When I was much much younger I travelled to all sorts of strange places. Strange for a young British kid to find himself, but also strange for people who saw me there. I travelled from Islamabad to Hong Kong. Along the way we saw some amazing places in China, but the one that really connected with me was this small Buddhist village called Xiahe. I’ll never forget walking among the monks, watching them pray, debate and have a laugh with each other. I fell in love with the people, their kindness and their openness. The year after I went to Tibet to see the country for myself. I read all the books I could find on the fight for freedom. I thought of myself as a buddhist. When college ended I moved to India and worked for the Tibetan Government in Exile. Really I worked for a small museum that housed the Dalai Lamas photo archive. I got to know the local McLeod Gang community. I drank with Tibetans, fought with Punjabis and fell in love with India. I was years and years away from sobriety, but the year I lived in Northern India was the seed that planted my knowledge that a sober life was the only way forward. It took another 8 years to get there. I owe the Tibetan teachings a lot.
