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
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