Julley from Ladakh! (english)

For the German version go to the previous Post!



Julley from Ladakh!

After being more then 6 weeks in the beautiful Indian Himalayas it's time for me to keep on moving. The capital of Ladakh, Leh on 3600m was the gateway for all my journeys and adventures. The place overwhelmed me with its breathtaking mountain ranges and desert like moon-landscapes. The Buddhist culture and mentality reminded me a lot of Nepal whereas the landscape should be very similar to Tibet.
After I acclimatized myself for a week I met 3 Scots who wanted to go to the famous Pangong Lake (one of the biggest Lakes is Asia). The idea to go the 160km there by motorbike was great, I was just a little scared because I never sat on a motorized two-wheeler (not even a scooter). But the fact that none of them have ridden a bike before gave me great confidence. So we rented a bike (the guy at the rental shop advised us though to take a jeep, because there would be nobody to help us on the way in case of an incident) for a few hours and practiced and on the next day we started our trip with lots of incidents. Two of my mates have never even ridden a car before, so they didn't really know how to handle a gear and the traffic. As we arrived at the Pass at 5300m there were only two of us left, the others didn't manage on the unpaved road where we had to cross rivers etc. and their bikes were in bad mood as well ;-( The road trip was the most wonderful and breathtaking I've ever done. The desert like landscape was changing all the time in terms of color and shape and the different weather conditions helped to create fascinating beauty.

The lake itself, located on 4500m altitude, is going far into Tibet and is absolutely breathtaking. Fortunately I saw sunset and sunrise in freezing temperatures - the nature in its absolute perfection. Only a few local people and the Indian army are living in these rough conditions.

My next trip took me over "Khardung La", the highest motorable pass in the world on 5600m. Together with 5 Israelis I was going to Nubra Valley where we had a wonderful 4 days climbing sand dunes and enjoying the beautiful environment. We stayed with a lovely Ladakhi family, cooked together and enjoyed their hospitality.

Back in Leh one of the Israelis invited me to come with him to a 5 days trek. Although at first I felt like having enough of trekking after Nepal, the thirst for a new adventure overcame me and I happily took his invitation. With all our equipment (tents, food, stove, etc.) on us Roie, Annette (from Germany) and me went to the Hidden Valleys of Ladakh. Climbing three mountain passes of 3600m 4950m and 4820m we had the most amazing views and where surrounded by several ranges and smelled the air on top of the world.

One wonderful evening in a Restaurant back in Leh I met a guy who told me about a Vipassana (Buddhist meditation) course starting on the next day (thx Ben!!). Although I didn't apply for the course I just went on a four hours ride to "Vipassana Valley" and hoped for good luck. I always had the idea of participating in such a course and why not in the most amazing environment of the mountains of Ladakh? I didn't know how intense it's going to be, but I was jumping strait into the cold water. A few facts: Talking, eye contact or any kind of communication are not allowed; the day starts at 4 AM with two hours of meditation and consists of almost 12 hours meditation all together, until 9 PM; there is only Breakfast and Lunch (at 11AM) - nevertheless I was never really hungry. After sitting the whole day my body was hurting so much that I had really hard times to concentrate on my respiration or body sensations. And not talking for 10 days made me thinking so much, I almost had the impression that I had to discuss all my thoughts with myself - that made my concentration problem not easier at all. But after 5, 6 days the meditation helped me a lot to stay euonymus and not feel my pain so much anymore. This technique of meditation was practiced my Gautama and enlightened him to become a Buddha. His whole life he dedicated to "Dhamma" and taught other people this technique to be happier and come out of their misery.
There is so much Love, Peace and Happiness in this teaching that still after the really tough course I still think about applying it into my daily life (which means to meditate twice a day for an hour).

Now I'm hanging around in Leh's Cafes and Restaurants and meeting fellow mates from the course. In a few days it's time for me to move on and get to know more of this incredible India.


With lots of Love,
Raphael


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