August '08 | September '08 | October '08 | November '08 | December '08 |
Our seven hour Toy Train ride from Kalka to Shimla, a British Hill Station, was an adventure. After a two day stay in Shimla, we met
Llapka, our guide from last year, his assistant Karam and our driver, Naranden, and then we went by Mahindra Scorpio through
the most rugged terrain we’ve ever been in. Narrow, winding roads (often being worked on), up high on the sides of mountains,
to villages, temples and monasteries at 10,000 to 14,000 ft. It was white knuckles all the way.
It is incredible how the people of Tibetan Buddhist descent in these remote areas are living much as they’ve done for a thousand
years – in traditional structures of wood or stone and mud – with their cows, sheep, goats and yaks. They are largely
self-sustained – with income from apple and apricot orchards, and potatoes, peas, red cabbage and spinach that they sell to
the Embassy Markets in Delhi.
The highlight for us was trekking in Pin Valley – as we walked, though not really on a pilgrimage, in a relaxed manner. Maybe
you’d like to read Joyce Rupp’s “Walk in a Relaxed Manner – Life Lessons from the Camino Way”.Camping in Pin Valley was a bit of Heaven on Earth – blue sky, fluffy clouds, sunshine, snow capped Himalayas, high waterfalls, the river, green grass, tiny yellow flowers, chirping birds – and us and our three guiding friends. The only sounds were ones of silence – we could hear the blood rushing in our ears.
BRO (Border Road Organization) is bringing remote peoples to the main stream. But progress has come with a price. More tourists and more money have caused greed and selfishness, and “the people have lost happiness and they can’t buy it at the market”.
There is electricity in the villages, supplied by huge hydro power complexes that we saw in numerous gorges. We had hot water in the guesthouses we stayed in - and many homes have satellite TV and CD players. There are no cell phones and fast Internet yet, but we saw fiber optic cable strung through the trees and around rocks, just waiting to be buried. We even saw a teenager with an Ipod, and we were told that “parents work very hard and they spoil their children”.
We had several discussions with local people regarding the benefits of modern concrete houses versus the traditional mud and stone ones. Traditional wins on the basis of cost, earthquake resistance and insulating properties, but concrete is more “prestigious” and so is being used a lot. We saw many new hotels and guesthouses going up to accommodate the increased numbers of Indian tourists coming to these areas to get away from the heat in the big cities.
If you would like to help a young woman, Tanzin Dolkar, from Kibber in Spiti Valley, to take nurse’s training so that
she can work in the clinic in her village, please let us know –
parkerma@juno.comOur words cannot adequately describe – nor can our photos capture the grandeur, the vastness, the dizzying heights of our surroundings. If you would like to experience it all first hand, please contact Llapka – lhaktse4@yahoo.com, to plan your own trip.
Thank you God, our Creator, for the beauty of your awesome landscape. Thank you for keeping us safe and healthy. Thank you for the chance to meet and learn from the people. It has been good for us to see others of your family who have so much less to live on than we do. Please help us to be less selfish, and to want to share what You have given us.
John in the Toy Train
Traditional Village Life
Trekking in the Himalayas
Tanzin Dolkar