the Heart Chakra of the World.

I went to the Heart Chakra of the world to volunteer at a retreat centre. I was given a goblin home made of wood, with grass growing on the roof, huge diamond shapes for windows, a wood burning stove, an arched solid wood door, with a bed on a wire pully that lifts up during the day so you can walk beneath it. When I woke up to the first day of thick crunchy snow - I was in Narnia, though instead of Lions and wardrobes, I had a large stone Hamuman (the Monkey God) sitting in the garden, a huge lump of rose quartz crystal, and a couple of other wooden cabins full of other goblin guests. The house was probably empty. Everyone wanting to connect with nature and their true essence by being outside. Every morning we meet in the meditation room and offer candles, flowers, insence, food and water to the deities, Krsna and Radhe. We chant holy names to invoke their presence and encourage divine love to enter and open our hearts and purify our minds, as we sit silently for half an hour before creating vegan green smoothies for breakfast. No dairy no meat no sugar and a few other things are not permitted. Its a clean, clear energetic space, for those brave enough to challenge their egoic, material minds and get a glimpse of their conditioned ways of behaviour. Where the mists of Avalon can cleanse these unconscious complexities. These environments attract everyone with an interest in the alternative. From the astrologers and walkers of the zodiac, which surrounds Glastonbury, to the Pagan Solstice rituals, the shamanic healers, the Godesses and Green Men, the conscious seekers, and the reincarnations of past beings, like the woman who arrived saying she was a reincarnation of Eve. They are all accepted.

Everyday there is something more beautiful to attend for our greater good from Gong and crystal bath meditations (no water involved). We lie on the floor with a blanket to keep us warm, close our eyes and let the vibrations of the gong or crystal bowls enter and harmonise us emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Shakti yoga dance, yoga asanas to warm us that leads to dancing from the unconscious mind – letting the body feel the rhythm and move in flow not worrying what we look like. Get a spiritual reading and find out why you are here on earth, where is the place most empowering to you to develop your vital gifts to share. Even the Belly Dancing classes can transform a tired, cold ‘me’ to one with energy, vitality and laughter. The shops sell all alchemical curiosities and gifts the Hemp shop, the crystal shops, the book shops. It’s a sophisticated centre for furthering the evolution of humanity. Many flying in from all over the world to feel and see the sacred energies and spirits of one of the best place on earth... probably. Glastonbury.

Vashist (Manali), Delhi,

end August 2010 (depart Leh for Vashist) two days one overnight in mini bus
via diversion because of landslips)

Vashist - Dinner

Ask for sugar free, dairy free, onion garlic free but with beans - need some protein after 2 days on the road. get something that smells like hot brown sauce - one spoonful confirms it - i go two stories downstairs to the cook/waiter and ask what he has prepared me. He says baked beans, indian sauce - I want to yell - are you crazy????? how many times did i ask for sugar free??? oh sorry i forgot. Here's your plain naan. its chopped like soldiers and i take a hungry bite and find its full of sugar - This man is crazy. Having waited nearly one hour - it was now 9pm and too late to go anywhere else - ate some white rice on its own...

Or rather with Mr Singh who has an organic farm - he's about 60 - and i listened to him while i chewed my equally uninspiring dinner. Can't believe the chef when I leave - says come tomorrow i cook something else.... Yeah..

Manali - Delhi - overnight on normal bus - disguised as deluxe.

But i get to sit next to a skinny Japanese man . Phew.

Finding clean hotel room in Delhi on the cheap is not easy. I found many with no windows and after taken a pricey room with a big windown I soon realise that no window is a better option - someone somewhere from one or other roof tops is looking at me through my window. Move to cheaper place with small window. I've got big huge puffy ankles - no idea why ? maybe from the heat and humidity.

Delhi Metro at RamaKrishnaMarg anyway is clean and futuristic - above ground - like being in a space movie... Full and croweded but no gropping. (no, not sadly). just surprised. Running through the rain and mud, in flip flops, I cut a corner off to run onto the pavement and nearly slip but recover - only to turn back and see my huge slidey footprint left in newly set concrete.... i look across the raod and see an indian man laughing - oopse.

Delhi Art Opening - very same as London - everyone standing around sipping something. small veggies and otherthings being passed around on white plates. very neatly dressed waiters but the artist is from US. I speak to one local and ask him if he's collector or artist? artist? looks like Indian version of Jay . cropped greying hair and same glasses . ha! ha! get bored and leave. Never liked openings.

Take a taxi the next day to Defence Colony and go to swish Italian restaurant - knife and fork type - just about remember how to use cutlery. Take a taxi back with a very drunk driver - habit he says.

Pack and leave half my stuff at hotel. Take small bag to train station and head to Brindavn.

Thunderbirds and Oracles

22 August 2010 Thunderbirds

Feeling more confident with the Enfields now Paola and I decide to hire one each and go drive about. Yeeeeehaaaa. As Paola's sister has arrived from Italy she goes on the back of her's - we hire a mechanic to come with us - just in case..

9am get to the shop and choose two bikes and get ready to go (the Oracle starts at 10am in Choglamsa - about 30 mins away) - but the mechanic is not here - in fact we're not getting the mechanic - he needs to be in the shop - we 're getting - yeah - a 15 year old - just out of bed -

We drive to the petrol station - and cant get the petrol cap off Paoloa's bike so drive back to the office - Paola is screaming at the man in the shop, we're late - cant get to the Oracle today - 5 people tried to get the petrol cap off - the man in the bike shop opened it in one minute. But the whole point (well one point) of hiring the bikes was to get to the Oracle ... He'll have to give us the bikes tomorrow am free so we can go then. ok ok - I think he just wanted to get rid of us.

We're riding Thunderbirds - newer than the previous bikes I've been on and it feels very big and very heavy. Luckily my man on the bike is very small.

We have to drive through Choglamsar - the worst of the villages hit by the flood - road is covered in mud hard dried now, there's a new river running through the village (with a new bridge) but huge bumps to get over to get on the bridge - but we both do it. Gushing water over the road, sewage pipes to ride over, narrow bends with dusty mud to go round - this was the hardest - going slowly and sliding in the sand ... but then we get to the smooth tarmac and not much traffic and driving is pure pleasure. Stop at Shey palace - huge Buddah. Drive to Thiksey Monastry - get lunch - rest - its super hot - dirt road up a small hill past 15 cyclists - its quite narrow and we're on the edge.... make it. Off to Hemis. Jesus Lived in india is the title of a book - and apparently Jesus came to Hemis. We Pass trucks, caravan of ponies, wild dogs, kids playing by the side of the road, buses and lots of long straight fast open road - i'm slow but loving it. Paola has zoomed off but we meet in the village before turning off to Hemis. I try to put the bike on the main stand (side stand easy) but main stand its too hard or i've not mastered the technique and the bike falls towards me - its way too heavy for me to lift up so finally the young boy has something to do. He tells us he's 18 but when we ask at lunch where he studies he's in 10th class still - 16 !!! probably getting 100 rupees a day and we're paying 5x for him.

Oracle

Next am. the man at the bike shop doesnt want us to take the bikes as he can hire them out for the whole day so he's offered to drive us there. 3 up me, him and Paola on one and the mechanic and Anna-Rosa on the other. He very happily drops us 10 min walk from where we need to go and I think he's very relieved to get rid of us. We wander through the Tibetan settlement asking for the way to the Oracle's house - a young Tibetan girl shows us in the end but tells us that we need a translator - she can't do it because she ate eggs this morning and its strict veggie only allowed in. ok for me. Luckily Paola and her sister didn't get any eggs. We meet other Tibetans at the gate and are asked to wait - lots of discussion - what are our ailments - maybe they can just explain them - but then we'll not know what to do or how to answer if she asks a question. The Oracle's son speaks English but says he'll be too busy helping. The boy asks if the Oracle (his mum) will let the egg eating young Tibetan in to translate - she agrees so we can go in. In a tiny mud room off a courtyard - the wall has lots of pictures of deities and a small altar. Maybe 10 of us - all Tibetans - men, women, old and young and us sit on the floor on mats. The Oracle starts chanting, singing and dressing up in headress, muff (collar thing) no photos sadly - she looked quite high priestess ish. When she's ready the first man lifts his shirt up and she starts sucking or blowing with a tiny trumpet and then spits out Black stuff from her mouth into a bucket - euh... for real.. then she rubs him with a wooden stick. throws some rice into the air which lands on a tiny drum and gives him his prescription. Next a woman lifts her top and she does the same. She blows into some water bottles - giving a vibration to the water I guess. For me - i offer her my throat and the Tibetan girl says Thyroid - I'm not sure they have any idea what this means and after some sucking and blowing she says - nothing there. Then I say what about sugar allergy - she gives me a tiny worm like stick and says put it in water and drink it. Anna Rosa - gets a nothing there and Paola gets sucked and blown with the trumpet and told her back pain will go.

We walk to the Tibetan girl's, mother's restaurant and have yucky chowmein and the worst soup and i hitch back to Leh and sit in a cafe and fall asleep. Luckily no one else was there - til I wake up and find all the tables full...


Now having to say good byes as one by one the last few friends of mine fly home. I start to look for a way back to Manali - one road has been made available - just a very long way round - and now twice as expensive. mmmmmm Really wanted to ride a bike back but think it maybe too challlenging and too tiring - have been offered a seat 28 August with some Nepali workers so think i'll take it. So long Ladakh - a very special place with beautiful mountains, valleys and people. Julley Julley.

Lamayuru, Alchi, Likir, Enfields

Mid August 2010 Leh, Ladakh, Himalaya India

I don't think i've been surrounded by so many Buddist practioners. Here they seem to be very loose about practice, they may sit, they may chant and move their beads and go to teachings but other than that there is nothing different in their lives to anyone else in 'normal beer drinking, meat eating, egoic life'. Integration my friend Paola tells me.

I have also (well me, the ladaki's, tibetans who live here and most tourists) have been stuck in Leh because of the Floods and landslides which blocked the roads East and West for a while now (all the Israeli's fled by plane) and the embassies full of fear freaked many other tourists out who also flew out - flying out is no use to me cos I left my bag in Manali so i have to wait until the road opens.

18 August Leh - Lamayuru (by bike 5hrs)

In the meantime Paola and I decided to hire two Enfields with drivers and go to Lamayuru - on the Srinagar road and on the way back visit other villages with monastries and practice driving ourselves.

9am we get to the bike shop. Two Bikes, two drivers and two of us. My driver looks about 13 years old and he's India - we drive around the first corner and I ask him to drive me back to the shop - there's no way a 14 yr old Indian is driving me 100 km - I ask to swap him. I get the mechanic - doesn't look much older but he's Ladaki and feels stronger and safer. We drive around the first corner again and he says he has to go back to the shop - doesn't like the way the bike is driving - He probably knows that its not been checked and the back wheel is dodgy as hell. We swap bikes. I'm hoping Paola has got petrol and is at the airport (its on the way and she has to change her air ticket). I get to the petrol station and she's there waiting. Off we go in convoy to the Airport (just 5 mins). 1/2 hr to change her ticket - no charge. Come out and get on the bikes and Paola's bike has a flat back tyre. Oh. She's Italian and shouts at the driver asking why he didnt check the bike while we were in the airport... They say they'll call the office and get another bike - We go and sit in the shade and leave them to it. Two 16 yr old BOYS with no logical minds. I tell them not to come back with a plastic Pulsar bike - we hired Enfields and only Enfields will we travel on !..

About an hour goes by and we decide to walk up to the road and see what's going on. 3 bikes and 3 boys. One Enfield ok. One Enfield with only one wheel, and one Avenger crap 200 cc scooter bike - Paola goes mad - screaming at them... THey didnt think to bring a wheel off another bike and change the wheel. I suggest they drive us back to the shop and we see the owner and discuss either going tomorrow or only paying half day today and getting another Enfield - Not possible. No more Enfields.

At the shop - the owner is not there - he is now at his office Government job... of course. Doh! We suggest they change the tyre we'll wait half an hour - until 1pm and if its ready we'll go (after a discussion with the boss on the phone to only pay for half a day). But the whole point to go at 9am was that we wanted to reach LamaYuru in the day because we want to walk 7km to a monastery in the middle of no where - Paola who doesnt like walking 1/2 km up the road to her guest house amazes me that she really wants to walk this but i'm looking forward to the hike so good for me. Decide we'll have to go in the morning as we'll not get to LamaY til 6pm.

I have to ask the boy driving my bike to slow down - i'm in no hurry and hes driving the Enfield like its a sport bike. Paola's driver has zoomed off and my driver says we have to catch them up as have to tell her driver to slow down over the rough ground to avoid another puncture or damage to the bike. Some of the road is smooth and tarmaced. A lot of the road is now covered in hard mud and large stones, wet muddy puddles, no road, bridges have disapeared, so much mud is everywhere. We take the short cut new road to save time - its the low road by the river although it does climb and its just huge pieces of broken rocks. We head straight for the monastry in LamaY. but find we cannot stay there - instead we take the very nice hotel (which belongs to the Monastry) and get really cool rooms - the most comfortable bed i've slept in all year and soft pillow - wish I could stay for a few days. At dinner in the hotel the TV was blaring out WWF (funny large men in pink tight pants wrestling - I took control as didnt think it was appropriate TV for the 6 year old monk child - found Narnia - but by the time our dinner arrive WWF was back on )...

In the morning we drove the 7km to the monastry in middle of no where - owned or looked after by an Italian lama or monk - who lives in Italy - surprise surprise. Its quite high up a mountain - just avoided the mud flood and there's no food, you have to cook for yourself - so I guess the universe worked the puncture in our favour. We'd have been pretty hungry after a 7km walk to no food. We drove the high road back - having to pass about 40 army trucks and then having to pass them all again when we stopped to chat to a fellow biker on the road. ugh.

At Alchi bridge Paola and I took over and drove into the village, then back to the bridge. As it was getting late the boys drove us to Likir and we took over from here. Driving down the middle of the valley between the mountains - one long straight road (for a few km's at least) with not much other traffic was FANTASTIC - no helmets as they were too big so even better. Wind in our hair, no sound other than the bikes. We navigated the mud, some water, the main road and huge bumps in the dirt road and mud flood in Phyang. By this time my bum was hurting sooooooo much - the back of a Bullet is seriously uncomfortable (or it needs a few weeks to get used to it. But, then we broke down . So at least I got a chance to stand up for a while. Smoke was pouring out from under the seat - oopse. errr.. Fixed. Blimey - how he did that i have no idea.

pics to come

The Cloud Burst

5th August (I think) Leh


This night we had continuous loud thunder and lightening that seemed to last for hours, the cloud was against my bedroom window and the rain and hail were so exagerated because of the corrugated roof covering i thought the sky was falling down. In the morning after grovelling on the bathroom floor looking for my tiny nose ring that got caught on my towel tassel and fell out I went to the stream to wash my clothes, but it was empty - where's all the water gone ? All the Barley in the field is flattened. I wander into the town and every shop is closed - why? I bump into Paola my italian friend - where have you been for a whole week? we both asked each other - She told me that the bus station was flattened and a hugh mud / flood has washed away half of lower Leh. No one is doing anything - just standing around. I'm too shocked to know whether to go and see - go and help ? Not one cafe is open - everyone is shocked. I 've never seen so many tourists as I did today - all wandering around or going down to help.

People were trying to dig the mounds of mud around the collapsed buildings to look for people alive or bodies of the dead = both were found. I walked up to the Shanti Stupa - on high ground - the main hall was full of Ladaki's hiding from the rising river that runs through Leh and some tourists had pitched their tents as they'd been evacuated. The tourist area was safe. We were the lucky ones.

I met up with Paola and we started helping move debris and sort into piles - mud, wood, stone , bricks - it was tooo heavy work for us woman - and i dont think any of us felt we were heping much nor being utilised in a very effective way. We gave donations and I gave my clothes away. We have no electricity. No internet shops are open, no information is available. The next day a volunteer desk appears and buses and trucks are available to take us to villages - we go to the Hospital - its brand new and full of mud in the ground floor and basement - 1 ft high - but we have a line of people taking the wet heavy mud out in tin trays we pass it along the line and the other line sends the empties back in through the windows - the pile of mud outside is already huge. Crushed cars, vans, lorries litter the grounds with elec poles and all sorts of other debris. The old hospital every one died 80 people. and that needs emptying of mud also. The atmosphere is cheerful and lighthearted among the volunteers and we're given rice and veggies for lunch and driven back to the market area of Leh about 4pm. Tired.

Next day I go to Choglamsar - the worst area - it looks like its been bombed. Cars are buried in mud and have been pushed far down the village from where they were parked and landed on top of other peoples houses. We form lines with the soldiers and help with the mud chucking - it smells here and risk of Cholera is high - the army are also here with sniffer dogs as villagers are still looking for relatives. Huge bolders have been swept down from the hills and now form a solid wall where once there was a cross roads - there's a new river that flows fast where a number of houses once were. Someone asks us to help dig his 3ft of mud away from his garage - there's a van parked in front - we say sorry but houses are more important.

The next day I move hotels with Paola to the White Lotus - upper Kazoo - quiet and away from the Israeli's it only has 4 rooms and no one else is likely to come to Leh for a while. We go to Shey - a village about 1 hr away - there's a monastery for Nums with a school below it for disabled, sponsored children and some who have to pay. Its brand new - been designed by Europeans - its beautiful to look at - but its been built on a flood pain - DURR! each classroom is full of mud some 1ft - 3 ft we get in line and pass the empty buckets - i've learnt the full ones are too heavy for me. the empty line is meditative and boring - but if you get with good people its fun. If you are with people who are half asleep its awful.

I do some shovelling as we've nearly finished one classroom and sweep the floor with a tiny willow brush - its nice to have a solo job for a bit. Sometimes the volunteers can get a bit bossy or grumpy with each other (or be so switched off).

I'm wondering where some of the tourists are that i'd met in Leh over the last few weeks. We've heard stories of 17 who must have been swept away or hit by landslides while out trekking. Some managed to get back but lost all their equipment. Some had to walk for whole day from villages now stranded because the bridges have been swept away - the army make temporary bridges but we are told that they are really scary to cross because the water is so high and gushing.

Every night at the guest house I pack my emergency bag as the owners are scared of the river flooding - they wake me at 12pm to say we have to go - its raining and the river has risen - Paola and I decide we're fine and that we're going back to bed. The family leave us. In the morning - we tease them.

Wednesday 11 August

This evening we have a wash and dress and walk to the petrol pump in lower Leh and meet up with the 10,000 others who're going on a condolence march with candles - we didnt think to bring a plastic cup to protect our flames from the breeze so we walk unlit- the procession is peaceful, dignified and unbelievably moving. We all walk about 2km ending in the town - Paola and I were lucky enough to finish the last 2/300m with the nuns from one of the monasteries their chanting could not have been a more amazing end for us - it was like being in a film.


Waking up at 6.30am the owner is jumping on my ceiling whilst chanting - i'm kind of laughing but at the same time - wha????? - he's fixing a hole in the roof. If i ask him to stop - he'll start sweeping - if i ask him to stop sweeping - he'll put the radio on. I have to be brave and ask them to not to anything noisy til at least 9am ??? they are soooo apologetic I feel bad - but we all laugh.

Friday 13 August - what will today have in store for us?
Caught the volunteer bus to Shey school again - good day of mud shifting. Rice and Veggies. Find out that the Oracle (Tibetan woman (or man) who channels spirits to help heal people) in Choglamsar is still working every day and seeing people - I went to see one in Leh - they speak in a tongue none of the Ladaki's know how to translate. Maybe we'll go and see her. Take the bus back - and sit on top - its warm and a fun end to the day.

11.30pm i'm woken up by the family saying they're leaving the house because its raining and thunder and the river level has risen and and and - I say ok good night. I bang on Paola's door and yell but she's dead to the world and doesnt hear me. I hear a strange noise so I lock myself into my room and go back to sleep.

World's longest, highest

3 August 2010
The Turquoise Lake
5 hrs drive along roads you might take a tracktor one

Been hanging around Leh and all the people i've met so far seem to have left - not sure why cos its raining in the rest of India. As this makes it a high likelihood that i'll have to spend my birthday alone I decide to book myself onto a trip to the highest, longest lake in the world - PangGong. Its over 4000m high. 150km long and only 1/3 of it is in India the rest is in China. Rumour is that China has submarines in it! I'm in a jeep with two young south africans, 2 young indian tourists and the driver. We lure Marmots out of their holes in the ground with biscuits on the way. And as we get nearer to the pass the road is virtually undriveable. Its supposed to be a 4/5 hr drive from Leh but we are eating lunch at 4.30pm in the tiny village on the edge of the lake. We all stay in the last guest house - under parachute tents, which are NOT waterproof - it rained all night and although i had a quilt and a blanket - i didnt get a wink of sleep. My pillow was soaking, the edges of my bed were soaking wet and the blanket was soaking wet also. I put all my clothes under the duvet with me and waited for the morning - it was grey and drizzling. I stood around - not wanting to walk eat or drink anything - just wanting to go back to sunny Leh. I had to wait 4 hrs for the south africans and the indians to eat, finish taking uninteresting photos and to find the driver who'd slept somewhere else. I was cold and moody. Back in Leh - its wasnt so sunny either.

Friday 5th I hired a bike and cycled to Phyang 17 km each way - it was hot today - so very very hot.it took my 3 hrs to get to the monastry and village - no shade to eat my picnic and on the bumpby road just down from the monastry my handlebars came loose and i had no control of the bike. hummmmmmm

I had a few kilometers down hill before the main road, which I was soooooooo looking forward to bombing down. At the end - there was a road block because the bridge in the next village had been washed away so no cars were being let through, but this also meant there was some soldiers - I asked if they had any tools - No of course not - but a nice lorry driver did and he fixed my bike ( I was hoping he wouldnt be able to and i could get a lift back as there were some pretty big hills to cycle up on the way back). I managed to cycle to the airport and then hitched a ride in a small van - the lovely Ladaki driver didnt even want the 50rupees i offered. So beautiful are the Ladaki people.

I rushed home put the boiler on while there was electricity - (about 1 hr a day). Put my towel and soap in the bathroom - it was to be my first hot shower (well my first shower for about 3 or 4 days). Just walked back into my room for something and a fat Israeli woman went into the bathroom - she had an ensuite so there was no need for her to use my shared bathroom (sorry to be fatist and racist but now i know why people dont like the Israelis). after a few mins i went back to the bathroom and heard the shower - I banged on the door and told her to stop using the shower - and move my towel etc... - She came out after her nice hot shower and i wanted to scream at her - I let her know that I had been waiting patiently for 20 minutes for the water to heat up - did she not think to ask if someone was waiting for a shower ??? ignoramous.

Needless to say no more power and no more hot water. Walked into town and bumped into Spanish Juan (Quixote I call him) it was his last night so we walked to a Tibetan restaurant - and all the tables were reserved - Whaaaa - can ya believe it - in Leh ????

IIf you like Apricots you'll love LEH

Kaza - Keylong 16 hrs via Gramphu
5am minibus one pass 5000m high
Road still closed to local buses

Keylong - LEH 17 hrs local bus
5am-10pm Over two passes over 5000m high

On road to Gramphu pass many land slips and snow slips, have to wait while small lorry with a small car on its back was stuck in deep rocky area (where waterfalls cross the road it gets very rugged to cross). A slightly bigger truck had to pull it out of the water. Then we watched the british bikers on a classic car journey all get soaked and wobble badly as they drive through it (mainly OAP's). I'm travelling with 6 Israeli boys, one Italian woman and a few locals at the back of our minibus. The Israeli's want to smoke their CHillum (pipe with charras) in the bus - but I made it really cheerily clear this was totally unacceptable - I think they thought they'd win me round and persude me to have a puff and then theyd be ok smoking the rest of the way - but they had to crouch in a shepherd shelter in the cold air of 4000m chuffing away. we must have stopped about 15 times. Passport check point. Breakfast. chai. Lorry stuck. Car in front got a puncture - we didnt stop to help - just stopped to move the jeep out of our way. he he. Pipe smoking stop. Lunch stop. Pee Stop. Look at the deep water in the road stop. Land slide stop. Then my bus stop. The Italian woman joins me - luckily she doesnt speak too much English cos the Italian's are LOUD. She was the type who sought reassurance after every thing she said by looking at me or someone else. She shoved her camera out of the window every two mins and used one word to describe everything like an excited child. 'cow', 465 km to Leh. Buuuuutiful. We swapped buses and took a local the 3 hrs to Keylong - had to endure a small argument that we had stolen someone's seat - but we'd sat on the empty bus for one hr (while it was changing a tyre) at the next passport check point.. we won. But I think he got the last laugh. When we got to Keylong - we had to queue for our morning local bus ticket to Leh (Indian style queueing). As the Italian woman was before me - I gave her my money and yelled over - window seat window seat... We decided to share a room at the station guest house - which was good enough with a nice view of all the buses and a mountain beyond.\

5am Keylong - Leh local bus
I think its Sunday 11 July 2010

You simply will not believe it - the ticket man was having the biggest laugh - we're on the back seat. The worst seat on the bus - 17 hrs of humpty dumpty bumpety bump on dirt mountain pass roads. Not only this bue there are 5 seats back row and he sold a 6 invisible seat to a local. Even the bus conducted queried it - We had a huge row 5am - too early for this. Saying the window seat we booked. no 46 and 47. No 48 does not exist. 'its the conductor's seat' . So where's the conductor going to sit? cos this man is not the conductor... bla de bla. We let the local sit down and maybe it was for our benefit - the more squished you are when going over bumps the better to wedge you in. The bus was crammed. two boys were sleeping in the aisle by the back door by us. 4 europeans were standing. The front was a squeeze also.

Off we go. We are jolted out of our seates for 17 hrs. I have bruised shoulders, elbows, buttocks, hips and my back is still stiff. The italian woman leaned over me to take pictures through the window until she got bumped sooooo high one time she gave up. well done bumps. Lunch was roadkill - which was surprisingly ok. There were no villages the entire 17 hrs - just great tent sites - which acted as Hotel's for trekkers or bikers I guess. Such a remote life for the 3 months the passes are open.

The drive was a weeks worth of views in 17 hrs each range more spectacular than the previous - a holiday just looking at the different ranges in itself. The Himalayas are crumbling piles of rocks which every year get smaller and smaller and turn into gravel then sand. Miles of plateaus lie in between lower hills, the higher mountains peering from behind.

The sandy roads blow high above the bus, have to quickly close the window and cover my nose, ears and mouth. My hair and clothes are covered in dust - its coming through the back seat. Just the last hr of the drive is in darkness. So when we arrive I have no idea what Leh looks like - except its full of shops - I so was not expecting this. How long can I stay here before the city pulls me in? After Sacred Spitti with nothing but hills and houses.

When we stop, an Italian man, we met at the ticket office in Keylong, and who was also at the back of the bus, arranged for 6 of us to share a taxi. Thought it was odd but hes been here before so knew where to go so I followed - he was v. clever. He jumped out and took care of a room for himself then came back and said his guest house was full. Night. Are all italians like this? Well Italian woman, me and a Canadian woman and two swiss - trundled off down the unlit passage way knocking on doors (its 10pm now). First one is full. Second one no one comes out. 3rd one rooms are smelly. 4th one too expensive. 5th one two rooms only. Italian woman grabs the cheap one. I offer to share the 2nd with the Canadian but she seems to wnat to keep looking. I try to bargain the room down but Dolma wont budge. I walk off and keep looking. But its a nice place - so I go back - Dolman whispers to me i can have it cheaper so I take it. Dump my bag and go and find the Canadian to help her. She takes a room with huge windows and tiniest bathroom I've ever seen in place next door. We're all sorted - no sign of either Italian..

I wake up to guess what - An aeroplane sound. I've not heard anything that reminds me of 'the west' or normality for a few weeks so this rather woke me up.

I went a wondering to find breakfast and a new guest house - felt I wanted to be somewhere away from the Italians (nice tho they were).. I find Changspa a little area for Israeli tourists by the look of it - But I find a Homestay guest house with a large airy room with a huge window, chairs, table overlooking their veggie garden and the mountains. (a 50 year old mud house with its onl mini temple inside).

When I walked back outside a couple where walking their two very healthy looking dogs on long leads - a local old man was staring as I was, and then we caught each others eye and he nearly bent over laughing .

Leh must be the Apricot capital. It has every which way you can think of made out of Apricots - even powdered than you can sprinkle on yr museli.

Also if you like India / Ladakh / The most amazing book to read is Kipling's Kim. I'm sad to have finished it - I felt I was with them on their journey as I travelled what must have been their footpath 109 years ago, for some of my bus ride here. Kim and his Lama. Alone with the sky and grass, mountains and wind.

And by gum the raw cabbages are peppery spicy here.

x