Author(s): Vanessa Walker

Travel Literature

When Vanessa Walker stepped off a dusty bus into McLeod Gang (the home of the Dalai Lama) she was hoping to discover what lies at the heart of Buddhism. She never expected to fall in love, or to have a baby with a disrobed Tibetan monk. But sometimes karma can play funny tricks on a girl . . .
Nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, McLeod Ganj is a town of quiet beauty and surprising violence, where reality has the wide-open sense of a dream. The home of the Dalai Lama, it is a place where a government consults an ancient oracle for matters of importance, monasteries flourish and people believe wholeheartedly in the truth of miracles.
Full of contradictions, it is also a place where monks sport the latest Nike trainers, where the Dalai Lama's brother struggles with his own inner demons, and where a divided town must choose between protesting the death sentence of a much-loved monk or joining a pelvis-thrusting Tibetan compere and his bevy of beauties at the Miss Tibet beauty pageant.
In this land of exile and political intrigue Vanessa Walker was a journalist in search of a story. She didn't go there looking for love, let alone a husband, and she certainly didn't plan on becoming pregnant. But sometimes karma works in mysterious ways
Tumultuous and funny, insightful and poignant, Mantras and Misdemeanours is a compelling journey to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism. First published march 2006.