BOWING TO ELEPHANTS, Tales of a Travel Junkie is a travel memoir... with a twist. An unloved rich girl from San Francisco becomes a travel junkie to escape a dysfunctional family and a narcissistic, alcoholic mother. Thanks to a journey of healing and self-discovery, the author navigates depression, loneliness, and loss while learning how to break down the false barriers that separate people. Music, art, and food influence our hero as she finds her way to far-flung parts of the world. By the end, Dimond accepts the death of the mother she never really had ― and finds forgiveness, peace and her authentic self — in the refuges of travel and Buddhist practice. BOWING TO ELEPHANTS is an epic adventure — Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, India, and San Francisco — that transformed the author’s life. More than a travel memoir, readers will be inspired by one woman’s journey of self-discovery, healing, and forgiveness... as they encounter strange lands, tantalizing foods, and mesmerizing characters (including a 14,000- pound African elephant).