Yeah, I know how everyone hates acronyms..."His Holiness Dalai Lama" is a mouthful. JoAnn and I did as instructed and arrived in plenty of time...right before the doors opened for the second event of the day. Early enough to get good seating, in the nosebleed section of Bud Walton Arena.
We were an hour and half away from 'the event', but enjoyed sitting listening to the Tibetan music and people watching.
Security was tight, but phones were allowed...as were my binoculars. But you can see in the photo on the right that the video screens were huge, everything worked perfectly. Except for his honorary degree sash that kept choking him...he giggled every time he pulled it down in front, finally giving up and holding it with his left hand. Second half he sat on the sofa for Q&A from text messages, taking that off was the first thing he did.
He was hard to understand, but his message was clear. Funniest thing was when he'd crack himself up and made a funny guttural sound in his throat...kind of like a chuckle. Happened more than once. His happiness was contagious! That alone made the day worthwhile...
