Month: September 2015

Venice of India, Kashmiri eccentricities, the lucky coincidence with the White Mosque and witnessing the climate changes in Ladakh firsthand

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Boat trip

07.08

We take off early with the same truck and we still have to cross the last pass Zonji La. The road is terrible and on one side of it there is a dangerous looking abyss. It takes us a lot of time to reach the pass. After it is the Kashmir Valley. The scenery here changes dramatically. There are pine trees everywhere around us now and all is green with many fruit tree gardens. We stop at a small snack bar for the truck drivers. There are many people bathing at the backyard. We eat omelet with Kashmiri bread and tea. Continue reading →

The long truck ride in the mountains of Kashmir, the good nun and the transition from Tibetan Buddhism to Islam

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01.08

It is really hard for us, but we manage to walk for three whole hours and reach the Phugtal monastery. In total we have walked for 12 hours, but it is totally worth it. Right before the monastery there are wine red cliffs and the region is very beautiful. The monastery itself is built in the cliffs and the temple complex is in a giant cave. It belongs to the “Yellow hats” sect – Gelugpa and is really impressive. Dates back to 14-th century. Continue reading →

The crazy, surreal wedding celebration that we witnessed, the old man who told us how people lived in this harsh places in the winter: Om mani padme hum

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Phugtal Monastery

27.07

Today we can barely walk, but we cook all the food food we had left and we head to Karsha Village. Two hours and a half later we reach it. There is only one shop in it and it is open which makes us really happy. We buy some lentils and pasta and find a place with no people where we can cook. The old man from the shop hasn’t obviously seen this kind of travelers  ever and is quite shocked that we go behind the shop to cook. Continue reading →

The fearsome electric storm in the mountain, attending Buddhist celebration with the locals at a small village and epic passes with flabbergasting views

 

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Yaks under Singi La Pass

20.07

We wake up pinched with cold and with a headache that is probably caused by the high altitude. One of my shoulders is very stiff and hurts terribly which is coupled by the headache. The weather is still cloudy and rainy. Continue reading →