[kullukid]

One of my all time favourite India related tales has got to be "tiger for Breakfast" by one of my fave authors cum adventure traveller/discoverer the Frenchman Michel Piessel. Who also wrote "Ants Gold", "Mustang" & "Zanskar" plus many others, he was the first westerner to enter Mustang & Zanskar in modern times. He is a French anthropologist, explorer and author who writes in English and speaks fluent Tibetan. At the age of 21, he recorded 14 yet unknown Mayan archeological sites in Quintana Roo, Mexico. He has written twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions.

http://en.wikipedia..../Michel_Peissel

http://www.amazon.co...l/dp/8173030022

"Tiger for Breakfast" is all about the incredible life of "Boris of Kathmandu" (Boris Lissanevitch). He escaped from Russia & found himself in Calcutta, where he established the famous 300 club (as opposed to the 400 club in London, calling it 300 made it more exclusive since it related to the number of members who were mainly Lord's,Princes etc). It was the first club in India where the mixing of British & Indians was allowed. One of the members & frequent visitors to the club was the king of Nepal  King Tribhuvan. At the time Nepal was strictly closed to all outsiders, but somehow Boris managed to convince the King to let him arrange small groups of visitors/tourists.

Eventually Boris moved to Kathmandu on a permanent basis & opened the first tourist hotel "Royal Hotel" & later another called "Yak & Yeti". He was on such good terms with the Royal Family that in 1961 the king put him in charge of organising the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Nepal, including organising the procession ( where he arranged lines of elephants on either side of the road which all raised their trunks forming an arch for the Queen's carriage to pass under!) & all the catering, he arranged for tons of giant blocks of ice to be shipped from Calcutta by plane, which had reduced/melted to the size of ice cubes by the time they were served at the celebrations.

http://www.nepalitim...6/History/10754

http://www.indiaclub...ProdStock=11118

http://www.nepalitim.../17/Nation/8301

http://www.kantipuro...php?&nid=148954

http://www.yakandyet...m/pressroom.php

Edited by kullukid, 03 July 2008 - 08:09 PM.

[torryquine]

I've read that book and forgotten all about it!  Thanks for reminding me, it's a good read.

[WonderWomanUSA]

So Michael Peissel is still around and writing! I read his book about Quntana Roo long before I ever dreamed of going to India!