Voyage d'une Parisienne à Lhassa

by Alexandra David-Néel

1924. Pour la première fois, une femme étrangère réussit à entrer dans Lhassa, capitale interdite du Tibet !
Huit mois auront été nécessaires à Alexandra David-Néel pour relever ce défi extraordinaire ! Huit mois d'un long périple à travers les immenses solitudes du « pays des Neiges ». Huit mois d'une vie rude et dangereuse sous l'apparence d'une mendiante tibétaine! A une époque où personne ne parle de « raid », et encore moins quand il s'agit d'une femme, c'est un magnifique exploit et une aventure exceptionnelle que nous décrit ici l'auteur ! Elle y ajoute sa propre quête spirituelle, et ce regard fasciné qu'elle porte sur la civilisation tibétaine.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, History, Memoir, Biography, Asia

373 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Alexandra David-Néel was an explorer, anarchist, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer. She is most known for her visit to the forbidden (to foreigners) city of Lhasa, capital of Tibet (1924). She was born in Paris, France and died in Digne, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. She wrote more than 30 books, about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. Her well-documented teachings influenced the beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, and philosopher Alan Watts.

Her real name was Louise Eugenie Alexandrine Marie David. During her childhood she had a strong desire for freedom and spirituality. At the age of 18, she had already visited England, Switzerland and Spain on her own, and she was studying in Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society.

In 1890 and 1891, she traveled through India, returning only when running out of money. In Tunis she met the railroad engineer Philippe Néel, whom she married in 1904.

In 1911 Alexandra traveled for the second time to India, to further her study of Buddhism. She was invited to the royal monastery of Sikkim, where she met Maharaj Kumar (crown prince) Sidkeon Tulku. She became Sidkeong's "confidante and spiritual sister" (according to Ruth Middleton), perhaps his lover (Foster & Foster). She also met the thirteenth Dalai Lama twice in 1912, and had the opportunity to ask him many questions about Buddhism—a feat unprecedented for a European woman at that time.

In the period 1914-1916 she lived in a cave in Sikkim, near the Tibetan border, learning spirituality, together with the Tibetan monk Aphur Yongden, who became her lifelong traveling companion, and whom she would adopt later. From there they trespassed into Tibetan territory, meeting the Panchen Lama in Shigatse (August 1916). When the British authorities learned about this—Sikkim was then a British protectorate—Alexandra and Yongden had to leave the country, and, unable to return to Europe in the middle of World War I, they traveled to Japan.

There Alexandra met Ekai Kawaguchi, who had visited Lhasa in 1901 disguised as a Chinese doctor, and this inspired her to visit Lhasa disguised as pilgrims. After traversing China from east to west, they reached Lhasa in 1924, and spent 2 months there.

In 1928 Alexandra separated from Philippe. Later they would reconcile, and Philippe kept supporting her till his death in 1941. Alexandra settled in Digne, and during the next 10 years she wrote books.

In 1937, Yongden and Alexandra went to China, traveling there during the second World War, returning to France only in 1946. She was then 78 years old.

In 1955 Yongden died. Alexandra continued to study and write till her death at age 100.

Reviews

[Lynne King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed for some reason to see this book on Goodreads. I knew that I had it and I've been searching for the past half hour. The reason I couldn't find it first of all is that my book is in French.

It's just called "Le Tibet d'Alexandria David-Néel". I purchased this at her museum in Digne-les-Bains in Provence in 1991. I had spent a year in France and at the time my spoken French was dreadful. Even now I doubt if I will ever be fluent in the language. It is such a rich and sophisticated language. Still I communicate I guess and I hear the errors spilling from my mouth when I speak...

Anyway, I digress. I went to this museum for the simple reason that there was a Buddhist monk in attendance. I was very influenced by Buddhism at that time.

Needless to say, the monk was not to be seen but I saw this wonderfully illustrated, relatively short book of 155 pages and thought, well I haven't seen the monk but I can take this one as a "souvenir". I did have problems reading it at the time.

Imagine a woman all alone, an explorer, who had tried to disguise herself as a Tibetan (very difficult looking at the photos) and travels to Sikkim in Tibet in 1913 and then on to Lhasa. What an adventure. The photographs are a treasure in themselves. You see the author sitting with the women in the market and then there are fabulous photos of Lhasa itself. And the author lived to 101 years of age. Evidently we must all go to Tibet!

I'm so pleased that I came across this again.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little hard to get into at first, but what this woman did is truly amazing. And the coolest thing about it is she seems totally unfazed by having to hike through chest-deep snow and survive on butter tea for long stretches of time to reach Lhasa, not to mention being disguised as a Tibetan peasant the whole time. I've read a lot of travel books, and this woman is the real deal.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Che tutti gli esseri siano felici".
A me una boccata d'aria pura questa lettura me l'ha regalata. Le devo gratitudine alla girovaga, orientalista, filosofa, scrittrice, mezza sacerdotessa, un po' maga e , quindi forse anche un po' pazza, che è arrivata a Lhasa al posto mio. Mi ha caricata sulle spalle del suo singolare equipaggiamento, mi ha mostrato paesaggi incantati, di un luogo fantasticamente remoto, mi ha mostrato la forza della solitudine piena di ricchezza per la sua 'deliziosa libertà.
Niente di troppo mistico, niente troppo vibrante come i gong percosse a ripetizione.
Narrazione della felicità di se stessi e del mondo.
Che ci vorrebbe tanto a tutti, mondo compreso.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there is absolutely no doubt that Alexandra David-Neel was truly an amazing woman and her trip was a great feat, I must say that this book was a bit of a disappointment. I can't imagine having endured what she did and to do so with such apparent ease and almost nonchalance. The experiences and encounters along her journey were undoubtedly exciting but somehow the writing and storytelling itself managed to lack the excitement an adventure such as this would guarantee.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It never ceases to amaze me how many great woman travel writers there are. One of the greatest is a French Buddhist nun named Alexandra David-Néel. I had read and loved her Magic and Mystery in Tibet, and now I feel the same about her My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City.

This is a book about an extremely difficult journey made more difficult because it was forbidden. She and her companion Lama Yongden had to take obscure routes where they would be less likely to meet meddling officials who would order her to be deported. She runs into bandits, misers, snowstorms in the Himalayas, and wild animals. All the while, she has to disguise herself as a Tibetan woman by smearing cooking fat on her face to hide her European features. The surprising thing is that she actually succeeds, makes it all the way to Lhasa and back. And she tells a whopping good tale.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible story of the first Western woman to enter the Forbidden City known as Lhasa in Tibet.

In 1923, Alexandra David-Neel successfully met her goal, but not without a lot of planning. Having been rasied in Paris and Brussels, Alexandra had set many lofty goals for herself and went on many adventures, but nothing could compare to entering the Forbidden City. She was fluent in the various dialects spoken in Tibet, and was well informed about cultural mores in Tibet also.

Since no woman, let alone a Western woman, would be allowed to enter, she used yak hair to make hair extensions and took on the attire of a beggar man. It would have been nearly impossible to take this journey successfully alone, considering the rugged terrain and rough weather conditions that can occur in and around Tibet. It was with her loyal companion, Youngden, that she succeeded. She endured many hardships along the way, not the least of which was a constant fear of being turned back at border control stops.

She is now lauded as the first woman who was in the presence of the Holy Dali Lhama. In her lifetime, she traveled all over Asia and wrote books detailing all of her discoveries. She was an amazing woman and her name should be well known.

[CAW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mme. David-Néel was one seriously badass explorer.

Though she often regards the Tibetan peasantry as 'childish and superstitious' in comparison to the civilisation of her native France, Mme. David-Néel's love for the country and formidable achievements as a holy lama shine through. Truth often provides us with stranger tales than fiction, and this is certainly one instance - a lot of the narrow scrapes that cunning, determination or sheer good luck got Mme. David-Néel and her son out of would seem contrived in an adventure novel.

Mme. David-Néel takes it all in stride, from leopards and bandits to officials and the supernatural, with maps in her boots, a revolver under her peasant disguise and an unshakeable self-possession of the sort that could (and probably would) stand before her God and declare herself an atheist.

Worth reading for anyone who loves the sky over their heads and the earth under their boots and can put up with a little white Victorian arrogance.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexandra Davide Nele is my real life heroine, I fell in love with her when I attended a talk about her travels at the NYC Explorers Club. When I read this book I was hooked and tracked across the Himalayas from Kathmandu to Lhasa in 2001 in her honor. Must read for all women explorers.

[Flippiepopje · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I was traveling in Mexico when we read this book and I always thought how easy my new life was in comparison. I still love the book and think anyone who likes to travel should read it.

[Thorben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was für ein Leben! Bereits zwanzig Jahre vor Heinrich Harrer („Sieben Jahre in Tibet“) bereiste Alexandra David-Néel das Land, wo der Schnee wohnt, und war damit auch die erste weiße Frau, die die verbotene Stadt Lhasa betrat. Das erstaunlichste an dieser Reise ist sicherlich David-Néels Begründung ihres Reiseziels: weil es verboten war. Dass jenes Prinzip das bestimmende im Leben der Autorin war und wie diese so vom Opernstar zur Bettelpilgerin wurde, erfährt man in dem ausführlichen Vorwort.

Der Bericht selbst fällt dann sehr anekdotisch aus - zu groß ist das Land und zu weit die zurückgelegten Wege, um minutiös über diese zu berichten. Ein Nachvollziehen ihrer Reiseroute ist wohl auch nur für ortskundige möglich, denn die kleine Karte der Himalaya-Region im Buch ist leider kaum zu lesen. Zusätzlich trägt die Sachlichkeit des Erzählstils dazu bei, dass die einzigartige körperliche Leistung der auch sprachlich und philosophisch hoch gebildeten David-Néel geschmälert erscheint. Wer mehr über die vielfältige Kultur Tibets vor (bzw. zwischen) der chinesischen Besatzung erfahren möchte, ist hier dennoch richtig.

3,5 ⭐️ aufgerundet, weil Weihnachten ist

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, this story was interesting, harrowing, and enjoyable, but it always felt like a bit of a trudge.

It did rouse some questions in my mind about explorers, travel, freedom of borders, *patriarchy, and heros/heroines. Was what she did admirable or *problematic? When is travel into other lands and cultures encouraged and when should it be discouraged? How do we alter these communities by our presence, and how are we altered by them? Is it *privilege only that allows us to do this? If everyone did what David-Néel did, how would our thoughts about her endeavor change?

As a woman who really, really loves to explore and travel the globe, I want to be sensitive to why and how I do it.


(*Sorry for so many buzz words.)

[R.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I was wandering in the market when a policeman stopped and gazed at me intently. Why? Perhaps he only wondered from what part of Thibet (sic) I might hail, but it was better to be prepared for the worst. A new battle was to fought, and I began it, my heart beating rather quickly, but brave as usual. I chose, amongst the things for sale, an aluminum saucepan, and began to bargain for it with that ridiculous obstinacy shown by the people of the half-wild tribes of the borderland. I offered an absurd price and talked nonsense in a loud voice, hardly stopping to breathe. People around the booths began to laugh and exchange jokes about me. The cowmen and women of the northern solitudes are a habitual subject of mockery for the more civilized people of Lhasa.

"Ah!" said the merchant, laughing, and yet irritated by my continuous twaddle, "you are a true dokpa, there can be no doubt of that!" And all present ridiculed the stupid woman who knew nothing besides her cattle and the grass of the desert. The policeman passed on, amused like everybody else.

I bought the saucepan, and, as I feared being followed, I compelled myself to loiter about the market, playing a comedy of admiration and stupidity before the ugliest and cheapest goods. Then my good luck caused me to fall in with a group of true dokpas. I began to talk with them in their own dialect. I had lived in their country some years ago. I spoke of places and men known to them, and they were convinced that I was born in a neighboring tribe. I have no doubt that, with the quickness of imagination that is peculiar to them, they would, next day, have sworn in all sincerity that they had known me for a long time."

My Journey to Lhasa is the incredible account of a French woman's travels around Tibet and to Lhasa, where she lived for two months in sight of Portola.

I've also read Out of This World by Lowell Thomas, an American and his son who legally visited Tibet and the Dali Lama in the 1950's. The difference here is that Alexandra David-Neel visited illegally, disguised as a Tibetan and this was in 1923!

Having studied Tibetan for some years, she already knew the language and had previously lived in several temples and caves as a monk. Those stories are in another book, which I would love to read.

I really enjoyed reading her experiences with the peoples of the land, trying to keep her disguise undiscovered. She lived as the people did and ate what they ate. She didn't have horses loaded with bags and porters to carry all her necessities. She carried all she needed wrapped securely under her dress.

Alexandra David-Neel is a first rate explorer and it's a shame that her story is hardly known.

[Tocotin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't want it to end. Even if only half of what this lady endured and did to get to Lhasa in disguise of a beggar Tibetan woman were true, it would still be a story made of win. That was, by the way, in the time when white people in Asia traveled with tables, chairs, bread ovens and gramophones.
She and her companion traveled on foot, thinly clad, living mostly on buttered tea (and from time to time stuff so horrible it would burn a hole in my Goodreads page), through snow and ice and mud. They encountered crafty and stingy peasants, bandits, wild animals, knights and officials, but also pilgrims and lamas from faraway lands. They slept in caves, under a blanket or flat tent covered with snow, rarely on dirt floor by the fire. (I wonder if the story of Mme Alexandra making fire using the technique of tumo is real). They tried to do good by the people they met by the way, but mostly could do very little to alleviate poverty and need. And the feeling of love and sense of wonder never left her, no matter the difficulties.
I don't know, I think I'm sort of morbidly fascinated by Tibet. I never tire reading about it, but I wouldn't like to travel there. I'd rather be born in Tibet than go there, knowing of other ways of life. I wonder how Mme Alexandra came to love it and yearn for it so much when it's obvious it was a horrible place. Back then, it was a backward feudal theocracy, where most people were nothing and had nothing. (It's evident from her account.) Now it's a communist wasteland, where most people are nothing and have nothing.
The descriptions of the nature, houses, people, and especially New Year festivities in Lhasa are amazing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Nature has a language of its. own, or maybe those who have lived long in solitude read in it their own unconscious inner feelings & mysterious foreknowledge. The majestic Kha Karpo, towering in a clear sky lit by a full moon, did not appear to me that evening as the menacing guardian of an impassable frontier. it looked more like a worshipful but affable Deity, standing at the threshold of a mystic land, ready to welcome & protect the adventurous lover of Thibet.'

This quote sets the tone for the book - for the inner journey as well as the outer journey. I live in Northern India & have had friends trek in regions north of where I'm staying that have similar terrain to the descriptions in this book so I was fascinated to read her descriptions of the land & the people as it evoked the timelessness of the region. Many of her observations are just as true today as they were at the time of writing.

[Scott Bischke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh, I would love to say that I loved this book. But I found it dry and, quite frankly, a little boring. That came as a shock since apparently OUTSIDE Magazine named it one of the "best adventure books of the last 100 years."

For me, sorry to say, I quit ~1/3 the way through. I guess I didn't give enough credence to the idea that it was the early 1900s and Alexandra David-Neel traveled alone (actually with a companion) to Lhasa. But for me, just not that interesting. And if I give an author 100 pages and it feels like a chore to pick the book up to read page 101, then it's time to move on. And so it is here.

Should be a 1* by those measures, but indeed I do recognize that her effort was unique, challenging, even perhaps ground breaking, so 2* -- my little effort to be right with the world!

[Faith Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of achieving the remarkable. She must have been one hell of a character - traveller, explorer, amateur mistress of disguise, bibliophile, picking up languages so well that no one doubts she is a local native speaker. I can't picture what she must have looked like but I have a vision of her in the saffron throng in Lhasa, a face in the crowd with the wrong colour hair as the Dali Lama's entourage passes. I adore the mysticism in this book, the way ghost travellers join them on the road, the illusory village, how birds come in the form of malign spirits and then the monks getting rid of the cursed ancient artifact. If discovered, remember she would have been executed at this time. What an incredible life she must have had. As she signs off the journey, I can't believe that's the end of her incredible time walking on the Earth. So, so inspiring.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a take charge of your life kind woman. Married to a fellow that she has friendship, but no passion for.. she tells him her want to travel to Tibet's forbidden city. The account is so nitty gritty and filled with respect for the land and its people.


If you have any interest in early women adventurers/explores... don't miss this.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1923 Alexandra David-Neel walked months from China to Lhasa with her adopted son, the lama Yongden. David-Neel, a French woman, had already lived in Northern India, Sikkim and nearby areas for many years, studying Buddhism and was fluent in a local dialect. Tibet and Lhasa were pretty much closed to westerners and no western woman had ever been to Lhasa. She had already attempted to travel to Lhasa once before and been turned back.

David-Neel gives an account of their journey with much detail. They travel disguised as pilgrims. There are no road signs, and they often lose their way walking many extra miles. They often have no food for 24 to 48 hours and no water. It rains, snows, and freezes as they cross mountain passes. But the focus for David-Neel is to avoid the army or officials who might arrest her or block her chance to get to Lhasa. They travel at night and avoid human contact as much as possible. It takes a very long time.

I found it odd that the trip was not really a religious experience but about being the first western woman in Lhasa. I have recently read a couple of books about modern-day pilgrimages and those had much in common with David-Neel’s trek – getting lost, eating odd food, the strangeness of road companions, and lack of obvious spirituality. I finally got caught up in the Lhasa trek and the endlessness of the walk and the paranoia of the walkers and then the book became quite enjoyable.

Just as I finished the book, I received a book on woman travelers. The first sentence in introduction is a quote from David-Neel, “Obedience means death.” This reminded me that even though her trek to Lhasa was in the 1920’s, she had grown up when women were still chattel and expected to be submissive. It put her need to get to Lhasa because it was prohibited in context.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra David Néel ist eine der bekanntesten Abenteurerinnen, und nun habe ich auch endlich mal eins ihrer Bücher gelesen: Toll! Beeindruckend! 1868 in Frankreich geboren, interessierte sich Alexandra so wahnsinnig für Asien, dass sie ab 1888 fast immer dort lebte. Das Geld für die Reisen beschaffte sie sich zunächst durch Auftritte mit Operngesang! Sie lernte asiatische Sprachen, studierte die Religionen und verbrachte sogar ein Jahr als Einsiedlerin in einer tibetischen Hütte auf 4000 Metern Höhe. Als einzige Europäerin wurde sie schließlich zum buddhistischen Lama ernannt. In diesem Buch berichtet sie von ihrem Fußmarsch durch ganz Tibet in die damals noch komplett verbotene Stadt Lhasa, zusammen mit ihrem tibetischen Adoptivsohn.
Um unerkannt durch Tibet wandern zu können, muss sie sich als Pilgerin verkleiden und Gesicht und Haare schwärzen, damit man nicht die Europäerin erkennt. Das klappt tatsächlich wochenlang. Der Reisebericht ist spannend, zeichnet ein atmosphärisches Bild des alten Tibet und seiner tief religiösen Bewohner und verlangt einem echt Respekt ab: Ich weiß nicht, ob ich auf 4000 Meter hohen Gebirgspässen im Schnee nur unter einer Decke übernachten würde ...
Alexandra starb erst 1969, kurz nachdem sie nochmal ihren Reisepass verlängert hatte ... coole Frau!

[Patty Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really 3.5 stars, not 4. I've been wanting to read this book for years and years and am glad that I did. It wasn't what I expected - I'd always imagined it was about a spiritual young woman trekking alone through the wilderness to see the seat of the Dalai Lama out of religious fervor. Instead, it's about a middle-aged or older woman, already well studied and well known in Buddhism, who decides to get to Lhasa just because she's not allowed to go there. She treks with her "adopted son" (a lama).

It is an adventure and it took me back to my trekking days (in Nepal, but similar landscapes), and I learned something about the politics of the time (her adventure took place between when Tibet kicked China out, and when China came back) and there are interesting stories about interactions with country people, robbers, and other pilgrims.

On the other hand, it bothered me that they travelled as poor pilgrims, reliant on the generosity of all, when they actually had sacks of gold and silver hidden under their robes. She felt it was necessary as part of her disguise, to ensure they didn't attract any attention from the authorities; but I wasn't convinced that they couldn't have bought the good will of everyone along the way rather than sponging off them.

[Laura Yan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't get enough of travel books about Tibet, and Alexandra David-Neel's journey is a particularly fascinating one. She's the first woman foreigner to read Lhasa, and this is a tale of her adventures trekking through mountains and villages, hiding her identity, with her adopted Tibetan son. It's a surprisingly funny book-her attitude adds a lot of charm to the tale. There are strange mythical occurences and touching moments as well hijinks of fooling gullible natives. I'm eager to read her book on Tibetan mythicism/magic next. Sometimes her writing gets a bit repetative--her fear of being recognized as a foreigner, etc, but the adventure certainly isn't. Recommended for: travelers (esp solo women travelers), Tibetan obsessed, Bill Bryson fans.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Ce qu'a fait cette femme, il y a maintenant plusieurs dizaines d'années, est tout simplement bluffant. En 1924, déguisée en mendiante, elle se rend à Lhassa, ville interdite aux étrangers, au départ du Yunnan. Accompagnée d'un lama - son fils adoptif , elle parcourt incognito et avec un équipement plus que minimal les montagnes enneigées du Tibet, dormant dans des grottes, jeûnant de nombreuses fois et risquant sa vie à de multiples reprises. Par amour pour ces montagnes himalayennes, par goût de l'aventure, mais surtout parce qu'elle est une orientaliste de terrain passionnée, et qu'elle veut transmettre à l'Occident les richesses d'un monde qui lui était à l'époque interdit.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book ten stars, I would. Alexandra David-Neel was the first western woman to enter Lhasa and see the Potola. She did it by learning Tibetan and dressing as a peasant, carrying nearly nothing and begging with her companion that she had adopted as her son.

The descriptions of traveling in that part of the world in the early 1920s still resonate with what it's like to travel now. Very clear, conversational, and compelling writing.

Outside magazine called this "the best adventure book of the last 100 years", and it really does set the bar for what travel writing should be.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it took awhile but I finally finished it. The author was truly an amazing woman and I admire the life she lived and all of her explorations at a time when women didn't travel on their own into remote areas. Her writing style didn't capture me, but considering that English wasn't her first language, it was very impressive. Reading about her life on-line gives a remarkable view of her accomplishments and makes her book that much more enjoyable.

[Will]

They walk, they eat tsampa, they drink tea (salted and buttered), they meet villagers and it's cold. I love Tibet, having been there last year, but this travelogue is excruciating to read. I am halfway through the book and the journey remains onerous. Maybe it is because this was written in the 1920s, but there are far better ways to write these things, I'm sure.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times I found this book tedious, but maybe it was just me & my particular reading needs at the moment. However, there is no doubt that the author was a remarkable woman of her time, and some of the anecdotes she relates are interesting. I wonder how she kept such amazing detail of her travels given the way they travelled, and the arduous nature of their journey.

[Pema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing woman. If you keep in mind the audience she was writing to (Victorian Europe), this book is wonderful. I was able to get a picture of Tibet before it was "changed". This book was important and valuable to me. And it's a great story.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. Its a great story. I didnot finish it. I will put it away until I am in a different mood.
it would have been easier to read if it had had maps, measurements, etc. Maybe I am used to travelogues
written differently..

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comment ne pas tomber littéralement admiratif devant tant de volonté...et d'esprit!

[Pudds Downing · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. Really I did. But this book was just so boring and Alexandra David-Neel was so in love with herself. I think I left it accidentally on purpose on an airplane. Oh darn.