Horses Like Lightning: A Story of Passage Through the Himalayas

Sienna Craig has a rare combination of gifts: she's an insightful anthropologist, and writes beautifully. Although I've been fortunate enough to visit this part of the world, Dr. Craig illuminates its stark terrain and singular people (not to mention their horses) in a way that makes me feel I'm seeing it for the first time. But "Horses Like Lightning" is more than informative; it's a terrific read. The narrative is funny, moving, and sometimes painfully honest -- because this is a portrait not just of Nepal's northern frontier, but of Dr. Craig herself. It's a genuine pleasure to travel with this insightful scholar as she finds her balance in an alien culture and landscape. One quickly gains an appreciation for how the rapid pace of globalization is impacting individual lives in this former Himalayan kingdom -- a process by no means transparent to trekkers, or other short-term visitors. "Horses Like Lightning" is a wonderful book. For anyone planning a visit to the Himalaya, it's indispensable.

I previously visited Lomonthang in 2006, and will return this September 2008. Dr. Craig's book is a personal treasure of mine. Amplifying and enriching my insights, experiences, and appreciation of new friendships acquired during my travel to this remote, fragile, and culturally endangered region, "Horses Like Lightening" represents the very best of the travel memoir. Her writing combines qualities of personal integrity, open-heartedness, and intellectual acuity-a deeply satisfying combination for this reader. In "feeling" Mustang through the author, I was often reminded of The Buddhist poet Milarepa's "Song of the Galloping Horse of a Yogi", particularly the lines: "...In the temple of my breast, At the summit of the traingle of my heart, The horse which is my mind flies like the wind, He gallops on the plains of great bliss..." An intimate, eloquent, and fully dimensional accounting of a remote and wild beauty, teetering on the edge of great cultural transformation. Highly recommended.