Visiting the home of the Dalai Lama

Three days from now, my wife and I will be flying to Delhi, with 20 high school students in tow.

We’ll stay overnight, and then shoot up to Dharamsala, India on a night train, to the place where the Dalai Lama took refuge in 1959, when the Chinese government made escaping from Tibet, the only viable option for His Holiness.

I’ve written a couple of (some would say) odd letters in my time.  Asking Warren Buffett if I could sleep in his garage was right up there.  Incidentally, I did meet the great man (despite sleeping at one of Omaha’s Holiday Inn’s)  and I was interviewed by CNBC’s Becky Quick. 

There was a lesson there:  do something a bit off the wall, and you can earn your 15 minutes of fame. 

But somehow, writing to the Dalai Lama was stranger. 

First of all, how do you address a guy like that?  And I find it so odd that so much pomp and ceremony goes into meeting such a humble servant of Buddhism. 

Sure…I recognize that he’s the holiest Buddhist figure of them all, but there’s also something so casual and unassuming about him.  He’s the kind of guy, from what I’ve seen and read, that most of us would comfortably enjoy having over for dinner.  Call me sappy, but there’s something really “huggable” about the guy.

Unfortunately, His Holiness is going to be out of town for a month during our visit.  So I’ll miss two of my heroes during the same week. 

Investment legend, Michael O’Higgins will be stopping by Singapore during his annual round-the-world trip, so I’ll miss having a drink with him while I’m trekking in Northern India.

But how can I complain?  My wife and I will be with 20 great kids, trekking in some of the world’s most majestic landscape.

During that time, I won’t have access to the internet, so I’ve written a series of posts to publish while I’m away.

I won’t be able to answer questions or comments for about a week.  But I should have a story or two to share when I get back.

Photo by: Luca Galuzzi – www.galuzzi.it