Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith
Encyclopedia
Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith is a nonfiction travel narrative by American writer Brandon Wilson
set in Tibet
.
, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal
.
The original motivation for the journey is to become the first Western couple to complete it. However, there are political and spiritual issues that the couple learn must be reconciled. On their journey through the Himalayan plains they encounter sandstorms
, blizzard
s, high altitude
and thin air, as well as political bureaucracy, guns, and uncertainty about food and the next step of their journey.
The narrative also describes the couple's warm encounters with Tibetan families along the way, giving insight into 1990s life in Tibet, a country struggling to survive Chinese occupation and cultural destruction--while retaining faith in the Dalai Lama's return.
Brandon Wilson
Brandon Wilson is known as an author of non-fiction travel narratives and explorer.-Early years:Born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, son of Dr. Edgar and Mary Beth Wilson is the eldest of 3 children...
set in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
Summary
In 1992, the author, his wife Cheryl, and their Tibetan horse Sadhu set off on an ancient 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi) pilgrimage trail from LhasaLhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
The original motivation for the journey is to become the first Western couple to complete it. However, there are political and spiritual issues that the couple learn must be reconciled. On their journey through the Himalayan plains they encounter sandstorms
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
, blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
s, high altitude
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
and thin air, as well as political bureaucracy, guns, and uncertainty about food and the next step of their journey.
The narrative also describes the couple's warm encounters with Tibetan families along the way, giving insight into 1990s life in Tibet, a country struggling to survive Chinese occupation and cultural destruction--while retaining faith in the Dalai Lama's return.
Awards
In June 2005, Yak Butter Blues received an Independent Publisher "IPPY" Award Honorable Mention in the Travel Essay division.See also
- Seven Years in TibetSeven Years in TibetSeven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in...
- the account of two Austrians who walked from India to Tibet in the 1940s. - Yak butterYak butterYak butter is butter made from the milk of the domesticated yak . It is a staple food item and trade item for herding communities in south Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau...
Citations
- Brandon Wilson (2005): Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith: Pilgrim's Tales, ISBN 0-9770536-6-0 (trade paperback), ISBN 0-9770536-7-9 (hardcover) 2nd edition