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Published: August 9th 2007
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Kanda La Pass
Elevation is 16,071ft. So I haven't been so vigilant in updating the blog recently. I finished my volunteer teaching work in Mcleod Ganj about 10 days ago. Teaching the Tibetan refugees and the Buddhist monks English was perhaps the most enjoyable and memorable experience of trip thus far. Most of the students had no English experience or knowledge whatsoever, so I started half the classes with learning the alphabet. By the end of six weeks I had a lot of my students who knew no English when we started, asking me questions in English by the time we finished. So many f them came so far and it was almost euphoric to watch their skills progress in such a short period of time. The Tibetans are the most delightful group of people I've ever come across and their warmth, kindness, generosity, and appreciation left me with such a rewarding feeling that I was able to help them improve their lives while living in India. When I left I was given numerous traditional Tibetan gifts and many of them cooked me meals or took me out to eat at various local restaurants. I can only hope that I get the chance again sometime in the
future to help more Tibetan refugees gain the much needed English skills necessary to survive in India.
I left Mcleod Ganj on an overnight bus and returned to Delhi the next morning. I spent one day relaxing at Angad's house, went to see the movie Die Hard 4, and the next morning took an early flight as far north in India as a plane will take you. I arrived in Leh early in the morning and was awe-struck at the incredible scenery and landscape that is the Indian state of Ladakh. Over 800 years ago the Ladakh region was part of the greater Tibetan nation and the area is filled Buddhist monasteries and plenty of monks in their flowing maroon robes. I immediately met up with a group of people I had met while in Mcleod Ganj and we made the necessary arrangements to leave on a 4 day trek the next day. The weather is significantly colder in Leh as the lowest elevation is over 11,000ft. Early the next morning five of us met our trekking guide, our cook, and the team of horses that would be accompanying us on the upcoming journey. The Ladakh region surrounding the
Crew at the Pass
Spreading the love above 16,00ft. main city of Leh has over 30 treks ranging from 3 o 21 days so the possibilities are nearly limitless. Because of the high altitude we all figured it was better to take it easy on our first trip to better acclimatize ourselves with trekking at high elevations. There's no doubt that hiking so high above sea level takes a great deal of effort and physical abilities. On the morning of the third day we crossed the main Spituk pass with an elevation of 14,850ft. You gotta work a lot harder to catch your breath when there's significantly less oxygen up in the mountains. As is common in the mountains of India, Nepal, and Tibet, there are lots of Tibetan prayer flags tied between rocks signifying that you've reached the highest point on a particular trekking route. I brought some of my own prayer flags with me, took a few pictures, and tied them up with the rest the flags, leaving a little token of Adam at the top of the mountain. The following 2 days were much easier than than the first 2 as the rest of the trek was mostly downhill from that point on. The group of
2 Israeli's, a guy from France, another from New York, and myself made for great conversations and lots of fun card games.
After finishing the trek we returned to Leh for some massages and a few days of relaxation. Tomorrow I will be leaving on a one day mountain biking trip that starts at 16,750ft. and eventually brings us back to Leh. Also during the next week I'll be taking a "jeep safari" to one of the remote lakes in the Ladakh region for 2 night camping trip before once-again returning to Leh. In the next month I'll be looking for a new group to do a 12 day trek with to a much more remote and hopefully more beautiful region in Ladakh. I'll return to Delhi on August 17th to celebrate my 24th birthday with Angad before flying to Kathmandu, Nepal on August 24th to embark on perhaps 2 of the most epic treks anywhere in the world, the Annapurna Himalayan range and the trek to the Everest Base Camp. I look forward to posting new photos and stories in the coming weeks.
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