Preparations,....

All journeys start with a single step, but there is never any definite certainty how they will unfold or where they will end up. Part of the joy of mystery,.....

After over 18 months of Anna and I living in India and Nepal we are planning on embarking on our most challenging travel / pilgrimage adventure yet. Inspired by the tales of many previous pilgrims and some intrepid dharma buddies who have recently done the deed, we are intending to go to Mt Kailash in Tibet to do some kora, departing sometime August '06.

Mt Kailash is regarded as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists and figures highly in mythic cosmology as a symbolic centre of the Universe. A highly charged earth-power place and natural loci of spiritual energies - the central Asian equivalent of Uluru i guess. It is also a hydrological convergence - four of Asias major rivers find their source in the immediate vicinity of Kailash. The Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Karnali (major tributary of the Ganges). The waters originating from this region supply perhaps ~400 million people and who knows how many animals. A scared source of life for many,.....

Mt Kailash

The route we are planning is perhaps among the more difficult amongst several options, though there is really no easy way to get there - it is completely in the wops! - hidden well behind the Himalaya range, tucked away in western Tibet. We are intending to go via Pakistan, up the Karakoram HWY and old silk route to Kashgar in western China, and then down to Ali and Darchen and Mt Kailash, before heading on to Lhasa and back to Nepal (see map below).

Route map

A wee way to wander, through some pretty isolated country. Our intentions are to spend a few weeks in the Hunza region of the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan in late August, where we will do some trekking at altitude to acclimatise whilst soaking up the splendour of the Karakoram. The road from Kashgar to Ali goes very high very fast, over some 5400m passes. Many people experience problems with altitude on this route and to come down with AMS in such an isolated area would not be fun, so spending a bit of time at altitude seems a wise things to do.

There are now four of us teamed up for the journey - a good number. Anna, myself, Mark and Joe. Mark is from Australia and Joe from the UK and both are great guys who have spent a fair amount of time with us in retreats. All four of us did the 3 month Vajrasattva retreat at Tushita last year. It feels really sweet to be doing this journey as a group with a unity in terms of a Buddhist focus and opportunities for joint practice along the way. Reckon we will go well together.

Yeti trekking kitchen

Living in McLeod Ganj with Anna is wonderful at the moment. Staying at Yeti trekking lodge, which is lush and bursting with green lawn, a low key family place with doggies and chickens and rouge street cows making strategic raids on the lush grass. Am really enjoying doing home cooking after months of dubious Indian fare!

Prayer flags at Trijang Rinpoches Stupa

Doing a small amount of DIY type volunteer work up at Tushita in between time and trying to brush up on my Tibetan language skills. Just keeping it simple really. HH Dalai Lama is giving teachings here in a week or so, which will be great, and we are also blessed with the presence at the Yeti of one of our Teachers, Ven. Shanyen, the monk who led our Vajrasattva retreat last year. Very fortunate indeed.

Crazy Barloo the dog

Visa's to sort out in Delhi next month, which is one of those unavoidable obstacles/opportunities on the path. The monsoon expected any day now, so trying to get in as many walks up the ridge here to Triund as possible before it kicks in - will try and get up there this weekend for a few days in fact. Peace and hugs.

Yeti trekking

Room with a view

Anna up at Triund ridge