In the mid-1970s, a 20-something party girl from LA becomes aware of the spiritual life in India and decides to travel there. She meets a female Swami in a Himalayan ashram, and the women then spend 5 weeks traveling together to holy shrines throughout South India. Her travels begin in Spain and Italy, funded by the proceeds of a coffee table book she compiled and sold to Bantam Books New York. Her true journey begins when she meets a charismatic female swami and together they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, visiting many spiritual pilgrimage sites rarely seen by foreigners. In a very personal, detailed, and intimate portrait of a special journey, author Laura D'Auri takes the reader through a world unknown to most people. She entertains her readers with one-of-a-kind experiences including: ¿ Visiting various Hindu pilgrimage shrines. ¿ Spending time at an ashram in the Himalayas. ¿ Getting dysentery in Benares. ¿ Experiencing a 2,000-year-old labyrinth. ¿ Visiting a holy shrine high on a mountain. ¿ Enjoying city life with friends in Chennai. Full of heart, Travels With A Swami follows Laura's travels from the mundane, to the sacred, to the dangerous, and everywhere in between. It's a perfect read for those fascinated by travel and India or anyone interested in spirituality. Those who enjoy learning about Hinduism will relate to many of the themes and anecdotes.