High Mountains and Narrow Valleys - Spiti Valley

Finally I am in Spiti Valley after the most stunning scenery I have ever seen on a road trip. On the way we had to cross two high passes - Rohtang la (4000m) and Kunzum La (4600m) - multiples landslides and rivers. Loosely translated, Spiti means 'the middle country' - a name given as a result of its location and traditional ties with both India and Tibet. Fed by several fast flowing streams, the river Spiti flows through the area and joins with the other large river of the region, the Satluj. With freckles of green over a dry weather-beaten face, Spiti is a cold desert where the monsoon rain never comes. It is characterised by a stark almost relentless beauty, narrow valleys and high mountains. A century ago, Rudyard Kipling in Kim described Spiti "a world within a world" and a "place where the gods live" and this is a description that still holds true to present day. Spiti's lunar-like landscape is spotted with Buddhist monasteries, small villages, chortens, piles of mani stones and prayer flags. The textures and colours of the different landforms are just mind-blowing. I hope the photos here can convey a sense of this amazing living sculpture.

Charming Charas Country

Enroute to Spiti Valley I spent a week in Old Manali (2000m above sea level).....a little village in Kullu Valley. The Kullu Valley is popular with Indian honeymooners, hippies and adrenaline junkies. The honeymooners come here for the cool climate and almost Swiss-like scenery; the hippies for the charas (marijuana) and the adrenaline junkies for the huge range of adventure sports on offer here (ballooning, rafting, para gliding, mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing and trekking). Old Manali (but not the fast growing New Manali) still retains some of the feel of an Indian mountain village with some beautiful old houses made of wood and stones. Most foreign travelers stay in Old Manali leaving New Manali to the masses of local Indian tourists. In Old Manali the first question guesthouse workers ask is ‘Do you smoke?’ Being new to this area I thought that this is being asked with regards to the allocation of smoking and non-smoking accommodation but subsequently I realized that question was really a subtle approach to the pushing of charas. In Old Manali the smoking of charas is done publicly without any reservation - even some restaurants provide you with chillums for this purpose!!!!!

I thought Upper Dharamsala is picturesque but here in Old Manali the mountain vistas are just gorgeous. Now I understand why my friend Stanley once mentioned that many Europeans come and spend a few months here annually to enjoy the lush green hills with a backdrop of snowcapped mountain peaks and the very pleasant cool climate (between April and October). Decent accommodation is cheap and plentiful plus there is quite a wide range of good food (and decent coffee) to sample. And with the easy availability of charas no wonder this used to be (and still is) a paradise for hippies/travelers. Instead of stopping here for a couple of days as planned I ended up spending a week not because I have developed an attachment to charas but rather because Rohtang La, the high mountain pass (4000m) to the Spiti Valley was closed to traffic for almost a week owing to heavy rain and landslides. While I had a very relaxing week in Old Manali area I also had one of the most exhilirating days of my trip so far. - free wheeling down the mountain roads on a mountain bike! Was dropped off up at Rohtang La (4000m) and had the ride of a lifetime all the way down to Manali (2000m) through stunning mountainous landscapes. A most memorable ride!

Remnants of a Displaced Culture

I was planning to stay five nights at Upper Dharamsala but instead I stayed for ten and that was only because the monsoon rain has arrived. I found an idyllic place (white speck on right photo) at Dharamkot, a picturesque village a few kilometres above McLeod Ganj (left photo), the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and the residence of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama. McLeod Ganj itself is a busy little tourist town frequented by many locals escaping the heat in the plains and travellers with a Tibetan interest, religious or otherwise. The areas further up offer numerous trekking opportunities to enjoy the stunning mountain vistas and valley views. Upper Dharamsala is a beautiful place but beneath the serenity lies the pain and despair of a displaced nation. Until May 1949, Tibet was an autonomous kingdom, ruled by the spiritual dynasty of the Dalai Lama, the living incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddhist deity of compassion. Then the Chinese People’s Liberation Army marched into Lhasa supposedly to liberate the Tibetan people of their land and their culture. Facing unimaginable persecution, more than 250,000 Tibetan refugees fled their homeland on foot over the Himalaya to seek sanctuary in India, led by the Dalai Lama who was granted asylum in Dharamsala in 1959. Since then, it is estimated that some 1.2 millions Tibetans have been killed and 90% of Tibet’s cultural heritage has been destroyed. Today there is still a continuous flow of refugees coming across the Himalayas as it is common knowledge now that Little Tibet (i.e Dharamsala) is more Tibetan than Tibet itself. I have heard of stories where parents in Tibet have arranged for their children, some as young as eight year old, to cross the Himalaya on foot to seek a more Tibetan life in India. Near McLeod Ganj there is a Tibetan Children Village that cares for these very young refugees. The Tibetans are such a peace-loving and spiritual race............despite being invaded and displaced the Dalai Lama is still advocating a peaceful approach. There is one view that says prayers will eventually win back Tibet but another that says that their spirituality has initially led to the current situation. Whatever it is, a unique, vibrant and spiritually developed culture is now almost destroyed.

During my stay in Dharamkot I had the opportunity to meet and talk to a few Tibetan monks. The Tibetan society is quite unique in that it places a great importance to spiritual life. Its society is generally split into the lay people and the monks. And each family will have at least one child initiated into monkhood at an early age. Lama Dendup, a 30 year old lama from Sikkim, became a monk at 10 and was in Dharamsala to study English. For twenty years his life revolves around learning and practising Tibetan Buddhism. Unlike us, his life is not driven by economic/materialistic needs but rather by spiritual attainment. His living needs are very simple and he has little concept of money matters. It is rather difficult for me to imagine such a life. Likewise another monk, 25 year old Lucky, borned in Switzerland to Tibetan refugees was sent by his parents to a Nepali Buddhist monastery at age 7. Since then he has been staying in different monasteries and eventually spend time at a number of Buddhist Universities of which there are many in India it seemed. He finished his Buddhist studies three months ago and has been traveling in India visiting many ashrams and exploring their techniques/approaches. One of his many goals (besides getting Enlightened) is to discover a short cut to be awakened using 21st century technologies/techniques - I told him to hurry as I need it now. This guy is serious..........in a few weeks time he is going to the holy Mt Kailash where he is planning to spend the next five years in a cave. I was planning to meet and talk to a Yeshe (a higher ranked lama) who has been living alone in a forest for 15 years but unfortunately my two attempts to meet him was thwarted by the monsoon rain.

Below are some photos of Upper Dharamsala and its inhabitants..............

Heat and Dust in Delhi

After a very calming five weeks at Bodhi Zendo it was time to leave and make my way up to the Himalayas. First stop was Delhi, the capital of India. Spent four days in this heat furnace with temperatures approaching mid 40s and the imminent monsoon nowhere in sight. It was very unpleasant wandering around but still I love the Old Delhi area which I visited almost daily. It is just so interesting.........a bit like Bangkok Chinatown area but ten times larger and also a bit like the medinas of Morocco as some of the lanes are very narrow and no cars. The place has a fascinating mix of all the various religious places of worship.....Muslim, Jain, Sikh and Hindu (no Buddhist temples here). And there is a corresponding mix of the different people from all over India. And finally there are the old ways of doing things (e.g. hand drawn goods cart, bullock carts, cycle rickshaws, etc.) on the surface while a state of the art metro ferries the masses below. I had meals a few times at the famous 100 year-old Karims (Mughlai cuisine) and it was excellent........especially naan with mutton curry (their specialty).

Connaught Place was disappointing as it is just one huge construction zone.....dust everywhere. The place is getting rebuilt/refurbished for the coming Commonwealth games in October. In fact the whole of Delhi (except Old Delhi) seemed to be undergoing major constructions. So I didn't spent too much time sight-seeing. Instead I spent more time sampling the culinary delights that Delhi has to offer. In any case I find the rest of Delhi rather uninteresting other than Qutb complex where the world's tallest brick minaret, Qutb Minar is found.

As mentioned above I spent most mornings wandering in the Old Delhi area and here are the faces of Old Delhi that I managed to capture ..............................

The Amazing Flora at Bodhi Zendo

In between sittings there is time to explore and enjoy the beautiful gardens. The cool climate and the plentiful rainfall together with the tender loving love of the garden staff have created a profusion of colours to delight the senses. Below are a variety of flowers in full bloom.