Steppps – Friedenspilgern

At the morning of 3rd of September I wake up and feel like in a state of koma. The intence retreat. …. in my bones…..
How can I walk like this…..
Konchok, my host, motivates me and I decide to start after midday. He wants to accompany me a bit. It is Monday and it’s school free. Krishnas birthday is celebrated country wide.
Still exhausted, but we start at 1pm.
Konchok, a monk and wardan at the disabled school,  where we start, is such a wonderful host. As long as I do the peace walk  this time in this area, …. in the breaks, I always can come to him….. So great….
The plan. Just to walk to Matho, maybe little bit further into the valley what will lead me later into the higher Himalayas. I have a tent and sleeping bag from Skarma and Sunil. A mat from Konchok. And a lot of food with me. The bagpack is heavy, but all is nessassary to have. After 14 km, a bit behind the beautiful monastary the night rest at the Matho Tokpo river.

I made the same mistake as after the last retreat, having not a rest after the retreat for diguesting.

Having no diguesting time it has to be done on the way. So next day I walk only 10 km,  but still hard…. I have to walk over round  rocks in the river bed and I have to cross the river several times…. but it’s super beautiful, old WEIDEN trees….. so beautiful…..
Already at 3pm I build up my tent close to a recluse. Tibetian flags decorate the trees….
And wonderful…. I can meditate a bit more…. good, there is no-one,  and I do not want to meet anyone….. one lonely Yak is passing by, that’s all….

At the morning of the third day I am still a bit exhausted, but it does get better. Looking at the map and guessing where I am and looking at the sun I am really confused where I am. But I could not have walked somewhere else. …. So….???? I just continue the valley further up. Getting some overview the situation gets very clear…. back at orientation….. some horses with some guide pass by, they come from Matho pass further west. Maybe they delivered some food to a remote area or guided some tourists earlier somewhere – maybe to Stok…. and in the way home. The horses have bells around the neck as I only know that from cows in the alps or elsewhere….

Crossing the ShangLa Pass (4940m) I reache in the evening at Shang Puh,  a valley, where 4 rivers meets. Some nomads are here. I camp a km away from the little camp ground, where I met some Spanish tourists. They made a big circle around the Stok range to train themself to get on Stok Kangri (6.137m) on the 8th or 9th of September. Next morning I see the Spanish tourists again, invitation for breakfast. They have a crew of 4 with them, horse guides and cooks, two tents and 5 horses ?. Surprisingly I find out that I should pay 200 Rupies…. I don’t know for what…. anyone who camps in the valley has to pay this fee… but for what…. I did not recieve any service…. I don’t hear it’s for a nature protection project or something else…. I only see this nomads, who did not even opened there shop…. happy to recieve money…? I talked to them…. I am a peace walker walking with little money…. ok they agree with no fee….
From the Spanish couple I recieve a glass of peanut butter, some cooked potatoes and too Rupies donation…..

This continues the whole day. Everywhere where I tell my story, a donation after the other, so unexpected in the middle of ’nowhere‘. And food for free and so on.
After recieving all the donations I feel: ok with the donation money and my money I have with me I can make it until Zanskar,  before I was not to sure. ….

The way leeds my over the next pass into the spectacular Chuskyurmo valley. Lots of river crossing, but nearly without wet feet. Steep up in the river bed. I can’t make it up to the next pass so I sleep at some little area beside the river bed. With some stones I fix my tent. Good night sleep on 4.800m.  But this sleeping bag is just to thin, I feel. Every night, full clothes wearing, I waek up and freece and shake for a while. Anyway good weather during the day….

The reatreat happened from the 22nd of August to the 2nd of September.

Coming there I am asked to serve the course. I really want to participate, to sit in silence the 10 days, because the technic opened up so many processes on different areas in my body, that I want to take the chance of continuation. .. and I also want to work on inproving the sitting times, I want to go through some more inner borders…..
So I have A little to drop that personal plan…. getting ready to serve
A retreat, in this case only for men, needs beside the teacher and manager 3 servers. Somehow, for this retreat there is no server yet. So the manager has to surge and ask the experienced arriving students to volunteer. Anyway, I am so greatful for the existence of these Vipassana Centers, to teach and taught me this wonderful technic, and anytime for free – also meals and accommodation are free – that I am also happy, in this case or later on, to offer my service here and now, if needed…..

A server has to serve the whole time of the retreat. The students, in this case around 30, need to be served in such a way, that they can follow all the teachings and stay in total silence for the whole time. The teachings are done by S.N.Goenka by video. He himself died around 10 years ago in the age of 96. For any questions there is a teacher present, twice a day. Also the teacher is there to guide the whole course and to solve (together with the manager and the servers) any kind of problem arising. As far as I know, the teacher and manager are also serving for free…. but I am not sure, if that is the case in any center, especially reguarding the manager ….
The cooking is aranged by 3 cooks in the kitchen. Not sure if they are partly also volunteers.

For me as a server I have to be present to serve the food and communicate with the kitchen about any issue…., to take care of the accommodation area to keep it clean and need, to ring the bell and make sure, that any students are coming to the sittings, to recieve questions of the students and inform or guide them to the manager or teacher, to take care of discipline in the meditation hall and keep the hall need and clean…. and little other things….
In the evening there is always a extra Metta  (love, compassion and forgiving) meditation for the serving team incl. teacher, manager and the kitchen stuff followed by another organizing meeting afterwards….
The day is busy from 4am to well, so it’s very nessassary to take of some rest time in between, too.

The first the fourth day I am pretty busy with all kind of things, especially because the new students need to get used to the rules and also because the first three days are very hard, if you never had a silence period. On some days I meditate somehow often only 10 min until I have something to do, but after the fouth day things calm down and I benefit a lot also from meditation and teachings.

This reatreat I became busy with a part of my heart again, this time the more of less left part of my physical heart. I had worked so much on my heart the last years, there are clearly some areas worked through – as far as I can see now – but the left part of my heart…. a area, where I did not focus earlier on….. surprise, what all is to find there. ….

(Until today I am still busy with it, every day in my daily meditations)

After the retreat, at the last morning, after the official end of course) I have to escape suddenly (my plan was to stay until lunch), because I feel, if I do a little more, than my energy capacities are overstreched and I can’t start walking the next day as planed.

All in all a beautiful experience. We had a very young group, a lot of men just between 18 and 25. And for me it is and has always been a joy to see, when someone comes in process, maybe suffering for a while, but knowing where it’s leads to…. to free something and to more happiness and light…..

Dear friends,

It’s already the 13th of October when I do start updating the blog for the last 7 weeks.

I am sitting in Skarma’s Ladakhi house on 3.300m elevation in Shushot Yokma, 12 km outside of Leh/Ladakh/India. The sun is shining bright outside, its around 11am, the snow toppef mountains are also shining in there beauty in this gorgeous valley, wind is a bit cold, but little. Inside its cold. There is no heating yet installed for the winter. Because of the bright reflection of the sun on my smartphine, on which I write the blog, I can’t sit outside….. So I sit on my bed, covered in lots of blankets, knowing that the sun comes a bit around the house to shine into my room… in the hope of some warmer atmosphere and temperature.

This time it took a lot of preparation for being ready to write this blog. So much happened during the last weeks. So I had to understand, diguest and contemplate on lots of things….
The blog feels sometimes like a big task to do…. it’s often a energetically birth, which happens from my backside through my heart and belly…… and it’s quite an effort…… to the same time its a good resume ….. to put it in words….. And sometimes it needs a lot of reflection to know, what really happened, how to put it in words, what is the result of the happenings…. and I want always be honest, as much as I can and understand everything by myself….
Because writing about outer things happened is kind of easy, but here I do my work with all the inner experiences, who have to be understood, even for myself….. and to explain what happened is also not so easy, because it can be misunderstood, misinterpreted or misjudged, what I want to avoid….

To open myself up on this platform, by taking the risk of being misunderstood, somehow also a bit skary, but I am committed, to take that risk, to come to a most honest report ….. even when it is very personal. ….

My reports are a resume of my experiences and are a reflection of my inner process…. happy to be shared on this platform,  and does not mean, that is has to become someone’s else’s trueth…. but I love to inspire, to go deep inside and process the way to one’s own truth and wisdom….
That’s the reason, that I open up myself also on a very personal level, not to hide anything….
yes, so let’s start the report…..

Thanks for reading……

ack in Leh and Bliss

I am back in Ladakh.
The last week was filled with arriving back and feeling very welcomed.
It was filled with giving two interviews, one to a radio station, one to a newly published magazine.
It was filled by a talk I gave in a local very sympatic 'Metta cafe' owned by Tanvi. Lots of social activity and volunteering is taking place there…. respect
It was filled with organizing the upcoming time. Thinking of the routes to takes, thinking of the food to carry, thinking of stations, where friends here will bring more food….. Skarma and Sunil will visit me once or twice or…. to support and …. maybe even walking and cloning together.

From tomorrow on I attend another 10 day Vipassana retreat in Saboo, just so close to here.

Directly after I start walking, finally again…. first to Moorey Plains, where I had the vision (see earlier article) to walk another clockwise circle (~140km to go once around the visions triangle), then I extent my walk into other areas of Moorey Plains, there are some lakes located in beautiful landscape. All the plains are mainly on 4500-4700 m. After the walk continues to Zanskar Range….
This will take around 6 weeks.
It seems there is enough time to walk afterwards into the Nubra Valley.

I feel so blessed and often bliss, that I am allowed to do this wonderful work and walk. I am so grateful.
Thanks

Blessings and bliss to you all
Thomas

Schedule and Visa

It’s only a few days ago, that I got the result of my Visa application. After I got through a lot of emotional and mind chaos. Not clear, if someone did a mistake, or a big misunderstanding happened, anyway….
The result is, within the next year I get only 2×90 days Visa for India, instead of expected 4×90 days.
I am happy, that today I can see it already with distance.

Elisabeth has some friends in the historic city of Bakhtapur, 20km away from Kathmandu. Naresh and Kailash, two brothers, offered me a free stay in there hotel. Madhu, another friend of her, is a famous Thanka painter. His family work has a 300 year tradition.  Wow. Madhu showed me his work and a looked him a bit over his shoulder.
Impressiv. A little girl with some skin irritation was sent from the pharmacy to him for healing. (Also hospitals are happy to get his help) He painted 4 dragons around the irritation. Some rice was offered, a prayer and a little money to him. He says: In 4 days it’s gone. Never anyone comes back for complanes.

The big stupa at Boudha in Kathmandu is so energeticly beautiful. All day long Buddhist pilgrims circle clockwise around the monument. Wonderful atmosphere.
It’s nice just to watch all the people circleling around. The pilgrims with there prayer chains, the ladies in there traditional clothes, some with prayer wheels, monks and nuns, people who have a little chat while circleling, old and young men and women, handicapped, and pilgrims who circle around by touching with the whole body the ground….
All together they create a beautiful silent concentration…..
_________________________________________

Anyway, this is the new schedule until June 2019 and I am happy with it.

Schedule  August 2018 until June 2019

13.8. – 8.11.2018 Ladakh/India
Peace walk in….
1) Nubra Valley
2) Zanskar
3) Moorey Plains
Maybe I have to drop one of the destinations (not enough time?!)
Also 22.8.-2.9. Vipassana retreat in Saboo

9.11. – 31.12.2018 Nepal
Peace walk from Mahendranagar to Lumbini
Also Vipassana retreat 15.12.-26.12. in Lumbini

1.1.-31.3.2019 India
Peace walk to the ‚Buddha places‘

1.4.-15.6.2019 Nepal
Peace walk from Lumbini to Pokhara, mountains and to Kathmandu……

Dalai Lama at Nubra Valley

The Dalai Lama is this month (July) in Ladakh. He travels to a lot of monasteries in the area and teaches. Elisabeth and me had the luck to see him arriving close to the airport,  when we wanted to pick up her late coming luggage.
All Ladkies are so happy when he is around and the anyway uplifted atmosphere in Ladakh gets even more highlighted with his presence

After the retreat we are travelling to Nubra Valley. Herefore we have to cross the 5.600m Kardung La Pass. His Holiness will teach in Sumoor at the monastery for 3 days.
It is always a joy,  and maybe the best of gathering with the Dalai Lama, to get there. Everyone is so happy to see him, it’s just a wonderful atmosphere in the air.
The whole valley with 3000 to 4000 people is gathered. All Ladakhies in there traditional clothes.  Just beautiful. Also around thousand nuns and monks are gathered, travelled also from South India into the far Himalayas.

The first day is a bit political. All important people greeting him, politicans and religious leaders in the region. Recently the Dalai Lama had his 83rd birthday. There is a big Muslim community in Kashmir.

The second day is a quite a interlectual speech from him. And it is somehow hard to follow. Even the translated can’t believe, that after 3 hours, there is another chapter to translate… he is just exhausted.

What I take from his speech:

He talked about 6 elements
Earth, water, fire and air. The fifth element is space, the sixth element is consciousness. 5th and 6th element space and consciousness. Wow.

Then he says a sentence:
Anger is always selfish!!!!
I contemplated a lot of it, it’s true. Anger is always selfish!!! Thanks.

The third day it’s the long life prayer of His Holiness. Always I thought, people pray for his long life, but it’s a meditation he guides for long life of everyone. Beautiful.

The days after we have a little rest. I feel, I need some days being for myself and walk all the 100 km back to Leh over the pass. Great. And then, finally out last a days together. Elisabeth has to fly back to Germany. A few days later I also have to fly, but to Nepal because I have to renew my Visa. Time flyed. …

Elisabeth and Silent retreat

I pick my friend Elisabeth from Germany up from the airport. She has been my girl friend 20 years before for a bit more then one year. Since then we are still good friends. She will stay for 3 1/2 weeks.
Sure, we have to talk a lot and so we use the first days to update is, discuss and exchange ideas, problems and solutions.
We have quite something in common, for example, that we both have a professional background with sound and sound healing. She works with singing bowls and gongs in her own institute in Switzerland and Germany but also international. Her Gong book is soon to be published. I used sound and sound healing by voice and harmonics and worked also with gongs in concerts, seminars and for relaxation….
So here we are together in Ladakh, which we both love a lot.

After a few days the idea arises, that we should have a silent retreat together. She asked me, if it would be possible, that I lead her through a silent retreat. In the beginning, I am a bit surprised, but after some thinking and dicussion, where and when, I agreed with a 8 day retreat. Our rooms where perfect, the guest house agreed with serving us special food, steamed vegetables, and there was even a dining area between our rooms without disturbance. The guest house team got it from the beginning and were very mindful all the time.
And sure, I benefit always from every silent retreat, what I do by myself, visit or give. I just love it to be in silence and meditate with others.

Since 1 year, after I got to know Vipassana, I add that knowledge into it, some very helpful details I learned, but all the silence retreats I have given before, are very similar to Vipassana. I earlier wrote in the blog about some experience during and after the retreats, so I don’t want to repeat myself here. As usual, the first 2 or 3 days are a bit difficult, the mind has its hassle…. but then it became quite deep and intense.

In the retreat, just before this happening I will report soon, I draw some signs with useful little sayings, for example: observe -don’t change anything‘ or ‚every step is a wonder‘ (we did also walking meditation to the shanti stupa) or ‚ this is a happy moment‘. The last one I glued wondering, why at my door. In every retreat I use these and other signs. Just before following story happend, I thought, it’s not good visible and I put a yellow paper underneath,  kind of framing: ‚this is a happy moment‘.

I want to write here about one experience I had, but I had to diguest it a while, not knowing, if I could write about this, what happens, in the blog. I was so shocked and ashamed. I decided to write about it, even though it’s very personal, because it maid help someone to look deeper in our existence. To look deeper into, what we are, what we are not, and about Karma, influences, from ancestors or our own earlier incarnations….., into our ’now-life’…

The story begins:
If you go in silence, automatically, after a while, you realize, that the body mind system want to show you your ’spots‘. These spot can be very painful, but they are there for some reasons, so you have to just look at them, without being identified with them. It’s just important to observe.
When I started my ’spiritual life‘, about 30 years ago, and I started meditation, I had for at least 5 years a very painful area at my back, in the area of my heart chakra on the back side. It felt always like a super wunerable place and my aura was kind of open to the back. And it did not go away for at least 5 years, then other places came into my focus. Since then it felt like ‚healed‘ or gone.

In this retreat the place came again into focus and I was surprised, that there was again a black area, a very black area. How could I not realize that before, where did this black thing, looking like a cube, has been all the years. Anyway, I observed the cube. I had learned in Vipassana, that when you are ready, energies show up and eventually resolve, but it is not necessary, that we do need to know, what it is. But I really really wanted to know, what is is and where it is from, when did it arise and so on…. not knowing, that I maid be not able to diguest it.

Vipassana also teaches, that we have to live in order with the ’nature law’s‘, ‚universal law’s‘, ‚dhamma‘. If we don’t do, we maid harm also others, but also we harm ourselves and these ‚places‘ just stay until we follow ‚dhamma‘ again. So to make it clear, the main ‚dhamma‘ rules are manifested as wisdom in our religions. They are:
No killing
No lying
No sexual misconduct
No stealing
No consume of any drugs

So I went on observing the cube, yes, and still, I wanted to know, where its from and so on….
So I had to come in a state, where I was ok with the cube, not wanting anything from it, not resolving, not ending the pain… I had to come to a place, where it’s just ok, real ok, that the cube is there… As a sign, that you are there, in that totally accepting space, you reach a place of equanimity and your breath is coming very much suttle, very calm, nearly not there any more. But this also does not help, to do it, then it will not work, you have to reach that place of equanimity and then it happens…. it’s nearly like, it makes ‚klick‘ in your system…
So after a lot of hours observing I reached that place…. it was very painful, very black, but I was very accepting of all the pain, don’t care if pain or not, just observing….
The cube was broken in the middle and I could witness the crack, …. where is it from….
No I got images in my mind….kind of leading me to the point…. A long time ago, nearly 20 years, I had a past life session, where I found out, that I killed some souls, who did not have a body to that time. The women, who lead the past life session, explained, that it has been a long time ago, to Egyptian times or Lemurian times. Back then I was so ashamed, that it took a while to diguest this….  – this was my first sign or image in which direction it could go with me in this appearance of the black cube….
The second image, suddenly I thought about Netanyahu and his horrible politics, especially with the Palestinians. … but this was just short…. I was coming closer…. not knowing how very close I was in my observance…..

Then it happend: underneath the cube, I saw a sentence appearing and to the same time I heard it somehow (to that time the pain was extreme, but I just observed, but I also cried) the sentence was: ‚I killed some jews’…..
What. I am so supershocked…. what…. this is the worst case what I can think of…. I could not believe it…. ‚I killed some jews‘ I could clearly see and hear the sentense. Somewhere out of me I heard it ….
Immediately, crying, I started chanting inside: ‚I am so sorry, I love you, please forgive me, and thank you’…. again and again. Still in shock I continued singing this inside. This is a mantra from a Hawaiian ‚hooponopono‘ forgiving ritual, the melody I was shanting is from Jordanian musicians, friends of mine, Atef and Rawan, who composed a wonderful song out of it.
I started thinking of my life: but I have such a blessed life…. how can it be, that I killed some jews, then I can’t have such a wonderful life…. I think of my parents, very Christian parents , who thought me Christian rules for life, did they safe me by doing so…. where did I come from.. just a life before this life, living in Germany and killing some jews….. (and what means ’some‘ – I am so shocked)
My thought are running and I can’t believe it, but the pain and the tears are so real….
Now I am blessed to be a peace walker. .. but how can I write this in the blog….
I know, we go all to all experiences of life, but I still somehow doubt the existence of other lives  (but also not, because I have some rememberings) but this is so real….
If it would be ages ago…. I could just look at it, observing, knowing, if have learned so much since then..   but just a life before this…. just 20 years before I was born to this life…. I am shocked….
But the cube desolves .. more and more….

All this happened at the end of the day. I, so in shock, went back to my room. Suddenly I see the sign: ‚ this is a happy moment‘ and I start crying again. What a bliss, that this sign is there, and that I can see the happiness in it.
This trues did show up and it’s a bliss to see the trues.

Staying in my bed I remember thinking…. this will be a sleepless night…. but after a little while I slept deep and good.

Every time, the following days, whenever I thought about this, and I was shanting inside ‚I am so sorry, I love you, please forgive me, and thank you‘ I was crying.

Reflecting on it
Some days later, thinking back and forth, if I can share this, I did share in our sharing circle at the nearly end of this retreat. I thought I even could not speak, because I would cry and cry again….. I could, to my big surprise, talk about it without stopping my words… what a miracle..  .!!!!

I have to confess…. as real everything was on the day of realising…. already after the first night, my mind put it into the corner ‚unreal‘ …. ‚this was not me’….  ‚this is a intersting story’…. and so on…..
So heavy to diguest…..

…. in fact…. it was not this person…. this person lives only this life…. but the life before…. there was this other person (same soul) having done that…..

Still, I am surprised, that I have this life, such a blessed one….
Maybe I was tested also.  When I started my ’spiritual‘ life, shortly after, I followed my heart…. following my heart I had a lot of financial problems, 15 years …. but I went on with my heart path….. I finally succeeded…. in the beginning with no help, after 7, 8 years the first help arised. More and more help came through, also moneywise…… was that the test period? ….

I could really have lived just before this life…. because I do have a remembering of a fleeing scene after the first world war….. So I could have had experienced 2 world wars in Germany. ….. I searched and searched if this remembering is from an ancestor,  but I could not find anyone of my ancestors,  where this story could fit…..

It feels, if all of this is true, that there must have been a teaching between the lifes. I know, to be a peace walker in this life was decided before I was born…..

I thought of one my other places, who have to be healed. I reported in this blog about it, too. It’s at my left hip. I always thought, I or one of my ancestors was sexual misused…. but now slowly but clearer and clearer, I guess, maybe or sure, I or the person I have been before, must have been the perpetrator. ..  hard to beer,  but it makes so much sense. ….

Real peace can only happen, when whereever in us and our society, not only the victims are seen and heard, but also the perpetrators can also speak up, been heard. When a perpetrator can speak up in the full knowledge of what he or she has done, with the fully inside, that it was not right, there is no further panishment needed….. peace will appear!!!

After completing 18.000 km I meet the Hell-race-people.
It’s just mind blowing what these organize. They have some runners who are running in 120 hours, 5 days,  a distance of 475 km from Manali to Leh through all this high passes. (Includes sleeping time)
Some other runners do 5 marathon in 5 days through this difficult terrain.
We have a wonderful evening together, where I give my story of the ‚empty villages and the vision‘ into the circle.

Next day we all have to get over the 5.350m TanglangLa Pass. The marathon runners have to take the running route along the official street, I can take some short cuts. While starting to nearly the same time, I sit again after the Pass somewhere at the side of the street, resting, while the runners pass by.

I have another problem to solve. I calculated the time for walking until Leh fine. At the 30th of June my friend Elisabeth from Germany arrived for a visit. What I did not calculate….. I have to write and publish the blog before she arrived, otherwise I am not really with her.
So…. I decided, because I walk so nice and kind of easy bigger distances, to walk the 70 km after the Tanglang La Pass crossing day in just 2 days. Just before the gates of Leg, in view distance to the Shanti Stupa, I stay now with my ‚free monk friend‘ Konchok. Here I have time to do all the writing and proparbly tomorrow publishing…..

Blessings to all of you
Thomas

Kontact or comments

Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542
Email: steppps@gmx.de
Fb: Thomas Heinrich Schmöckel
Fotos instagram schmockelthomasheinrich

The last two walking days, to much traffic on the road. Season is getting high…. to much honking…. no clue where Sunil is, he must have passed….

One afternoon in Pank, I told the both ladys Sonem and Tshimet, who helped me with my special food wishes, I have to go to my room (dormitory) to think….. I had no clue what that would mean. I set down on my bed and put my palms together, suddenly a flow starts coming through me… it is less thinking, than recieving information, sorting it in the open mind…. ok. I reached Pank and the upcoming plains…. Sunils intention to see me on the way brought me until here. Now I can leave the street. I can go to Sangtha (away from the street) to cut the way to Dehbrink (45km on the road) in two parts. Looking on the map I slowly understand I can continue from Sangtha further northnorthwest towards a village Lungmoche and Dat, then to Tsokra to finally reach after KarpoLa Pass a more common hiking trail towards Leh. All the villages are marked on my map with a red square, which means, people are living there permanently. A local shows up, looking at my plan, realize what I want to do, says ‚yes‘, to the same time leaving the room, telling ‚I come back’…. what he did not, also the following day. So I ask Sonem and Tshimet, to look over my plan…. There are not so super locals, but after a while, they agree, that there are people in the villages. Tshimet even has a brother in Kharnak, which is on my maps.me online map just a km away from Sangtha. I can stay there for a night. She has another adress from Tsokar (my map says Tsokra) where I can stay on a camp ground renting a tent.

I waited all the time to find someone to go together on hiking trails, but all the people who promised to come, did not come, wether other people came insted. So it’s time to go alone. And I am confident. I found a nice route, which I can manage,  even though it has five around 5000m passes. There are enough villages on the way, where I can get potatoes or eggs to fill up my food storage. Mainly nuts and some other snacks I bought at the Dhabas. Raisins for 3 or 4 days are left. And a bit honey and chick peas.

The map I have is a hiking map, showing all the structures of the mountains and rivers. The trails are not marked in any way.

From Pang I leave through a short cut from the valley towards the plains. And its just great to be up there, looking around to all the mountains and down into the river valley. Going north it’s just beauty, here are wild and stay horses to witness. They live from the little grass here. After 12 or 14km I stop looking back at that fabulous mountain, which makes coming from north a illusion. It seems, that everyone has to turn in a 90 degrees angle, but in fact the cars can go nearly straight towards Pang. After I turned to my trail the mountain turns with the sun light kind of violett /blue, on the north side he has a kind of turquoise valley formation and beside a kind of huge bowl, best for a nice ceremony. I have to climp up and down the 4.950m SparmurLa Pass. From far I can see Sangtha and it seem, that there are nice Tibetian/Ladakh houses. Beautiful. After all the Dhabas a nice Tibetan village. At 5.30pm I reach the village. The illusion was perfect. 11 stupas are lined up at the small Zara river, combined with a huge altar of ‚Om mani padme hum‘-stones…… the stupas made a image of Tibetan houses, but…. on the other side, where the houses are, simple stone houses and …. they are all empty. Not a single being there, not a single animal to find… lots of footprints, only from animals….. What happened? …. A second village ‚Kharnak‘ is not to see. What to do? …. Lungmoche is 11km away….. I decide to go there. But I have to hurry up…. I maid arrive there when it’s dark….. Through a dry river valley I follow the trail north. Some Jeep was driving here earlier. Both sides steep rocks with caves, ideal to use them as meditation caves…. I hurry up
…. But after maybe 20 min I change my mind and I walk back to Sangtha. If there is no-one in Luchmoche, I have a real problem. I would arrive in the dark, no chance of orientation,  and I did not take any water from the Zara river in Sangtha….
Immediately I start picking up little dry wood pieces from the ground. In Sanghta the people left some of the animal stalls (sheep or goat) open. I find a small stall with a broken roof at one corner, so I can make the fire on that side. The villagers also put ‚flags‘ on big sticks, to keep wild animals away. Some of them I collect, bags for sitting and laying on it, a old broken but wide shepard jacket I use to keep me warm. I find more wood in the village, carry it to my night place, big concrete wooden pieces I don’t use, it maid be needed for other ‚construction‘ purposes.  I don’t sleep a lot, because I have to feed the fire all the time…. with all, what I found I survive warm. At the morning I have a wonderful body wash at the river….. what did happen, that no-one is in the village?…..

From here I could turn east to Dehbring, but this I will do only, if there is also no-one in Lungmoche. That would be a long walk, 11km to Lungmoche and another 28 or so from Lungmoche to Dehbring. I see so many animals, more wild horses, some wolf’s,  and so many holes of marmots…. The way is again rest to find, from Dehbring Lungmoche is also connected by a small diet road – but not a single car on it. …. The river is totally dry in Lungmoche, so in this case I completely understand, why this village is abandoned. Clearly it’s to see they have cows here. The dry shit is piled ….. I’m the moment I have to decide to go to Dehbring or continue towards Dat a car drives trough the village towards Dat. I can’t see the driver, it happens to quick, I am just not prepared for this happening… the only car I will see that day….. But I conclude….. ok, the car goes in direction Dat, that means, there must be people in Dat. It’s about 25km to Dat. And I have to cross another 4.950m ‚YarLa Pass‘. So my direction is north north west. Along all the walking way up, people build a wall,  2km up, 2km down, obviously to fill them up later with ‚mani-stones‘. What an effort…. and what an effort to get up that pass…. (from Lungmoche there is also a road connection to Dat, which end there – and not a single car, truck or human on it) The quality of that road is quite good, so I guess the Gompa monks from Dat have quite a influence on that. Beside the road again blocks of ‚mani-stones‘ at least every km. Coming down from the pass, there is a stone sorting mashine and I can’t see from the far, if this mashine is working or the belts just move by the wind. I don’t see a single human all the way. The mountains shine in different colours, from black to brown and gold,  green and yellow, partly changing by the sun light….. just beautiful….

Dat has three village parts, Datgo (Dango) and Dat (Shenen) and Dat Gompa and again, by my big surprise,  not a single human here. I just can’t believe it. The third village, and not a single human, only this one car, which I saw.  Again villagers had prepared there ’not being there‘ by decorating there animal wall shelters and houses by putting black sheep fjell on top, to keep other animals away. And they left there dogs… maybe 6 or so…. they tried to defend there territories. … at the Gompa I thought to find some or at least one monk…. no….. only two dogs making really trouble to come closer to the temple, which was anyway closed. They had a solar power station, which maid do it for all the people… everything looked very much care taken….
At the Gompa a area, where tree sticks are planted. Obviously a experiment field, what could grow here on 4.300m. Here grows only grass, if water is available. … rest is rocks and sand. ….

who feeds the dogs?…. where is the car I saw going here?…. and not driving back….. the river flows good here and I see a lot of grass in the river bed and beside….. how can it be, that really no-one is here?…. mostly someone does not agree with a solution, that everyone has to leave…….???? Anyway, there is no-one. … some buildings are open
But after one night no sleep I don’t want to do repeat the fire…. aria. …in a stall…. The prayer wheel building is also open….. and a house with a glass front towards the sun. Perfect. That is my house for the night. Warm and wooden from inside. A after fire smoke stinking tent I use as a blanket this night. Variations are needed. And I do sleep well and deep. At the next morning the dogs lay peacefully in front of my door…. empty stomachs?… accepting me as the new owner….
But I do not have enough food anymore, and what I have, the dogs would not like….
May food storage shrinked down to 100ml honey. Raisins are gone. Some peanuts are left, about 120 or 160g. Also 1 1/2 package chick peas and two packages of each 40g moong dal. Hmmmm. Continue walking? Next village is Tsokra, about 10km away, no clue if there are also no people? After Tsokra it’s about 25 to 30km to a better known hiking trail. Trikes is 4.200m high, after it comes the 5.190m Zalung KarpoLa Pass. Can I get up the pass, about 1000 m elevation meters up, with the rest of the food I would have after Tsokra? I am just not sure….
I decide to go back to Lungmoche, then to Dehbrink, getting maybe more food there,  maybe coming back….. getting to know if someone is in Tsokra. I wish myself a help to get a car over the YarLa Pass, but after Lungmoche I would walk again, because there is a trail, I haven’t walked…. so a help for 10km would be nice….

And another question is still not solved, where is this Kharnak, where I have the adress from….. a little sign I got in the evening by arranging me ‚bed’…. on one of the kartons I put underneath my body as a matress I saw written ‚Kharnak’……?….

Just in the moment when I was sitting down for a shit, a truck comes along. The driver, Saman stops.  He has 3 guys with him and a 2000l water tank in the back. They are going to Dat to get water. They can take me over the pass, when they come back. Great. So I continue my way. After 2h that come back. I have to jump on the back of the truck, companion of the water tank, which moves by going to raff threw some street holes towards me….
The three workers are from the stone mine I saw the day earlier. A adventurous unloading of the water tank followed. The three workers have only one water tank. Every time they need water, that have to get a transporter to there working place. The tank has to be filled up by buckets and men and only half full, because of the unloading process. So the truck driver lifted up the loading part to an angle, where the water tank nearly started to move down by itself. With a rope we tried hold him not to move to quick or slide over…. the whole tank was moved to a pile of stones on which he ended up on a 45 degree angle, fixed by stones. The three workers where shining of light through there eyes and smiling from ear to ear. A joy to see. The whole transfer did cost them 200 Rupies, about 3$…. They earn 500 Rupies each person each day…..
Ok. Back in the truck, this time in the front, over the pass. Saman is in his element. At the pass someone had lined up a line of prayer flags over the street, at bit to low. So Saman jumps on the gas pedal driving through the line. One of the flags, a red piece sticks at the morrow on his side. Quickly it got removed and with a gesture ‚have you seen anything?‘ and a big smile on his face the action is history….. For this little traffic the street is really good build, so good, that Saman needs to take instead of the loops, a bumpy short cut…. the truck flies down the mountain and I have to use my both hands to hold myself more or less in position…..
Arriving in Lungmoche there is obviously a dead black (not wild) horse lying on front of one of the stalls. If it would have been there yesterday, I would have recognized it. Saman and me are looking surprised to each other. Before I can say anything he moves up his shoulders and the truck went on…. some 100 m later I have to go. Saman thinks I will go tomorrow to Dehbrink, but no, I will reach today….. a lot of crazy people on this road…..
(Saman also had no idea, why no-one is in the villages, shoulders up…)

The vision
Greatful, after a ride over the pass, finally being back to walking….
I saw the track yesterday already, and I though, I really would love to go every way here…. how is that possible…. (it’s still 28 more km to go today, and I don’t know it’s so far) The track is again a old walking way of the locals, every some time I find the ‚mani-stone-altars‘ at the track side.
Suddenly I put my palms together, which I have done while walking super rarely and now it becomes a deep deep prayer. It becomes so intence and I enter another level of consciousness. I feel how every step becomes so precious, how every step is so holy…. as all the time, but now it’s so obvious to feel and to realize. Every step I do on this holy journey is so important, every single one, and every single one is so holy. … a gift to feel it so intence…..
I have to keep my palms together and to move on….. now, as the people are gone, we can start a new chapter, we can bring the water back by planting trees here, the plants and trees will hold the water and the rivers will start flowing again. Then we do not want to get the animals (sheep, goats, cows) back here, but we want to do this for the wild animals here…. for the horses, foxes,  wolfs, snow leopards and some rabbits, marmots, wild goats and so on. We want to rebuild the nature in a bit triangle from Pang to Dat to Dehbrink. Inside this triangle, maybe in Dat, shall be a silent retreat center, where people experience deep silence and learn from it. These people and other volunteers will reconstruct nature here, bring water back to this land by planting trees and other plants…. these people will walk around this triangle and pray for this land in silence and palms together in front of there chest. Every 15km will be a rest station for this praying people, a solar headed house, where they can rest and sleep. All the triangle has to be surrounded one by one and often as they can.
There need to be a huge light temple for the nature, for the elements be constructed, close to where I turned away from the street. The people who live in this area need to get other source of income than rising animals, they need to get other food than animal food. They can host for example the visitors, who all, including the people here have only access to renewable energy transportation. Everything has to be done, to protect nature in this area for the forsake of all. The effort and result shall shine further out from this triangle in all directions.
I promise to walk the next day the missing part of the triangle.

I am told to keep the hands in this way together and continue walk, but my arms were hurting with the backpack on my shoulders, I just had to rest. I set down….. diguesting what I realized…..

I walked the way to Dehbrink, reached there a little later than sunset.
Next day, exhausted as I was, I got early in the morning to the place where I turned left 3 days before (by another truck) to walk the last side of the triangle.

I stopped at Mangzul/Dehbrink at the nomads camp, to rest for a couple of days. Tilles, one of the Nomads could explain, where the villagers are. All went to Zara,  close to Dehbrink, because in there villages they had a ‚problem with the grass‘. They will be back in there villages in 10 days.
Kharnak is called the reagion around Dat and Datgo, also Tsokra.  In Tsokra the people from Dat and Datgo stay at winter. In summer, there is no-one in Tsokra…..

The locals say, no tree grows on the plains…..  In Rumtse,  on the way to Leh, on 4.190m are growing trees. Tsokra is on elevation level 4.200m. Dat and Datgo are on elevation level 4.300m. Sangtha is on 4.400m. Lungmoche a little bit higher.

Greenhouses, partly mud green houses are a big success in the area a bit lower. Some years earlier people in the Leh/Ladakh area thought, nearly nothings grows on 3500m or up. I tested last year delicious tomatoes from 3.600m.  So good.

From Mangzul/Dehbrink to Dehbrink I completed the triangle at the 22.6.2018, only 3km, and maid my km 18.000 of the peace walk full.

Kontact or comments

Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542
Email: steppps@gmx.de
Fb: Thomas Heinrich Schmöckel
Fotos instagram schmockelthomasheinrich