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It’s always a joy, to walk for peace, …. But here, back in the high mountains, after Spiti, just fantastic. Not without any ‚work out‘, but just wonderful. I feel sooo good at 4.000 m and above…. great. In Sarchu the first surprise. All the ‚villages‘ at the next 300km are only there in summer, when the passes are open and temporary. Some of them are just tents, some a bit more solid metal based, and some few solid super simple houses who are abandoned in winter. Real Ladakh villages are surprisingly not laying at this road, only further away from it. – The women, who own the most of the Dhabas in Sarchu are on strike!!! There was a arguing with the police, whithin the police mentioned to maybe close the shops, a stone hit one officer…. I don’t know the details… But the women then closed the shops by themself… to go for there rights…. The commander, Mr. Mishra, is so friendly to hand over a big hand of dry raisins and a fresh mango. Further he mentioned that just 20km away there, at Brandy bridge, is the next camp. Oh… I did not know about that. Good news. So I have a very lazy slow day, taking a short cut by crossing successfully a river, having a meditation on a outstanding rock formation overviewing the ‚Sarchu valley‘ and letting it go slow. (Sarchu lays where 5 big valleys meet on a plain, where 3 rivers have engraved there beds. For me this is a perfect spot to create a new modern city with only renewable energies and research institutes for future and clean technologies. I see gondola connect the river sides, bycicle driving around. It is possible to have alternativ transportation and nearly no cars.) But… arriving there, at Brandy bridge…. it’s not a real camp, there are workers and a mashine, sorting stones for size for constructions…. – I can’t stay here – Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 Going towards Keylong it’s ‚only‘ 3000 m high. If I am with some worries, I contemplate, I am not with my real self. I have 3 worries, which here and there come to me…. the sandals, my visa issue and my mother…. The sandals get again repaired in Keylong. Again a shoemaker from Panjab, working for the summer in this area, is taking care of my footwear. This time he fixes the soles again, before renewing the stiches of the stripes, who hold my feet. This time the soles get also nails!!! It’s so important, that the shoemaker understand, for what purpose I have the sandals, because, if I invent they way of repairing, they often say, ‚don’t worry, it will be ok‘, but in the end I have the problem going on…. and I actually don’t worry, I just do care…. I am happy with the result!!… Keylong is also the last place to stop for the next 300km. Because I do not eat sugar, honey and 2kg of raisins are the solution. Some nuts for the walker too. Also on the way through the mountains no fresh vegetables or fruits. So, I would like to take a lot, but no space in the bag and capacity of weight carriage. …. Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 Two cyclist are stopping beside me. Oskar from Sweden and Park from South Korea, who calls him on his tour for all the westeners John. Oskar has heard from me from 4 different sources in different countries. One was at a dinner party at the Malaysian embassey and he is nearly speechless to meet me in person. But Oskar is a communicativ person, so we have a lot to share. John is a bit calmer. Later the day, when we stayed at the same ‚homestay‘ he said ‚Now I am cycling around the world for some years. But after I have completed the tour, I want to walk around the planet, I think that’s much more difficult, so you are my ‚hero“. To leave Spiti towards Keylong I have to pass the Kunzum La Pass at 4.551m. The road seems to be partly as a dirt road in a side valley, which maid lead ???? …where???, but it’s about 70 km long and ‚The highway‘ between the district Spiti and Lahul, which are governed together…. 100km away from Kaza my sandal soles say good bye to my sandals…. the sharp stones at the short cuts did there best.. .. Anyway, I look forward to sleep in one of the simple Dhabas at the highway, which exist only in summer… here are no villages, so some people open here there summer buisiness. And the first Dhaba in Batal is owned by a really nice couple, in there late 50th and only smiling. Some stones on top of each other for the walls, a wooden improvised roof construction and a plastic on top. Ready is the sleeping place. Cosy and cheap. And in the beginning of the season all the sheets and blankets are still clean…. In Koksar I am back on the route from last year. One Dhaba owner promised last year a cheap place to stay. But this year everything different. He rented this place to other people, making 5 laks, 500.000 Rupies, what’s about 7.700 $ for the season. The owner is Nepalese, build this up by his own hands and now that’s this win!!! (A worker on the street earns about 7 to 8$ a day.) The new owner talked about ‚peak season‘ and I answer, that I don’t have ‚peak money‘. … Anyway, we come to a compromise…..
Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 As so often I follow a short cut. Often to avoid km to km in loops, as today from Komic on 4500 m to Kaza on 3.600m. But this time the short cut, which is even mentioned in ‚maps.me‘ is just … what?. It’s steep and lose stony down. No sign of a path at all. Suddenly a way crosses. But it leads to a kind of cliff. I follow in the hope to find a better way into Kaza. This way is done to build a small water pipe route to Kaza. A bit adventurous. All the time I say to myself ‚ok, to the next corner…‘ …. witnessing that the path gets smaller and smaller, but closer and closer to Kaza, steep down on the right side, the left side steep up…the houses of the small town are already kind of under me…. after the 8th or 10th time ‚around only the next corner…‘ it’s just to straight down (the cliff) and my foot just fits on the edge ( and I had to remove a stone to have a ‚good‘ grip) …. Even though the town is so close, I decide to go back to the lose stone ’short cut‘. Somehow after a while I am down…. Again, the x-time again, I feel in a kind of time laps. Since about 2 weeks I arrive all the time so early at day, even having left late?…. so today I am at 3.30pm at my day goal….???? The monastery in Kaza is happy to invite me for 3 nights in a luxury room. Warm water again. Shaving time. The monks are busy singing. They have layed a huge sand mandala as a celebration towards Vesak festival at full moon. Also they have a spring ceremony at my last day there on the terasse and stairs at the great temple… with blessing seeds and a huge fire overviewing the whole Spiti valley. I am invited to sit with them during the ceremony on the podium and I witness some funny situations. … the ‚head crowns‘ are sitting not good at all. They have four parts and some of the monks look like American Indians. All the time one of the 16 monks have to rearrange his ‚head set‘. One monk does all the time selfies of his decoration, which suits him really fantastic. Onother monk falls all the time to sleep, sitting in the front….. last days ceremonies have taken easily 8 hours a day…. so the drummer with his long drum stick is heading out drumming on his back to wake him up…. Sol cafe is given to me as a adress of good and fair informations. I have to let go of my idea to take one of the two short cuts to Ladakh. One needs a guide or at least a tent – ten days no houses -, for the other I have to cross 3 rivers…. and because it’s spring time there maid be to much melting water….. so I have to take the 150km way around a mountain range…. Sandals repaired. With the help of a shoe maker from Punjab. The sandals got repaired. Some stitching. And a new sole. Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 Better buildings for the Himalayas 2nd time to Leh Visions Circeling clockwise Last year this ‚om mani padme hum‘ mantra enchanted itself in myself. This year this did not happen yet. Curious. …. Sandals Age Aparnas daughter Vedangi Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 I am so happy that I choosed this route. Sempa Dorje guided me to do so. It’s a bit challenging, especially the 2nd day from Lalung to Demul, when it goes steep up. But the way is good done, even partly constructed, just for humans and animals. The village women in Lalung celebrated a mantra Shanting by circleling clockwise around the temple. (Also very beautiful temple with lots of statues with need of renovation). Later they sat down having tea and cookies while continuing the prayers, also by using prayer chain and prayer wheels. All the income of the homestays in Demul get shared in the community. There is a coordinater who comes in the morning with a book, collects the money. And everyone’s seems very happy with the solution. Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 Already in the evening Aparna arrived by Taxi. We meet on the street in upcoming darkness. Joy is big to see each other and I guide her to the room. The Isralies and Marina from Argentina, now as well in Dankhar, which I met earlier have there last evening in Tenzins homestay and we are invited to be there. Aparna has only her woolen half jacket with her and we have to climb some steep area in the dark up close to the fort. Aparna needs my hand not to slip down and for inner safety. The evening is great and she is so happy to walk back to our room later on, after 4 days travelling and little sleep on busses and train. But 400m of walking on a dirt road have to be done after there. She needs again my hand to manage and I think she is a bit surprised (or even shocked) how the conditions are. Because some of the restaurants in Dankhar are relatively costly I found a nice Dhaba to have breakfast. It seemed very long until we had our food ready and after 1 1/2h we were just ready to go, when Aparna started a intensiv conversation with the owners lady, which is also teacher at the monks boys school. I did not know what the conversation was, but I lost interest in waiting after 10 min, told her that I will wait at the closed by old monastery where I wanted to show her around. Aparna just quit her teachers job and now she is asked, to coach or even teach here. The next day she really had a appointment at the monks boys school and stayed until afternoon. She had told, to my surprise, that she did not want to go up to the lake. She had even breathing problem from our room to the Dhaba. But I went. The beginning was a bit hard, but then it was not so steep anymore and I enjoyed it so so so much. At the lake a stupa stands in the wild. A little bit more up a view point with some prayer flags. Soooo beautiful. After a while I decided to get Aparna here. I went down to the village with exitement and fully convinced, if needed, to push her up here. Down in the village I could not find her. (Later I found out, I went to the wrong school). When she showed up, the still did not want to get up there and had some news. She did not want to walk with me, instead of staying for 10 days in the village, coaching and teaching….. Next morning, she had more news. She had a dream. Also she said, she does not like teaching anymore. Now she will go home again. …… ok….. surprise The days later I often thought about her…. I am proparbly to optimistic, that she have could managed the pathes I walked….. also sad, that she could not accept the alternates, I had offered her, to enjoy this beauty of Spiti……. Anyway, I took her with me, in my steps…… Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 After crossing the exit point of the ‚inner line‘ area a sign: ‚Welcome to Spiti Valley‘. Another main destination this year. From now on I have to slow down a bit. I am good in time. I enjoy even more the beautiful nature…. I rest much more, here and there a beautiful place to meditate in the nature. In Tabo is another break point. A ‚market place‘, filling up proviant, eating fresh fruits. One of the few phone points, so I contact Aparna, to find out, that she is on the way again. Here is a old monastery, build in 996 after Christ. Beside a new monestary and a big stupa. Young monks exercising outside some gestures of convincing others in conversations, I am allowed to stay in a dormitory of monasteries guest house, which is in renovation, another attraction are meditation caves, I meet some new and former met travellers, really nice….. Among the travellers is a Israeli family with 3 kids. They always have a few years at home and then the whole family goes on a one year journey again. I met earlier families who have done a year off, but to do that on a regular basis is just fantastic, the best education for the kids at all, and super inspiring. Just great….. I continue my slowness, find again nice places to rest, for example a beach at the Spiti river, and more meditation caves without any tourist use…. After Shichling – 3470m – the way goes up to 3.900m to Dankhar, a pictures village, again with old and new monestary. Just arriving Dankhar I get stopped by a teacher of a government school. After a bit I sit with the students to exercise english practise. Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 From 3.600m it shall go down to 3.200m. But by my surprise, the next loops go up…. only later the route goes more down. Here a little snowfall… At one shortcut I come along a kind of temple building worked into the mountain, Tshulung Gompa. Some old couple sits in front and invite me. But where to enter…. I have to climb over a little wall…. As often. The monasteries are situated over the village. Even though lots of restaurants, hotels and other houses on the way, I want to go there. It’s not to far but climbing. 2 very nice monks, Karmatsering and Palden, welcome me without hesitation. Here is everyone welcome. They have also a stupa, but it feels, no-one is using them. Around the temple I can clearly feel something good. Next morning Karmatsering can’t wait to cook for me, but I just want potatoes with some oil. They offer me instead of oil ghee. Ghee is made from butter and is even used for candles. The butter needs to be cooked, after the water has left, the rest is then pure fat. Also in Hindu tradition is very well known and used to consume before some breathing technics as well as for healing. In tibetian terms ghee is also used in tea. The problem is, the mountain people don’t put ghee in the fridge, so it becomes for western not so tasty….. I smelled on it…. felt tolerable. … and used it for my potatoes….. Meeting other alternative travellers on the way is always something special. Today, and first time this year, two French bicycle riders come noiseless from the back. A little sound from there tires I just noticed when Guenre and Olivier stopped beside me. They have been in Central Asia since last year, since January in India and in June the journey leads them to Central Africa….. But they have a little disturbing news for me….. For French people the Indian embassy does not give two Visas directly after each other, if you have been all the time in India….. uppps…. are the rules for Germans different? …. I don’t think so…… Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 Since a while the people as kind of pushing me. ‚You have to go to…. it’s only 30 km…. or …. 25km/38km. … as if they want to tell me ‚hurry up, later there are areas coming, where you have to stay longer, if you don’t go now, you will not have enough time later on…‘ Sutlej river (one of the longest Himalayan rivers – which flows through Parkistan in the ocean) which I followed some 100 km, springs at the Everest, comes here from China/Tibet into India and meets the Spiti river. Sutlej brings muddy water from 10km China, maybe some big construction going on or mining on the Tibet side. The Spiti river is glacier water clear. I sit for an hour at there melting point. Powerful. In this area a climate change. From now on it is more desert mountain climate. Vegetation now only by irrigation. The mountains are totality free from vegetation, only some little species grow here. The snow fall border lays higher. The area all together is relatively a bit warmer. Internet is not working anymore, much earlier then I thought. I thought I will have internet all May…. Thre are only two towns coming, where there is internet through WiFi. (One is Kaza, capital of Spiti Valley, where I will get this texts in he blog the next days) At the street loops, going up or down, I always look for the short cuts. Shortly before Nako I see a apple plantation at a steep mountain , which must lead to the village. But this time I am wrong. Being ‚on the way‘ I don’t want to go back down and have to search for a possibility to get through this steep plantation. The apple trees are flowering. After another short cut I reach the Nako Gompa. The monastery has lots of buildings. First I meet Sempa Dorje, a ‚free‘ monk, who does not live a monastery life and teaches at the school here. Later he introduces me to Lama Tashi, which is responsible here. Lama Tashi, at least a head shorter than me, shows me around, first in the old monastery, which old wall paintings and a lot of statues, which all need urgently some restaurations… here is another building, where the kitchen is situated, a third, which is an abandoned monks building, but Lama Tashi is the only one here…. The forth building is a new temple, where Sempa Dorje circles around clockwise at sunset with his mantra…. locked….. and the fifth building is a big guest house… where only monks have the allowness to stay…. Both monks discuss a while, what they could do with me…. finally, because Nako is a becoming tourist destination, surrounded by such a beautiful mountain scenery, with a lake and lots of terrace fields, waiting to be watered…. I have to stay in one of the hotels for a cheap price. I will stay three night. Because of my special food needs, Sempa invites me for every morning to cook at his room. One sunset I went with Sempa to a prayer wheel a little bit more up from the village in a outstanding rock overviewing the village…. Here I explained him about some buildings, a peace stupas, a gathering light temple and a vipassana center and proparbly 2 more buildings, etc…. I want to build, when I am back in Germany. … where the money should come from…. ??? Kontact or comments Whatsapp: +30 698 0654542 |
Es gibt jetzt ein Buch zum steppps-FriedenspilgerProjekt.
Wir (Magdalena, Paulin, Bruno, Annelie und ich) sind im Sommer 2012 in Rumaenien unterwegs gewesen.
Annelie hat ihre Erfahrungen in einem tollen Buch aufgeschrieben.
Schon im Januar 2013 konnte ich das Manuskript lesen. Und mein Kommentar damals "Beim Lesen leuchtet das Buch von innen".
Als ich dann vor etwa 3 Monaten hoerte, dass es bald soweit sei, es also in die 'heisse Phase' vor der Veroeffentlichung ging, hab ich hier und da kurz mal reingeschaut, und wo auch immer ich gerade schnupperte: "Das Buch leuchtet von innen!!!!" erinnerte ich mich selbst.
Also, dieses Buch kann ich euch ans Herz legen und Viel viel Spass beim Lesen. Mehr.... |
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