Acknowledgements

Given that the gestation of this book stretches back 25 years, it’s hardly surprising that I am indebted to a large number of individuals and organisations throughout the region, ranging from yak men and farmers to government ministers and reincarnate lamas. It seems unnecessary to list them, and even invidious, since I’m liable to forget someone important or else identify someone who would rather not be. Some of those I most wish to thank are people whose name I never learned, including those who offered shelter and food when I needed them even though they had little enough of their own. This impulse of generosity among the region’s poorest is one of the most humbling aspects of travel in the Himalaya. I do however want to thank my agent David Godwin for being supportive and brilliant, and Will Hammond, my editor at The Bodley Head for backing the idea and being so deeply engaged in the editing process, as well as Henry Howard for his close and knowledgeable attention to detail. I must also thank my family for putting up with my long absences and for sometimes coming with me.

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