Thursday 3 July 08: Excitement was mounting as Ven Sangmo, Ven Khandro, Lea and I left Dharamsala for Delhi to meet our tour arrivals. They would be flying in from Australia, Europe and USA over the next few days. We left early to get in a spot of shopping, eating and generally take in the bright lights of Delhi after many months of the serenity (and rain) of Dharamsala. Delhi offers all that and more but most of all it offers heat (and noise) and lots of it.

So we settled in for a couple of days and wait for our tour participants to arrive.

First to arrive was Doria from Australia, she had beaten us and was there to welcome us at our hotel in Delhi. She had spent half the morning in the airport as her bag had gone missing; apparently it had gone onto Rome. All she had left were the clothes she had flown in (not a good start). The ending was happy however, and the bag turned up a few days later.

Sunday 6 July 08: Delhi Demi and Catherine had flown in the night before and were up bright eyed and bushy tailed for the official start to the tour. The rest of the party was flying in various times of the day and the next. There were sights to see, money to change and places to go including Indira Gandhi's museum and India Gate.

Early evening we set off to the Habitat Centre to catch a Thangka exhibition and see a movie called Dalai Lama Renniance as part of a Tibetan Film Festival. To top off the evening we sample fine food at North India's best restaurant 'Gulati'.

Monday 7 July 08: Delhi Libby and Ans had flown in the night before and we had plans to take in the sights of Old and New Delhi including the houses of Parliament, Hyumayun's Tomb and the Red Fort. With the sights over with it was time to do a spot of serious shopping at Khan Market to experience the joy of buying colour for your wardrobe. Tonight is early dinner as tomorrow is a big day with our flight to Leh schedule at 5 am.

Tuesday 8 July 08: Delhi to Leh Today is D day, up at 2.30am and departure at 3.00am for the airport. Our taxi is waiting and Libby, Doria and I climb aboard. It is our lucky day as we have a rally driver on our hands. When he heard the words “jaldi, jaldi', little did we realize we were taking our lives in our own hands. Through back streets of New Delhi at break taking speeds, we reached Delhi Domestic airport in 14 minutes from our hotel in Paharganj. To top it all off another taxi with part of our group broke down on the way…but our fearless driver took off in a roar to collect them, within 20 minutes he was back with plenty of time to spare…

Our flight to Leh was delayed due to bad weather, it was raining in Leh so my contact in Leh had called and told me. After a couple of hours of sitting in the airport waiting, waiting, we were off and up in the air only to be told by the Captain he was looking for a break in the clouds to land otherwise we could be returning to Delhi. Catherine bravely asked me, did I have a contingency plan….oh no but it was time I thought of one and a little prayer to help us. Suddenly the gods (or Buddha) had answered and we started to descend….the genius of some people and all the foreigners in the plane clapped the pilot who touched down brilliantly.

Leh at 3,650 metres is a stunningly beautiful place. Set in a lush green valley surrounded by high, jagged mountains you are aware of the timelessness of this place. We are all a little hazy with the lack of oxygen and the rest of the day is spent acclimatizing by taking it easy. Ven Sangmo and Khandro are on hand in the afternoon to answer any questions we may have.

Wednesday 9 July 08: Leh We started our day with a gentle meditation on the roof. This is expertly guided by Ven Khandro who gave us tips on how to meditate.

The rest of the day of is a sightseeing tour is planned but some people are still feeling the effects being in high altitude so we scale it back to half a day. We set off mid morning to drive to the outskirts of Leh to Shankar Gompa and the ruined 17th century palace and climb up the small hill beside the Gompa. We then drive across the river to see the Stok Palace then take in the views of Leh from the Japanese temple.
Overnight Leh

Thursday 10 July 08: Leh to Lamayuru Our daily meditation continues early on the roof of the guest house. How beautiful up here so early in the morning. Libby, one of our participants takes us through some basic yoga positions to revive our bodies in preparation of the rest of the trip.

We set off in our taxis and head towards Lamayuru to witness some of the most beautiful scenery in Ladakh. We follow the Indus River along till the junction of the Zaskar River. Most of the day is consumed with deep gorges and high rugged mountains. Indiana Jones eat your heart out! We arrive at Lamayuru and check into a quaint guesthouse where the owner grows the hotel's vegetables in the front yard and has a stuffed Yak to add to the décor. We visit the famous Lamayuru Gompa and sampled days gone by with ancient Gompa architecture. After trolling over the Gompa and its surrounds, Lea, Khandro and I climbed to the high point of the town to witness yet more spectacular scenery. To top it off we were treated to a superb dinner with home grown vegetables by the owner.
Overnight Lamayuru

Friday 11 July 08: Lamayuru to Alchi Khandro begins our day with her mediation followed by Libby's Yoga workout. Our visit to Lamayuru is all too short and we have to leave and drive to Alchi. Again we retraced our steps over the magnificent scenery out of Lamayuru. On the way we stop in a Rizong Monastery. This is an isolated working monastery set high in the mountains and one of the most impressive sights we have visited. This was not to be outdone by a visit to the nearby Julichen Nunnery. The nuns made us particularly welcome with cups of tea and gave us lessons on the life of as a nun.

Alchi proved to be a quaint town, famous for its apricots. We found a restaurant that served good western food in amongst a garden full of apricot trees (the apricots were not yet ripe). After lunch we visit the Likir Gompa about 30 minutes drive from Alchi. A chilly wind was blowing during our visit and while chatting to one of the monks told us it had been a very cold winter last, and the temperature had fallen to -35 degrees Celsius. One can only image that degree of cold without heating they live without.

Late in the afternoon we get to visit the famous historical Alchi Gompa inside the town. How wondrous to see ancient Gompa founded in the 11the century. While these fine monuments stand the test of time, it was a crying shame to see the walls of the Gompa with beautiful thangkas blackened from the butter lamps over the centuries.
Overnight Alchi

Saturday 12 July 08: Alchi Today is a driving day to visit the Gompas of Shey, Tikse and Thatuk. Shey was the former summer palace of the kings of Ladakh and is still being used. Tikse Gompa is part of the Gelukpa has an important collection of Tibetan books and is also a working monastery. These Gompas are set with beautiful backdrops of the surrounding rugged mountains.
Overnight Alchi

Sunday 13 July 08: We started the day early as we had a long drive to Hemis to attend the famous Hemis Festival. We had heard that there were lines of cars snaking up the hill from the previous day and we wanted to beat the rush. Hemis is an annual festival to honour the anniversary of Guru Padmasambaba's birth and draws large crowds of people mainly from overseas. We arrived early at the festival, secured ourselves great seats only to wait for the 3 hours for the dancing to begin. Why 3 hours you ask? The proceedings were held up by the Official Guest who was running on his own Indian time. The dances finally began about midday and worth the wait with all the pomp, ceremony and colour. After about an hour the rain started which got steadily heavier over time. This put a dampener on the proceedings and only after 2 hours of dancing, the Lama dancing for 2008 had ended. It was time to head back to the dazzling lights and shopping of Leh.
Overnight Leh

Monday 14 July 08: Leh to Sarchu With the mediation and yoga to start our day and many of Leh's Gompas under our belt, it is time to leave Leh. Our destination is Sarchu just across into the Himachal Pradesh border. This road was only opened to foreigners just under 20 years ago. The journey of 485 kms is a 2 day journey and only half of the distance is paved and have heard it promises to be fairly rough. By now we have confidence in our taxi drivers so feel that we are in good hands as they are taking us all the way to Manali. Our journey starts out heading south crossing familiar type terrain but as we plunged deeper into the southward journey the scenery becomes more spectacular and the adjectives such as fantastic, sensational, superb, and magnificent to describe the scenery roll off our tongues. The sighting of real live Yaks was a caused a photo stop and a break from the scenery.

We learned that this was the world's second highest motorable road and as we crossed Tagland La Pass at 5,328 metres. Sangmo and Khandro hung Tibetan Prayer flags as mark of respect for our journey. Further along we did the same at Lachlung La at 5,060 metres. The only inhabitants we came across were some nomad camps far into the distance, many tar-covered road workers and the odd bored policeman at checkpoints. We stop often as Doria and Demi aren't weathering so well with the effects of the high altitude.

As this long day of driving was drawing to a close everyone was starting to fantasize about our 'tented' accommodation and its many nonexistent luxuries. Sarchu is a town made up of small compounds with tented accommodation for weary travellers We were relieved to find at the end of a long day that it was comfortable with sheets and plenty of blankets to ward off the cold night and the food was surprising good after a diet of fruit and biscuits all day.
Overnight Sarchu

Tuesday 15 July 08: Sarchu to Manali After such a long day driving, we could look forward to the same today as it is destination Manali. Libby gave us a particularly good Yoga workout with lots of stretching and movement in the backdrop of the mountains. Both Demi and Doria are much better as we head off for another days serious driving.

We witness the magnificence of the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys surrounded by rugged mountains and those old adjectives started to come out again. The Baralacha La Pass at 4,883 metres is easy as compared to yesterday. Everyone seems to have recovered well after being at such high altitude yesterday. Passing Keylong early afternoon saw the clouds gathering thick over the mountains losing our magnificent scenery at Rohtang Pass at 3,987 metres. This seems to be an event after the fact as the Pass was completely shrouded in cloud. We missed the spectacle of Indian honeymooners dressed in hired, dirty fur coats posing for photos on Yaks. There's always next year! Destination Manali and civilization. Coming into Manali we spot an elephant sauntering along the road. Libby leaps out the car like a flash with money in her hand determined to get a photo. Much to her surprise the elephant took the money daintily from her.

Ahh, Manali, a nice hotel with a garden, hot showers and fresh clothes after our long journey. How we all scrubbed up as good food and bright lights were the last agenda for this long day. After dinner we sampled Manali’s night life with a stroll down the mall and a quick fling of trance music at the local disco….what were we thinking!
Overnight Manali

Wednesday 16 July 08: Manali to Sidhpur After another meditation class and invigorating yoga class and a great breakfast, it was a change of drivers and off for our final destination, Thosamling Nunnery. Today was a short drive compared to the previous couple of days. Kullu was the first destination then onto the Kullu Valley for picturesque views of the Bias River, through to Mandi and arriving at Sidphur late afternoon.
Overnight Thosamling Nunnery

Thursday 17 July 08: Dharamsala Libby continues to whip us into shape with her yoga and it has become a great start to the day. After breakfast we get glamed up to visit McLeod Ganj for a spot of more sightseeing and shopping. Firstly Palden, a monk meets us for our tour of the Namgyal Temple and the Tibetan Museum. He is a mind of information giving us the rundown on the Tibet and the current situation and we take a peek at the home of the Dalai Lama. Lunch, at the local café, consists of Pizzas which I have been dreaming and imagining about since we started this journey finally gets to be a reality. Oh the taste sensation! A stroll around the town for a yet more shopping follows until the late afternoon.
Overnight Thosamling Nunnery

Friday 18 July 08: Dharamsala Today we all head to McLeod Ganj for rest and relaxation having booked into massages, followed by eating and shopping in the local shops. As this is the last day of our tour that we will all be together we meet for an early dinner at Mai Thai Restaurant. It is hard to imagine that we only known each other just on 13 days and how well we all know each other. From the group meditations and yoga to sharing our experiences of getting a bargain, getting ripped off, being sick to the sheer joy at seeing such wonderful scenery it seems that a lifetime has passed instead of 13 short and long days.
Overnight Thosamling Nunnery

Saturday 19 July 08: Dharamsala Our morning yoga continues and after breakfast we head to Norbulingka. This Tibetan complex was established to teach and preserve traditional Tibetan art, such as woodcarving, thangka painting and embroidery. In the afternoon we receive a teaching and a blessing from the 17th Karmapa in Gyuto Monastery. It is also time for us to leave Dharamsala and take the overnight train to Delhi. We leave in typical monsoon heavy monsoon rain.
Overnight Train

Sunday 20 July 08: Delhi We arrive in Delhi refreshed after having experienced our only train journey in India. We take up where we left off from when we arrived and go to the Red Fort and experience parts of old Delhi. Old Delhi is a busy, bustling hub of teaming humanity and pleased to only brush the edges of it. In the afternoon we get to empty our purses once and for all on last minute souvenirs and presents for family back home.

Sunday 20 July 08: Delhi The time has come to leave for the journey homewards. Goodbye until we meet again.

- Sharon (Leader of Nirvana 08)

Testimonials

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