Far Too Much to Type!

So the cliche is that a picture speaks a thousand words, right? Well, as I have not posted for two months, so I have many words to make up. Since I last posted I have been in Palampur; been to a week-long teaching of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala; a 22 hour jeep ride from Manali up through Ladakh; a week in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, including two days at the amazing Hemis Festival, a festival of masks and dancing monks; on a 5 day trek in the mountains, and a 6 day mountain-biking trip, including biking down from the highest motorable pass in the world, and into Nubra Valley, one of the most magical places I have ever been.

And then... more things happened... but the things above are what are covered in the pictures below. I’ll post more (Scotland, West Virginia..... what else could there be?) soon.

But for now, I am back in America, in Madison for 5 days, before I head off to Ann Arbor Michigan and my new life as a graduate student in Natural Resource Management and City and Regional Planning. More on that later!

(Most of these pictures were taken by Ben Glass and Nate Sands.... If you want to use them for anything except seeing how pretty Ladakh is, let me know and I’ll check in with them.)

 
 
 

In Dharamsala for the Dalai Lama's teachings. They would not let cameras in during the teachings, but these were taken after the teachings were over for that day. The colorful cushions mark where people were sitting, and allow them to reclaim their spot hte next day. 

 

Me, getting going. 

 

The amazing high altitude plains on the way to Ladakh... 

 

On the way to Ladakh: Passing over the world's second highest motorable pass. 

 

The palace at Leh. 

All of these are images from the Hemis Festival. This festival is held each year, when the monks bring our amazing masks and costumes representing tantric Buddhist myths and stories and act them out in dance for other monks and tourists. Incredible, beautiful, magical.

 

The small down surrounding the Hemis monastary. It is also a beautiful example of traditional Ladakhi architecture, which is found everywhere. 

 

Kirsten and I stopping on the banks of the Indus on our way home from the Hemis festival. 

 

The first camp site of the trek! 

 

Tying the gear on to the donkeys! Salt and Pepper, although ornery (what good doney isn't?)were wonderful gear-carrying lifesavers. 

 

The first day on the road. 

 

I feel awful because I can't remember the name of the man who served both as the owner or the donkeys that held part of our stuff and our guide. And, clearly, occasional cook. Great guy. 

 

The gang warming up in a shepard's hut after our first pass. The shepards let us use their wood stove and fed us yogurt and butter. Cold and lonley outside, warm and smoky inside. 

 

Mountains at sunset. 

 

A stunning camp site. 

 

The houses int he valleys. We passed through a community almost every day while we were trekking but few were more than perhaps 30 houses. 

 

These are our colorful cotten tents that would have been best suited to a suburban backyard, if even there. They worked all nights except one where we were caught in a snow storm, and the tent collapsed on Kirsten's and my face. 

 

Kirsten is a kung-fu master. 

 

Nate putting up prayer flags at a very fogged in pass (around 15,000 ft). 

 

Bria, climbing up a pass.