Thomas Manning (1772-1840) was an eccentric academic and the first British traveller to reach Tibet. After donning a heavy disguise and much perseverance and patience he finally met the Dalai Lama, who was only seven years old at the time.
An excerpt from his account of his travels is a good reminder of how much better connected the travellers of old were to the incestuous relationship between the sun, time and direction.
We hurried into the town where we were to changehorses, but our haste was fruitless. There we were obliged to wait
until our baggage came up long, long after us, and until it was
adjusted upon fresh cattle. If we now had galloped all the way to
Lhasa the sun would have been in the south before we could have
been in the august presence of the Tagin. This was exceeding
discomfort to my Munshi, but great comfort to me. I much dis-
liked the idea of hurrying to Lhasa, and without any kind of
refreshment going before the mandarins, sweltering and heated, my
boots hurting me every step I set; and I could not comprehend
what crime it was for travellers like us who could not command
prompt attendance, arriving an hour sooner or an hour later.