Who Am I? (Number 12)

     I was born in Paris on October 24, 1868. In early childhood I demonstrated a lifelong penchant for adventure and travel. At age five, I ran away from home. The police found me in the woods of Vincennes and my mother took me back home. She said I was a restless and inquisitive child and most likely thought that I was foolish too.
     When I was six years old my family moved to Belgium. I spent my formative years in Belgium. Of course, as each opportunity presented itself, I continued to run away from home. In 1883 I travelled to England alone, and returned home after spending all my money. A few years later, at age seventeen, I boarded a train to Switzerland and crossed into Italy on foot. I sent my mother a telegraph message when I ran out of money. My mother found me at Lake Maggiore and took me home.
     In 1886, without a word to anyone, I left home on my bicycle. I carried my scant belongings with me on my way to Spain. On the way, I detoured through the French Riviera. This was my declaration of independence. 
     In 1889 I moved to Paris where I studied Asian languages, philosophy, music and voice. I performed on stage, and joined secret societies including the Free Masons. I wrote an anarchist treatise, but publishers refused to publish it.
     While in Paris I spent many hours at the library of the Guimet Museum. "Vocations are born, and mine was born there."
     In 1890-91 I travelled to India and explored many of the religious and historical places.
     In 1895-97 I toured with a French opera company in Vietnam. I performed at the Hanoi Opera House.
     In 1900, I travelled to Tunis, Tunisia, where I met a wonderful person and fell in love. We were married in 1904.
     Home life was too routine and boring, and I grew restless after a few years. In summer of 1911, I travelled briefly to England and then set sail for Sikkim. My marriage was subordinated to my fiercely independent and adventuresome personality.
     While in Sikkim, I visited most of the Buddhist monasteries and holy places. My quest for spirituality blossomed. I met the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912.
     In 1914 I met a fifteen year old native of Sikkim and we became inseparable companions for life. We lived together in a cave near the Tibetan border from 1914 to 1916. I later adopted this person.
     My studies of Buddhism impelled me to visit Tibet, which was forbidden to a foreigner. In 1916 I crossed the border and I visited Jigatze in southern Tibet. I met the Pachen Lama in my travels. The ruler of Sikkim was told about my illegal adventure, and I was expelled from Sikkim. So my young companion and I travelled to India and then to Japan.
     In Japan I met a philosopher monk who told me that he had disguised himself as a Chinese monk and spent eighteen months at Lhasa, Tibet. That revelation gave me new hope for a return to Tibet. My young travel companion and I sailed for Korea and crossed China from east to west. We travelled through the Gobi desert and Mongolia. We stopped at Kum-Bum near the border of Tibet, where I studied Buddhism for three more years.
     Disguised as a beggar and a monk, my companion and I crossed the border into Tibet and arrived at Lhasa in 1924. I was fifty-four years old. I visited the Potala, and nearby monasteries for two months. I was 'discovered' while washing clothes in a river, and I and my companion were expelled from Tibet by the governor of Lhasa.
     In 1925 I returned to France with my young companion. I separated amicably from my spouse, who continued to communicate with me.  I tried to settle down in France, but adventure and spirituality were pushing me. 
     In 1937, my companion and I travelled again to Tibet. We lived there until the end of World War 2. I was absorbed in Buddhism. I completed circumambulation of the sacred mountain known as Amnye Mache.
     My companion and I returned to France in 1946. I was seventy-eight years old. My companion died in 1955. I lived for 100 years and passed away on  September 8, 1969.
     I am Alexandra David-Neel, author and adventurer.

References:
1) Alexandra David-Neel official website. (highly recommended)
2) My Journey to Lhasa, Alexandra David-Neel. Google books, My Journey to Lhasa
3) Alexandra David-Neel, Wikipedia.