Yacking with Yak Butter Blues Author Brandon Wilson About Tibet, Faith and Surviving a 1,000 Kilometer Trek Across the Wild Himalayan Plains
Editor Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com interviews Brandon Wilson, author of Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith, for the real, behind-the-scenes look at his inspiring new book, his re-discovery of faith, life in Tibet today, and what it took to survive an incredible 1000-kilometer (650-mile) trek across Tibet.
(PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- Norm: Bookpleasures.com and Sketchandtravel.com are pleased to have as our guest, Brandon Wilson, author of Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith. Brandon and his wife Cheryl hiked 40 days over 1000 kilometers along an ancient pilgrimage route across Tibet. They were the first Western couple to trek this ancient route with a horse named Sadhu.
Brandon, could you tell us why you wanted to trek across Tibet--and did you ever had any fears prior to your journey?
Brandon: Our decision to attempt to trek from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu sprung from the notion that this was the "ultimate" adventure. The more I read, the more I became fascinated by its remoteness, inaccessibility, and exotic reputation.
Then, as luck would have it, we were told several times that a Western couple had never done this trek—that it was "impossible!" That ultimately sealed our fate.
As far as "fears," first, I had real concerns we wouldn't be allowed into Tibet as independent travelers, since the border had been closed for many years.
Then, although we were assured the trip was "impossible" due to lack of food, water, accommodations, and maps, I was more worried about the weather. Knowing the severity of Himalayan conditions, would we be able to reach the lower altitudes before the snows came, stranding us until May's thaw?
Finally, I was also wary about the reaction of Uzi-toting Chinese soldiers or bureaucrats along the way. Guess I'd prefer to deal with nature any day.
Norm: What were the most harrowing experiences you encountered during your journey?
Brandon: The specter of running out of food and water was a daily concern. Where would we stay? Would our bodies be able to physically able to make 1000 kilometers at 12-17,000 foot altitude for 40 days?
But I'd have to say that the most singularly harrowing experience we had was being shot at by Chinese soldiers. What do you do?
As second runner-up, I'd nominate that morning we awoke to a blinding blizzard—and realized that we still needed to press on.
Norm: What impressed you most of all about the trip?
Brandon: First, we were impressed by the unexpected generosity of the Tibetan people. We packed a tent, expecting to be totally on our own. However, we were taken-in by villagers who shared their meager possessions, including yak butter tea and a warm spot around their fire. We looked forward to these human exchanges. Fortunately, we ran into former monks who still spoke English.
We became better informed about the hardships of life in Tibet under Communist occupation. We learned that Tibetans are prevented from making pilgrimages along the same route we trekked into Nepal, as they've done for centuries. So the trek became more than just an "adventure." If we could make their trip as pilgrims, we'd show that it could be done without disrupting the geo-politics.
Finally, we were impressed by the unwavering faith shown by many of the Tibetans in the Dalai Lama's return. After over 40 years of oppression and death, could we still be so patient—or retain so much faith?
Norm: If you had to do it all over again now, would you still jump at the opportunity? Would you advise anyone to follow in your footsteps?
Brandon: Frankly, no. This trek is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tibet has vastly changed. As inundated as it was then with Chinese settlers, solders and foreign culture, it is even more so today. They're completing a railroad line from Beijing into Lhasa, so the transformation is rapidly accelerating.
I'd advise readers to explore any part of the world that interests them by walking. There is nothing so satisfying as discovering a culture one-step-at-a-time. If interested, visit my website (http://www.YakButterBlues.com) for free articles about walking Europe's pilgrimage routes.
Norm: How would you describe the relationship with your wife after the trip? I recall there were some tense moments during the adventure.
Brandon: Traveling with daily hardship, uncertainty, and life-threatening situations puts any relationship to the test. Fortunately ours survived and this experience provided an even stronger foundation. If we could survive that, we could survive anything.
Norm: Did you keep a daily journal while travelling?
Brandon: Of course. It was sometimes hard to find the energy or time at the end of a 14-hour day to sit down and write. But I wanted this account to be real, raw, and authentic—not some romanticized notion of adventure travel. To capture that essence (while the blisters were still fresh) was vital. Time heals all wounds, and if you wait to write about it you lose much of the minutiae of the moment. It becomes a Disney version of your memory—without the dancing hippos.
Norm: Why did you choose the title Yak Butter Blues for your book?
Brandon: I was so disturbed by seeing the destruction of this ancient culture; the corruption of monastic life; children prevented from learning Tibetan in schools; the removal of Tibetan food and clothing from stores; mass settlement of Han Chinese causing Tibetans to become a minority in their own country.
It's reaching the point where yak butter tea, that nourishing food that has traditionally fed and sustained a people throughout the centuries, will soon be all that remains of an enlightened culture--while the world looks away. These are those "Yak Butter Blues."
Note: Author Brandon Wilson reads from Yak Butter Blues at Tibet House US on February 17, 2005 from 7-9pm. Tibet House is located at 22 West 15th Street, New York, NY. The event is free and open to the public.
(original interview edited for space.)
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