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....
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...
