Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith [Paperback]

Brandon Wilson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"Travel has a unique way of opening your eyes, or "shifting the paradigm." Or so we found especially in Tibet. During our brief time there, we were witnesses to the heavy cloak of occupier-sponsored control and suspicion permeating all aspects of the Tibetan daily life.

While Yak Butter Blues is a tale of our survival in a sometimes-hostile land, it's also a story of survival for the average Tibetan struggling to maintain their culture, dignity and even their very existence. That is the true meaning of those "yak butter blues."

I hope that this book becomes a message in a bottle for those who showed us so much unexpected kindness, generosity and bravery in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds."

From the Inside Flap

Author Brandon Wilson with his wife Cheryl challenge the "impossible" and set off on an incredible 1000-kilometer journey–on foot across Tibet. Join their adventure from Lhasa to Kathmandu, as they become perhaps the first Western couple to ever make this perilous trek across the unforgiving, windswept Himalayan plains.

YAK BUTTER BLUES is a remarkable tale of survival. Alone, with only their stalwart Tibetan horse Sadhu, the Wilsons face Tibet's ruthless environment head-on: the blistering winds, extreme temperatures, sandstorms, blizzards, high altitudes and the thinnest of air–made all the more challenging by exhaustion, hunger, illness, inflexible bureaucrats and implacable, trigger-happy Chinese soldiers.

YAK BUTTER BLUES is a story of faith–and the kindness of strangers. Although the land and climate leaves its imprint daily, an even more lasting impression on these adventurers is created by Tibetan pilgrims, monks and generous villagers eager to share what little they possess: yak butter tea, the warmth of their family's fire, camaraderie and a steadfast trust in the Dalai Lama's return.

YAK BUTTER BLUES is a tale of personal enlightenment. The couple is an invaluable witness to a Tibetan culture pushed to the brink of extinction by occupation for over fifty years. They also discover the human link connecting us all, a link that becomes clearest on a trek that removes the distractions of modern life as it unveils the truths of "deliberate travel." In doing so, the couple discovers a sense of greater purpose, wonder, a renewed faith and ultimately what it takes to endure.

Wilson leads you along on their physical, spiritual and emotional pilgrimage, through the highs and lows, across this startling land in this colorful, candid, caring and classic tale, YAK BUTTER BLUES-A TIBETAN TREK OF FAITH.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Pilgrim's Tales; 1st edition (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933037245
• ISBN-13: 978-1933037240
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,133,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I had my first taste of life on the road at six--and haven't stopped. It began in an old red and white Chevy, with a burlap-covered water bag strapped onto the front grill. With my father behind the wheel, we sailed wide-eyed across the wide expanse of an uncluttered America and I was hooked on travel--my sweet addiction.

Writing true travel adventures has given me the rare opportunity to combine my two greatest passions: travel and writing. Now there are four books in my adventure travel series that shed light on choosing roads less taken and never saying "impossible" to our most outlandish dreams.

"Yak Butter Blues," my first book, is about a historic 650-mile trek that my wife and I made in 1992 across the wild Himalayan plains from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Facing lung-burning altitudes, slow starvation, dehydration, blizzards, and bullets, every day became an exercise in survival, trust and "letting go". Relying on the kindness of strangers, we were soon taken into Tibetan homes where we witnessed their bravery in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. (Now also in a new Spanish edition translated by Ramon Solé and friends).

My next travel adventure book, "Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa," chronicles a crazed seven-month overland journey from London to Cape Town across some of the wildest regions of Africa with the most bizarre traveling companions. Warning: This is not the postcard perfect Africa of travel magazines. This is the raw, gritty Africa that travel guides only warn you about.

Yes, travel changes you. Yet our travel can impact others. In 2006, a friend and I set off on 2620-mile trek from France to Jerusalem to re-create the route of the First Crusades--and to transform it into a modern path of peace. The exciting step-by-step account of our inspiring journey, "Along the Templar Trail" interweaves adventure, history, Knights Templar, politics, and mysticism into a tale that makes you feel as if you're walking with us. I was heartened to hear that it recently won the 2009 Lowell Thomas Gold Award for Best Travel Book from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Now it's also been published in a new German edition ("Auf dem Templerweg") translated by Imke Healy.

Finally, I've just finished writing my fourth book in this series of true travel adventures. This one is different in many ways. It chronicles a trans-Alp trek my wife and I completed last fall - a hike across eight countries from Trieste to Monaco on the Via Alpina. Moving at high altitudes, hut-to-hut, it was the most difficult journey we've taken. Imagine 111 days of rain, mud, deadly ticks, crumbling trails, and climbs (and descents) of 3,000-feet each day, then add the awesome beauty, weird characters, culture (and food) of the Alps. Yet it's a more humorous look at the Alps (everyone needs to laugh more these days)--as well as at our typically head-long rush to reach for another gonzo dream. Incidentally, it's the first Via Alpina travelogue published in English and it recently won the 2010 Book of the Year Bronze Award (travel essay category) by ForeWord Reviews.

All of my books include photos and maps. They have also been released in Kindle editions.

Join me on these unforgettable step-by-step journeys. And never miss the chance to follow your own dreams.

To talk about my books and learn more, please join me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brandon-Wilson-Adventure-Travel-Author/156521417709244

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Lhasa to Kathmandu, March 23, 2006

By 

Cathy L. Yanda (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yak Butter Blues (Paperback)

..."Look, you two, I don't think this has ever been done before-and there must be more than one good reason why."...It's a good thing author Brandon Wilson and his wife, Cheryl, didn't take these words to heart or I wouldn't have been able to go along with them on their adventure from Lhasa to Kathmandu. While I may never get there in person, I feel as though I have met the people of Tibet and seen everything they did while staying out of the freezing cold. I read this book, slowly, savoring from the first "Tashi Delek!" to the last "Namaste". I came to love Sadhu, the wandering holy man, so much that I was close to tears near the end of the story.

Traveling with Brandon and Cheryl, and the people they meet along the way and share their adventure with, for 650 miles across an ancient pilgrim's trail is exhilarating. You will enjoy the way things open up to them as minor successes happen to allow them to trek across Tibet, visiting beautiful Buddhist monasteries and passing out pictures of the Dalai Lama to those who helped them along the way. While experiencing much success, they also experienced getting shot at, getting caught in a blizzard and a sandstorm, not having enough to eat or drink, getting lost, Cheryl getting bitten by a dog, and much more. The one thing that stayed constant, besides their determination, was the Yak Butter the book is named for.

...Like Henry David Thoreau's noble quest to "live life deliberately"..."Yak Butter Blues author, Brandon Wilson, teaches us just that...open your life to adventure, seek it out, find something that suits you and jump in with both feet...don't stop to think or to over-plan. If you do, your logic could take over and you would miss all the fun! Pick up two copies of this book...one for yourself and another for a friend. You will both be glad you did. Thank you Brandon and Cheryl for sharing a once-in-a-lifetime trip!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yak Butter Blues by Brandon Wilson, April 21, 2005

By 

Verna H. Eddy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith (Paperback)

Brandon transpoted me to Tibet and I was taken step by grueling step with him and Cheryl and their rugged Tibetan horse Sadhu on their 1000 km trek from Lhasa to Kahtmandu that they were told was impossibe.
The trip had to be completed before the mountain passes were snowed in so they had about six weeks so they had to walk eighteen miles a day on dirt roads thru tracherous mountain passes at very high altitudes encountering the unpredictable Chinese military.
At the end of each day there was always a surprise lodgeing,with very meager sustenance but always they were welcomed by Tibetan families who shared what they had.
This is a heart warming book that proves nothing is impossible and the human body and mind can be stretched to endure and and rewarded in ways that uplift the spirit to new heights.
The Tibetan people are proof that somehow they will endure and need world support.
It is a wonderful book and exciting adventure.
Verna Eddy
Kailua Hi

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breathtaking Read, January 1, 2007

By 

Andy O'Hara "Badge of Life Foundation" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yak Butter Blues (Paperback)

Brandon Wilson is masterful in describing the hardships and trials of his 650-mile journey across Tibet. He's equally adept at describing this harsh yet wondrous, high landscape known as the "roof of the world." Wilson is at his best, however, when he talks about the enchanting warmth of the Tibetan people who, as he and his wife crossed on foot, took them into their homes and shared their culture. Hardly a holiday sightseeing safari, Wilson calls his trek a "walking meditation" in which the couple sees through the dust storms and freezing winds to learn the good will and kindness that has survived generations of oppression. In this strange paradise, Wilson finds commonality with the Tibetans, yet mourns the continuing disappearance of their culture, noting that soon little will remain of it but their ancient yak butter tea. Fortunately, so will his book.