by the government on my
arrival 1 66 The author with two of his Tibetan lady friends 167
The author with the Prime Minister of Tibet 167 A Tibetan artist at
work 172 A young carver 173 I Illustrations FACING PAGE Lamas
reading proof 173 The Dalais printing establishment at the Potala
174 Stacks where wood blocks are kept at the Dalai Lamas printing
establishment 175 The golden gargoyle on the roof over the late
Dalai Lamas tomb 1 86 A door handle 186 Temple decorations 186
Incense burner and ornaments 187 The author photographing among the
Lamas 190 Coppcrwarc made by native craftsmen 191 The author with
the King Regent of Tibet 194 Bodyguard of the King Regent 195 The
author next to the glowing altar of thousand lights 200 Ceremony at
tomb of the late Dalai Lama 201 Trail leading around old Chakpori
214 Shrine of the thousand Buddhas 2x5 The author examining Tibetan
manuscripts A Tibetan scholar A Tibetan beggar A moments pause a 37
A daily news bulletin hanging in the bazaar at Lhasa 250 Sounding
trumpets from top of the Potala 251 Drcpung Monastery, the largest
in the world 256 xi Illustrations FACING PAGE Sunrise service at
Drepung Monastery 257 Sera Monastery, second largest in Tibet 278
The four head Lamas of Sera Monastery 279 The author with the lay
and Lama officials of the Dalai Lama 316 The author visiting with
the Rakasha family 317 Yaks used for transport in Tibet 330 A
Tibetan Burial 331Crossing a river m a Tibetan Yak-skin boat 33 x
Ganden Monastery, third largest in Tibet 334 A Lama debating 335
The golden image of the coming Buddha 336 A golden image of Buddha
337 A PENTHOUSE OF THE GODS CHAPTER I ECSTASY EE began to stir in
the middle of the night, as preparations were being made for the
great ceremony. With the dawn I was awakened by the rhythmic
beating of drums, the ceaseless drone of sixteen-foot trumpets and
the vibrant chant ing of thousands of Lamas, as they filed their
way to the slab paved courtyard of the famous temple...
Perhaps the first modern travelogues still to capture the
imaginations of armchair explorers, the mid-19th-century
bestselling books of American diplomat and writer JOHN LLOYD
STEPHENS (1805-1852) reads like the most inspired of novels. The
poetic immediacy places the reader square in the saddle of
adventure.In this classic 1837 work-which a critic like Edgar Allan
Poe praised for its "freshness of manner evincing manliness of
feeling"-Stephens takes the reader on an evocative journey through
the Middle East, from a visit to the pyramids of Egypt to
encounters with enthusiastic locals and much more.Complete with all
the beautiful original illustrations by English artist and
architect Frederick Catherwood (1799-1854), this delightful book
continues to enthrall adventurous spirits today.JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS
(1805-1852) was an important part of the reintroduction of Mayan
Civilization to middle America. He was an explorer, diplomat, and
writer, who specialized in Mesoamerican studies. He incorporated
the Ocean Steam Navigation Company at a time when the British
controlled travel to and from the United States. In 1849 he was
appointed the Vice President of the Panama Railroad Company, later
becoming the president. He supervised the project until his death
from a liver disease at age 46.
The Silver Invicta is a stream of impressions from a fishing life,
in its varying moods, coloured with plenty of whisky and eccentric
company. Join Tom Harland on his light-hearted journeys with his
fly rod; take part in his triumphs and disasters on rough, wild
camping trips and share his encounters with the wildlife of
Scotland's rivers and lochs. The 'Silver Invicta' was the
traditional fly which was taken by Tom's first salmon and is also a
nod to the spirit of Scotland's embattled migratory fish. Tom has
fished throughout his local Scottish Borders, England, the Western
Isles and New Zealand (a country he lived and worked in for two
years), but his real passion is for the brown trout of the hill
lochs of Assynt in the North-west Highlands. Open this treasure
trove of a book to share the pleasure the author finds through
fishing respectfully in magical, wild, and seldom-visited places.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It
contains classical literature works from over two thousand years.
Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore
shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the
cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical
literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the
mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from
oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of
international literature classics available in printed format again
- worldwide.
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Postcards to Alice
(Hardcover)
Gail Gauvreau; Cover design or artwork by Niki Ellis; Edited by (consulting) Lynne Walker
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Discovery Miles 6 390
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From comical misunderstandings and hilarious mishaps to the sheer
terror of a near-death experience, these are the true-life global
adventures and keen observations of one American traveler.
During his forty years of international travel, Edward Gray
journeyed through the old Communist regimes of the USSR, Western
Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. He lived through coup
attempts in Portugal, Peru, and France; skyjacking incidents in the
Middle East and the United States; and his family's extended stay
at the JFK Airport in the blizzard of 1993.
At once a personal memoir, an intriguing international
travelogue, and a fascinating blend of history and sociology, "Call
a Bomb a Rifle" includes Gray's most entertaining, lively, and
insightful anecdotes about life among strangers. Whether he's
witnessing the purchase of a bushel of cherries in Istanbul, skiing
in the Italian Alps, or watching the pilot and his fellow
passengers perish in a major airplane crash, Gray is forever
changed by his worldly excursions.
This remarkable memoir chronicles a lifetime of exploration
into the various cultures, languages, and idiosyncrasies that
divide us as a species-and the underlying humanity that unites
us.
In 2018, kort op die hakke van sy topverkoper-memoires oor die Camino, Elders, en die kykNET-reeks Elders: Die Camino, reis Erns Grundling met ’n TV-span na Japan om ’n nuwe Elders-reeks te gaan verfilm oor die land waar die Rugbywêreldbeker 2019 sal plaasvind. Sushi en shosholoza is sy verslag van die reis. Kom stap weer saam met Erns, dié keer op die plek waar talle Suid-Afrikaners laat in 2019 die Bokke sal gaan ondersteun. Konnichiwa, Japan!
A brilliantly witty and intelligent memoir of the adventures,
discoveries, rescues, and narrow escapes of Martha Gellhorn, one of
America's most important war correspondents and the third wife of
Ernest Hemingway. "Gellhorn is incapable of writing a dull
sentence". The Times (London) "Martha Gellhorn was so fearless in a
male way, and yet utterly capable of making men melt", writes New
Yorker literary editor Bill Buford. As a journalist, Gellhorn
covered every military conflict from the Spanish Civil War to
Vietnam and Nicaragua. She also bewitched Eleanor Roosevelt's
secret love and enraptured Ernest Hemingway with her courage as
they dodged shell fire together. Hemingway is, of course, the
unnamed "other" in the title of this tart memoir, first published
in 1979, in which Gellhorn describes her globe-spanning adventures,
both accompanied and alone. With razor-sharp humor and exceptional
insight into place and character, she tells of a tense week spent
among dissidents in Moscow; long days whiled away in a disused
water tank with hippies clustered at Eilat on the Red Sea; and her
journeys by sampan and horse to the interior of China during the
Sino-Japanese War. Now including a foreward by Bill Buford and
photographs of Gellhorn with Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Madame
Chiang Kai-shek, Gary Cooper, and others, this new edition
rediscovers the voice of an extraordinary woman and brings back
into print an irresistibly entertaining classic.
Discover the Weird, Weird West For more than thirty years,
journalist and author Martin J. Smith traveled the American West,
chasing offbeat stories that were often bizarre, always compelling,
and at times profound. His journey through that oft-idealized and
misunderstood landscape has made him a witness to some of the
West’s most interesting places, people, and events, from his
Valentine’s Day at Nevada’s Mustang Ranch brothel to the
deathbed of a man who spent three decades building two 150-ton
concrete dinosaurs in the desert. This collection of essays, often
told with the wisdom and perspective of a writer looking back,
chronicles in vivid detail the heroes, heels, and cultural spasms
of an endlessly fascinating frontier.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It
contains classical literature works from over two thousand years.
Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore
shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the
cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical
literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the
mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from
oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of
international literature classics available in printed format again
- worldwide.
For more than a hundred years after Europeans had begun populating
the Atlantic shores of North America, the Pacific coast of that
continent remained a blank on their maps and in their minds. When
Russians from Siberia first sighted the mountains of Alaska in
1741, they called it the Great Land. In fact they were glimpsing
part of a 4,000-mile stretch of virgin coastline, reaching from
Western Alaska to Oregon to Southern California. As far as Spanish
Mexico, all was uncharted and unknown. Its water, its salmon, its
sea otters, its sunshine, its trees and its harbours remained the
preserve of Native Americans, and were entirely free of
international commerce.But time was not standing still. In the
second half of the eighteenth century, Europeans were aggressively
taking their way of life to every corner of the globe. Northwest
America could not remain exempt from this process. Who would be the
first to settle the coast that was destined to become the cultural
and economic powerhouse of the world? The answer to this question
was not obvious. This book is the story of how Western America very
nearly came to be a possession of the Empire of Russia." A
fascinating and near-forgotten history brought vividly to
life."Colin Thubron"What a terrific book - it's incredibly well
researched and written and tells a story about which I, for one,
knew nothing! I was amazed by the cast of characters that Jeremy
uncovered - battling away in those terrible conditions. It makes
our lives seem very tame. What a triumph!"Rosie Boycott"The central
premise of this wonderful book is, at first sight, scarcely
believable: that the world's largest country was on the brink of
extending its empire along the entire length of America's Pacific
shore, thereby making San Francisco as Russian as St Petersburg and
annexing Hawaii as an outpost of Siberia. Yet through meticulous
research combined with a natural flair for story-telling, Jeremy
Atiyah bestows this astonishing sequence of events with
credibility. He weaves a compelling tale of heroism, intrigue and
betrayal that begins with Catherine the Great and ends in the
twilight of the Russian Empire and the ascendancy of America."Simon
Calder"The story of Russia's colony in America is known to very few
people in Britain. Not only, however, is it one of history's odder
side-paths, packed with strange people and events: it is also a
fascinating "might-have-been". Jeremy Atiyah tells this story in an
accurate and informative narrative which is also great fun to
read".Professor Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics, author
of The Russian Empire and its Rivals."What if the Russian Empire
had succeeded in colonising North America's Pacific coast? And why
did they not succeed? Just how close did they come to doing so - at
a time when the Atlantic colonies were struggling to create the
United States? Jeremy Atiyah offers intriguing answers to questions
that I never knew enough even to ask."Lord Howe of Aberavon"Not
many people know that Alaska and the whole north-west coast down to
San Francisco almost became Russian. Jeremy Atiyah tells an
astonishing story of Russian adventurers, half a world away from St
Petersburg, struggling for empire, financed by furs and sea-otter
skins. As if a brutal climate and hostile natives were not enough,
the Russians had to contend with the growing ambitions of the
Spanish, American and British governments. With Europe immersed in
the Napoleonic Wars, the area became a giant chess-board of trade,
diplomacy, exploration and adventure, played out across the whole
North Pacific triangle, with Hawaii a paradise against the cold,
damp hell of the northwest coast - at its apex. The Russians came
out top. Russia owned Alaska until 'the cold dead hand of St
Petersburg' threw away their most distant outpost by selling the
whole region to the US in 1867, for a mere $7.2 million. This is
surely one of the most astonishing real-estate deals in history. It
is a tribute to Atiyah's skill as a historian and story-teller that
he balances sources from all nationalities, while bringing these
wilderness regions and their cast of extremely odd personalities to
vivid life."John Man, writer, author of The Guttenberg Revolution,
Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection and
Kublai Khan."Jeremy Atiyah's The Great Land is a welcome addition
to the literature on Russian presence on the Pacific Rim. Based on
his judicious use of sources, the result is a highly readable and
instructive analysis of Russian attempts to establish colonial
footholds in Alaska, California and Hawaii at the end of the 18th
and early 19th centuries. This book belongs in every library and in
the collection of every history buff." Basil Dmytryshyn, Professor
Emeritus of History, Portland State University.
Morbid, but strangely fascinating accounts In 2015, a group of
seven hikers were killed when a sudden flood struck Keyhole Canyon
in Zion National Park. Prior to that, the steep, narrow route to
Angels Landing led to at least five fatalities. Numerous people
have found that high, exposed places in Zion-such as rim trails-are
bad places to be in lightning storms. Death in Zion National Park
collects some of the most gripping accounts in park history of the
unfortunate events caused by natural forces or human folly.
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