The Trip That Took Itself

A Pocket Full of Change + Lots of Faith!



Ellen Warburton dashed headlong into Asia (at the age of fifty-two) with an open mind and a budget that prompted 3 vows: She would follow where the way seemed to lead She would take the cheapest accommodations she could find She would travel like a local as much as she could -- no taxis unless absolutely necessary.


That was to set the style of her travel -- trusting that she would have help when she needed it, and believing in the friendliness of people everywhere.


Ellen had a lifetime of adventures in one short year during her travels in Southeast Asia, including a month as a lay nun in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, a face-to-face encounter with a cobra, and a month-long trek to the Mount Everest Base Camp with her mountaineer son.


Through all of this she remained tranquil and trusting, sustained by her daily Zen meditation.

About the Author:

Ellen Warburtnon was born in 1928, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Professor Walter L. Dorn and Broadway actress Margaret Barnstead. Ellen's mother died before she was two. After graduating from National Cathedral School in 1946, she went to Berlin, where her father was a military advisor. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1950 and earned a Master's in Psychology from Ohio State.

With Peter Warburton, a philosopher and computer analyst, she raised two sons, in a household that enjoyed camping, hiking and venturing into the outdoors. After her divorce in California Ellen held various jobs, including cook at the Jikoki Zen Center. In 1974, she began seriously practicing zazen (meditation) as a Zen Buddhist.

At the time of her trip in 1981-1982, she had been an aide to third grade teachers at Monta Loma Elementary in Mountain View, California.

Books printed in the US and the UK.