Julley Everybody!
Julley is how you say hello, goodbye, goodmorning, etc, etc, in Ladakh, which is where we got back from late Sunday night. We were there for a week and spent the first half staying in the capital of Leh and the second half trekking through the countryside.
We left Mussoorie and took a night train to Delhi from Dehradun – which was quite the experience. Can’t say it was the most comfortable night of sleep, but I’ll take the train over a 9-hour bus ride (which we had to do on the way back). From Delhi we flew to Leh, which is at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau and is at 11,000 ft. It is a cold desert and is part of the rain shadow of the Himalayas. On the whole, Ladakh reminded me of a more intense/rugged Wyoming. It felt so nice to step off the plane and breathe in the dry crisp air – felt like home! I really have enjoyed seeing all the different worlds that are all India.
We stayed at a place called the Gangba homestay, and I adored the food they cooked us – it came directly from their garden! And there was the cutest little girl who would hang out with us. Everyone in Ladakh grows at least some of their own food, especially in the remote villages, because the winters are so intense they are unable to source food from outside and so they have to support themselves and their families with subsistence farming and a heavy reliance on livestock. I was so impressed how well they were able to feed us on top of everything, and I loved to see how nothing went to waste. Old paint cans and milk cartans became flower pots, and the toilets in the rural villages were composting toilets, so you would throw some dirt in after and eventually that waste will be used to fertilize the fields. One of my favorite things was how even though the climate is so very dry and the people have to put quite a bit of effort into growing their own food, they also put effort into growing flowers – and it was incredibly beautiful.
On our first full day we went to the Shanti Stupa, which was built quite recently by the Japanese (it is the white dome pictured below). Stupas are resting places in Buddhism, while Gompas are places of learning (aka monasteries). We also visited the Leh fort, which was where the king of Ladakh used to live. We also went to the Bazaar, and I loved the prayer flags everywhere. I learned what the different colors of prayer flags mean – red is fire, blue is wind, green is water, white is air, and yellow is earth – and on our trek I really learned why they differentiate between wind and air (the days were super hot, so the breeze was most welcome). The next day we visited three monasteries, and my favorite one was the Thiksay Monastery of the Galugpa sect, and my favorite part of this monastery was the Temple of Taras. A Tara is a female Buddha, somewhat equivalent to an angel, and this hall had 21 Taras and I loved it. Tibetan Buddhism has only one female deity, and her name is Palden Lhamo and she is a protector of the religion, a figure of her was also in the temple. I was fascinated by the idea that women are unable to visit the part of the monastery that houses Lamo Khang, who is the most fearful deity. The Thiksay monastery also had a 40 ft tall statue of the future Buddha, which is also pictured below that was very cool to see. Watching everyone put on and take off their hiking boots multiple times at each monastery made me chuckle, but it was very cool to feel the way the stone and wood floors had been worn smooth by the rivers of people walking over them.
We started our trek on Thursday, and this was the first time I have ever been backpacking. The first day we walked for 7 hours above 11,000 feet, and it let me say, it kicked my ass. Alannah, you are sooo much more badass than I am! Our guides offered to carry my pack for me, but I refused because I had to finish the walk with my pack to prove something to myself. I think part of the reason the first day was hard for me (besides the fact that it was literally my first day doing something like that ever) was I felt like I needed to prove something to my companions. I go through phases of feeling like I am part of the group here and feeling like people just put up with me. We have been here for three weeks now, and it is starting to hit me that I am in this for the long haul. The second and third days of the trek were much more laid back and we only walked 3 to 4 hours. We did homestays in the villages we stopped in, so people literally opened their homes to us. The first house was this beautiful oasis, and I thoroughly enjoyed their apricot tree. The second night of the trek we actually stayed at one of our guides childhood home. Her name was Rigzen, and she was so sweet. We made veggie momos with her and her sisters – ours were not very pretty, but they were delicious. There is a road connecting these villages, and we walked on it for a little while, but the road has only been added within the last 10 years to give you a sense of how remote these places are. I gave myself an 8/10 on my first trek, I never complained, and I learned a lot. We go on a much more intense trek later in the semester - wish me luck!
We are back in Mussoorie now until the 19th where we go to Raniket, which is where Akshay’s home is. We are also visiting a local school about an hour away later this week. Classes are going well so far. Very different than a regular university experience, and I am not sure how the transition back to regular school will go. So far, what I am missing the most about the US is supermarkets, fixed prices, public transportation, toilet paper, and my boyfriend. India really is another world, and it is simultaneously really good and really hard to be here. I have quite a ways left to go in this experience, but I do believe I will learn a lot I never expected to.
Love from the Himalayas,
Regina
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