Customer Reviews

Here Be Yaks: Travels in Far West Tibet

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In this spiritual and scientific journey disguised as a travelogue, India's leading geographer exposes the reader to the majesty of the mountains, lakes and rivers of far western Tibet. Her personal style of writing evokes comparison to a Theroux or Iyer but is distinct as would be expected from the pioneer and entrepreneur of Geographic Information Systems in India.

The thoroughness of the research in the history, geography and geology of this remote area reminds us that the author is a leader in her field. However, what captures us is the scientist's spiritual quest to reconcile herself with the loss of her husband. Her journey, as it turns out, melds with that of the pilgrims that converge on this area considered holy by four different faiths.

Towards the end of the book, Lahiri makes the astounding discovery that the source of the river Sutlej has shifted by many miles. Even in these days of satellite imagery and Google maps, she is able to recreate the excitement of exploration reminiscent of the discoveries of the Missouri and Congo headwaters.

A travel journal that is more a journey of the soul, this page turner will engage the searcher and the surveyor.

"Here Be Yaks" combines elements of a travel novel, a personal narrative, and a history of Tibet, thereby offering a truly delightful reading experience. This book is a great way for anyone interested in Tibetan culture or the history of Buddhism to get a quick and concise introduction to both topics. The author is a keen observer of her surroundings, which, combined with her expertise in the field of geography, allows her to paint a picture so vivid and intricate, I felt like I myself participated in the adventure she described. "Here Be Yaks" is also a spiritual journey, offering a glimpse into the soul of a person befallen by personal tragedy, and her quest to find joy and purpose in their life. An informative and inspirational must-read!

This is a most gripping and unusual book. A good story, travel interest, personal feelings and if that were not
enough true scientific research! To anyone who might be planning a journey to Tibet this will give invaluable pointers over where to go, how to, what to take and critical cultural elements. The international perspective of the author is combined with local knowledge and insight of she and her travelling companions.

Years ago I travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal with Teen Missions International. Nepal and Tibet share a border for those of you who are unfamiliar with that area. Many Tibetans had fled to Nepal in years past and I was blessed enough to meet some of these wonderful people during my weeks there. Ever since that time I have been fascinated with the people of Tibet and their incredible country.

Here Be Yaks is a very well written account of the authors physical AND emotional travels in this amazing foreign land. I thoroughly appreciated the vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds on Lahiri's journey. I found it easy to picture in my mind what Lahiri was experiencing. The book contains several black and white photos and I do think it would have been enhanced by adding colour and more photos of this beautiful land. Lahiri did a excellent job of explaining a lot of the history and geography of the land without sounding like a school textbook. Here Be Yaks is an excellent choice for anyone hoping to learn more about Tibet and its fascinating culture.

Here Be Yaks chronicles the author's experiences traveling in Tibet. She provides detailed descriptions of the land and people as well as the difficulties and pleasures of the trip. Her goal on the trip was Mount Kailash and to settle question of the source of the Sutlej River as well as a spiritual journey of her own. Most books of this type are not particularly interesting to read through but this one is an exception. She adds so much detail and history that you come to appreciate the trip as well as the country, the geography, the people, and the culture. She wisely does not include the political factors of the country except to the extent that they directly affect her ability to travel safely or provide an important historical explanation as to why something is the way it is. If you have any interest in Tibet at all you will probably appreciate this book.

This traveller's account reminded me vividly of my own trip across Tibet in 1987. Twenty years later it conjured up memories of capricious weather, devout pilgrims, rancid yak butter, tea which might be better called soup, the unfathomable devotion of Tibetans, sunburned noses, indescribable sanitation, breathtaking temples and palaces, the appalling destruction of monuments and buildings by Red Guards and above all, the landscape. Is there anywhere else on earth that comes close to matching the colours, drama, inaccessibility and mystery of Tibet's topography? The star of this journey is the landscape, brought to us with the eye of a geographer. Not only does the author bring dramatic vistas alive as she travels from Lhasa to Tsaparang, she explains them too with textbook clarity. Her journey, part pilgrimage, homage and exploration, takes the reader to Mount Kailash, sacred to Buddhists, Hindus and Jains and more interestingly, to the little visited and destroyed Tsaparang, centuries ago the capital of ancient Guge in far west Tibet. Over the centuries it has been visited by Jesuits, Kashmiri Muslims and intrepid travellers and explorers, not always happily. But as the author recounts, the greatest destruction to Tsaparang and its temples and art, happened in our own lifetime at the hands of Cultural Revolution zealots. Still, with an explorer's optimism and determination, she scrambles up the ruins of Tsaparang into chambers hewn out of the hillside and discovers wanton destruction but also the vibrant remains of murals, hundreds of years old. To have come this far and seen what few of us can only dream of, is a singular accomplishment. Yet there is one last goal to tackle: a return to Tibet's landscape to research the source of one of Asia's great rivers, the Sutlej. Is its commonly accepted source near Mount Kailash and Lake Manosarovar correct? Or is there a mystery to be solved? Using accounts of earlier explorers, especially Sven Hedin and Swami Pranavananda, and applying a geographer's keen eye and GPS and satellite imagery, we can add the name of the author to her illustrious forebears. For she makes a compelling case for discarding the popularly accepted source of the Sutlej for another. This entertaining book therefore is not just a travelogue. It is a piece of history which on my bookshelf rests besides Hedin, Swami Pranavananda and Alexandra David-Neel's accounts of their journeys to incomparable Tibet.

Her Be Yaks: Travels in Far West Tibet is a travelogue chronicling a group of ordinary people who embarked upon an extraordinary journey to Tibet's Mount Kailash, a peak revered by four faiths. They battled physical exhaustion and altitude sickness on their arduous journey, all to perform the sacred kora (circumambulation) of Mount Kalish and seek religious inspiration. Author Manosi Lahiri was one of this group, searching for consolation after the loss of her ancestors; in the course of journey, she solved a geographic mystery concerning the source of the river Sutlej, a matter that had been contended for centuries. Part adventure, part scholarly narrative, Here Be Yaks is an amazing look at Tibet through a visitor's eyes, and highly recommended.

Manosi Lahiri's book is a magnificent story of ordinary people on an extraordinary adventure. Mrs. Lahiri combines a cartographer's eye for geographical detail with sensitivity to the thoughts of companions, and a storyteller's flair for the interesting.

HERE BY YAKS takes the reader along a trail following ancient paths that are still lightly travel today. It gives the reader a glimpse of Tibetan culture which is often mentioned in casual conversation but is little understood or actually experienced.

The book has all the elements of a search for a Shangri La taking one through a kaleidoscope of landscapes and people in the solving of a geological mystery. It's a great read. I recommend it highly.