AmyHuang
Armchair travel: Last seen in Lhasa
Link: www.clairescobie.com/
While I wait for my next adventure, I thought I'd start a few new inclusions to Travel String. When I am not travelling, I like to read about other people's journeys to keep me motivated and/or to learn about their experiences in places I have been. Reading is different to watching something on telly. Reading keeps your imagination alive, and give you a sense of purpose should you decide to follow the author's footsteps into the unknown.This is what I found in Claire Scobie's book Last seen in Lhasa.
I went along to one of Claire's travel writing workshops during the 2006 Sydney Writers Festival, where Claire talked about her path to writing and about her book Last seen in Lhasa. I've never been to Tibet, and haven't read much in terms of travel journalism or literature about Tibet, so I decided to get a copy and read it.
The story is about her adventure to Tibet to look for a rare red lily, but ends up forming a life long friendship with one of the Tibetan nun. It's not one of those books that give you the 'wow' factor. For most of the book, Claire takes on a very journalistic point of view in writing this book, as if she was reporting the news rather than re-telling a very personal story. Understandably, her original journey was of a journalistic nature. However her descriptions of the surroundings, the struggle of the Tibetan people, and her personal emotions during her repeated visit to the region will have you interested in wanting to know more.
When I was reading the book, I felt I could feel the cold slushy ice under my feet, I could feel the thin mountain air and I could hear the chanting of the monks. This is what I love about reading, and Claire has achieved the goal of making me (and hopefully you too) wanting to visit the region and see it for myself.
But this is not just a travel narrative. It's also a story that explores human relationships, and the courage and strength of any individual with a strong will, and that friendship, can come from any corner of the world.
Of course, travel writers all make a destination sound dreamy and wonderful, however in this case when I do visit Tibet, I don't expect to be able to befriend a nun in such intimacy, I don't expect not to be treated like a tourist, but I do expect that, I will have the journey of a lifetime.
Rating: 3.5/5
