I spent the summers of 1985-87 wandering about Central Tibet visiting the pilgrimage destinations mentioned by the august Khampa pilgrim Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, in his Tibetan guidebook. This book, The Power Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide is the result of that arduous trip in which trekking, hitch-hiking, tractor rides, horse riding and even a goat ride all moved me on. During those years rebuilding of the gompas was progressing fast and althought the desolation of the ruins and paranoia of the people was still evident it was an exciting time to be in Tibet. Researching the Guide was a ground breaking exercise as few Europeans had been off the main highways and I was the first foreigner to enter some valleys. The book remains a milestone in the history of pilgrimage in Tibet.
‘For those visitors to Tibet with time to visit the more remote temples and caves The Pilgrim's Guide is indispensable. It is written in a style that is accessible to the interested layman as well as the Buddhist scholar.’ A.B.Rowe in the Geographical Journal