In "THE PATHS OF TIBETE," professional writer, adventurer, and extreme sports journalist Airton Ortiz recounts his adventures in the exotic land of the Dalai Lamas. Amidst travelogues and detailed descriptions of the customs of a still-mysterious people, a surprise: the most significant defeat inflicted on the Chinese army since the Dalai Lama's escape in 1959 is the author's doing. In exchange for a fake visa to enter Tibet—official permits are not granted to journalists, and very few tourists are allowed into the country—and to write his book, Ortiz helped the Tibetan resistance expel Karmapa Lama Urgyen Trinley Thaye, the third-ranking Buddhist and successor to the Dalai Lama himself. The rescue operation was so spectacular that not even China could conceal the young monk's escape across the Himalayas. In retaliation, the Chinese government arrested and disappeared all of his family members who remained in Tibet. Urgyem was being held in a monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, and to help secure his release, the Brazilian had to deliver a letter and bring back the reply. Playing messenger wasn't as simple as it sounds. If he were discovered carrying the message, and therefore false documents, Airton could end his adventures in a Chinese prison. With fluent and humorous writing, Ortiz tells this and many other stories in "THE PATHS OF TIBETE," another title in the Radical Travels Collection, dedicated to adventures in the most inhospitable and unexplored places on the planet. Here, the author unveils the cosmopolitan East, unknown to most. In a straightforward manner, he introduces the reader to kings and queens and uncovers Tibetan history. Beginning his journey of discovery in Thailand, Ortiz wanders through suspicious tailor shops and mysterious jewelry stores, stumbles upon sex tourism, and even meets arms smugglers. After that, it's the author's turn to delve into the soul of Nepal, Kathmandu, where he describes the customs, stories, and eating habits of this mythical corner of the planet. "BY THE PATHS OF TIBETE" is the entry visa to a different and exotic world, an unforgettable journey through one of the least-known countries on the planet. In Tibet, Airton Ortiz discovered a different world, with its own rules, struggling to free itself from Chinese rule and maintain its Buddhist beliefs. Airton Ortiz is a writer, adventurer, and journalist specializing in extreme sports. He is one of the editors of the online magazine 360 Graus, the leading adventure sports channel on the Brazilian internet. He is the author of the book "Adventure on the Top of Africa," about his climb of Kilimanjaro, also published by Editora Record in the "Radical Travels" collection.
