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.
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