Here Be Yaks - a cartographer's travel book

Any book that has a foreward by the Dalai Lama is off to a great start. He wrote the forward to another book I've recently reviewed called The Kindness of Strangers which seems entirely appropriate. Equally appropriate is for him to fore-word a unique book about travel to the remote corners of his home land, Tibet. Here Be Yaks: travels in far west Tibet by Manosi Lahiri (The Intrepid Traveler, 2007) begins by capturing the imagination of anyone who has enjoyed reading a book, any book, that came with a detailed map. I love books with maps, and first realized this reading the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and all travel books since.
What is the meaning behind the title? It is a play on words of the phrase 'Here Be Dragons' which Lahiri charmingly explains in the dedication page.
Poetically descriptive, reading about the Roof Of The World is a fantastic way to miss your stop on the bus - I've never been to Tibet but reading this book I felt transported there. Lahiri, a geologist at large, is determined to sort out the true origin of the river Sutlej and explore the political and spiritual ramifications not only of its origins but who controls its path and destination. Lahiri has a life story worthy of its own book, here is a brief biography.

My favourite line from this book captures the overall mood and spirit of its narrative: "...what I have realised is that explorations are not made to places but to ideas." Reading 'Here Be Yaks' is the equivalent of traveling to a world of beautiful, compelling ideas and returning home wiser for having made the journey.