Hide San's Tibet story is a classic and he tells it with unimitateable style in his scarce English luctuated by smiling Japanese.

The government of China says that foreigners can only enter Tibet from the northern city of Golmud near the Gobi desert. Hide goes to the Yunnanese city of Kunming, buys Chinese Army coat, pants, hat. Looks Chinese anyway – hence the nickname "Mongoli-San".

He pretends to be a deaf-mute every time the truck he hitches on into Tibet is stopped by the national security police. The guards eventually let him pass each time on the road direct from Yunnan to Tibet (a 2300 Kilometer shortcut over going up to Golmud and down). The truck he hitches on is filled with cargo and goes a maximum of 8 kilometers per hour. It takes one week in the back of this truck to get to Lhasa – the road is terrible.

Once in Lhasa he decides to walk to the Everest base camp which is supposed to take three days. He goes with a Japanese friend and a Donkey they bought to carry the bags. Day one of hiking is interesting and they go all the way up to 5200 meters. Day two is boring. He and his friend decide that they will try to hitch a ride if they see a jeep going their way. A jeep does come and they negotiate a 40 Yuan fare with the driver ($5 US) to go to Base Camp and abandon the Donkey right there on the trail.

When they arrive at Base Camp the jeep driver demand that they each pay 400 Yuan ($50 US!). They both refuse to pay but they cannot communicate with the now angry driver. He only speaks Tibetan and they only know some Mandarin Chinese. The driver insists that they all four go to Rombok village to arbitrate with some interpreters there.

Everyone in Rombok gangs up on them. They still refuse to pay and the driver takes off in the Jeep with both of their packs. The people of Rombok town then proceed to throw rocks at the two confused Japanese men who then flee in terror. Now all he has to his name is the shirt on his back, his book and his money belt.

Both of them go straight to Kathmandu and buy all new gear. They even eventually go to visit Hunza in Northern Pakistan on the same trip. Hide does not agree when he hears people go on and on about how all Tibetans are nice people.