Step over mountain

Step over Mountain

            Aspiration to cross over the mountains cherished for a long time in my mind. It would remain dream if I had not shown little courage. I have read the book The Seven Year in Tibet of Heinrich Harrer[I]. This book hugely boosted my enthusiasm to jump into Adventures world and Books of Rahul Sankrityayan[II] encouraged me to write what I had experienced.   

 I was fed up by traveling by bus and taxies every year in summer vacation. I had experienced of walking on wonderful frozen river of  Zanskar with father in February 2001. He escorted me on frozen river when I had to seek admission in Leh for my further studies. Then I was 8^th passed student. My father is a strong mountaineer. In the case of emergency he has courage to cross the mountain and frozen river alone.  He is quite well known by everybody  in Zanskar for his courageness as well as drink behavior.

Then one  day I decided to step over mountain instead of travel by buses. I rushed towards Darcha from Padum with my brother kelsang in august 2006. That was first time I travel over mountain as my own.  Then gradually confident starting to rise in the heart, I felt that I could do, what I intended.  It was adventurous walk over mountain. I have lot to write, but here I  am going to write the second journey by same route with  a friend.  In 2011. It was extraordinary journey that we continuously walking  for 21 hours, 5 AM to 2 AM. Should I say dawn to dawn?

We had few days left and we immediately decided to go by walking to Darcha, from where we could take taxi to Manali.  For foreigner it takes  9 days.  We completed in three days.  A couple of months ago. We planned to walk over  Omasila pass  to Paldar valley, which is  near to Jammu. Our plan  was fail, because  my friends confident had lost by people rumour of danger to walk on glacier.  Soon I am going to be experienced this Glaciered pass too.

Day: 1-  5 july 2011

The journey begin from my village Pipiting with light  breakfast. We travelled by texi from padum to Muney village. On the way we enjoyed the view of water fall of Sila village on opppsite mountain. Then we got the bless of Barden Gonpa. We stop for lunch on Chuzin  house in Muney, which is on the way. In the after noon we traveled via Raru village to Itcher. In the evening we stayed at relative house in the village of Itcher.

Day:2-  6 july 2011       Birth day of His Holiness the Dalai lama.

On the following day, early in the morning we start our adventure journey. The 21 hour continuously walking.  We travel for two hours and at the time of sun rising we reached at small village called Ammu and we stop for tea. The Border Road Organization (BRO) has been working in the project of Padum-Darcha motor road. the road was constructed almost 40 km from Padum. We travel beside river which is flowing between huge mountain. Some time we have to climb up and down.  After a while  we crossed a rope bridge  and on other side we find a single house, opposite to village of Cha,  we got breakfast in this single house. As we were walking, we enjoyed the nature and beauty of mountains and villages.  We  could see the fields and houses  of cha village and  route of the famous Phuktal Gonpa via Purney, we were high on opposite bank of Purney. I already had done pilgrimage to Phuktal Gonpa in my first journey with my brother. We  often found an Environment awareness words on rock by Lungnak student welfare. I appreciate it very much.

Three hours later, we reached at a village named Yal, there we encountered  a man working in front of his house. He was preparing for his son up coming marriage ceremony. We asked  for some drink and he happily offered us strong  local drink.  Despite of having lot of water in the way. I still felt thrust  and to quench the thrusty, I  had three bowl of Chang in a movement. I felt relex by the liquid but not aware of it affecting on me. As we get up to go I realized that the chang began to affect. I felt light and the minor pain in my legs eliminated.  Later my friend told me that I almost running on the way.

As I was having liquid, two  young boys and a girl  passed besides the house, the girl is  horse back. We  called them for drink. But they go on refusing because next village is their own. We prefer to walk with them, so we could get some delicious lunch at Testa. We were lucky, we welcome with delicious lunch and continuous our journey. As the affect of Chang goes off, I  felt tire  and heavy. So on the next village, we once again asked for drink at the house below the route. The liquid seem not strong as before but it helped me  to reach the destination village Kargyak

On the way we encounter some villages. Tablay, Kuru . A village name Tanzay had small tea shop beside the road. In Tanzay i found the white colored rock, which is break in to powder and mixed up with milk and  use  in paint for Guru Stupa in Pipiting. We arrived at Kargyak at 8 pm. Our plan was to stay in Kargyak and spend the  night. We knew a monk named chophel. who is studying at Drapung Gomang monastery mondgod. We were informed that he was there at his village for vacation.  We asked for  his house as we encountered the villagers. A man helped us to find  his house. Chophel  gave us tea and bread.  We had been walking for 15 hours then and put off our shoes and prepare to stay in the house.

After the tea and some formal talk.  He informed  that a group of men from the  village had gone that afternoon with lot of horses  towards the pass to Receive Rinpoche. They were going to spent the night in base of Shinku la, which has 4 hours from Kargyak and on the following day they would cross the pass. If we could catch them at the base camp in the night. We would be on horseback next day.    I felt pain in some part of body, but dreaming of pleasing horse riding. We decided to travel forwards.  I thought just 4 hours more and tomorrow we both on horseback.

According to my experience during travel,  I asked  a jug of chang ,  because I knew,  it could help in the journey. With my belly  full of Chang, we continuous our journey along with a  bottle of liquid .  It was already dark and there was little moon light. Fortunately we got a torch, with the torch we could  travel till 2 am. On the way after two hours we  encountered  a temporary nomad house and we stop for milk and curd.  I use the term TEMPORARY NOMAD. Because they spend only three months in summer with their cattle.  they have  their own well built  houses and fields in village, where they are spending whole year.  We went there and few young girls received us.  We exchanged our items. We gave them coke and meggi and they offered us milk and curd.  Together we exchange talk and joke. Frankly saying, they are good hearted and nice girls.

After an hour when we get up to walk , it was 12 am then. the moon light was  already faded.  We could see only the huge dark mountain and  twinkling stars over our heads. we often lost our way especially after crossing  streams.  It was hard to put naked foot in water  but its harder when we could not find the way after crossing the stream.  The route was more confusion when we were at the base of the mount Gonpo Rangjon near the base camp.   There were huge rocks on the way and the route was zigzagged.

I remembered my first journey when I accompanied my brother Kelsang Thinley. We were walking near the base. At that time we reached at  base camp at 9 PM.  There was small river to cross.  The base camp was on the other side of the river. We were new and travel with information and map instruction and could only see dim light by tent across the small river .  Though we both had torch but could not find any bright. It was raining and we already got wet head to toe. We immediately cross the river and reach other side. While we were crossing the river,  we were between the rain and the cold freezing river.  The dim light of the tent was only our hope and we focus our eyes on it.  We hurriedly rushed inside the tent and found group of men talking. Their talk interrupted by our appeared in the tent and  began to ask questions.  They were laughing at us for our stupid adventure. Travel over there at night is really stupid. The men show sympathy  on us and lent warm clothes to change.  Early in the morning we found small bridge just near the spot we cross the river.

Surprisingly, this time we found the bridge instead of tent.   We tried to search the tent for few minutes but in vain so we slept on rocky land in open sky. We are fortunate that there was no rain and we have comfortable sleeping bag.

The following morning we could see  the hotel tent was perch on other side, beside the route we walked through it.  We went there and found few small tents  beside the hotel tent. We talked with horsemen and they told us that their purpose to cross the Pass has cancelled because the Rinpoche has already arrived at base camp. However we were happy that a man was still going other side with two horses.  We change riding time to time.  I used to ride horse when I was very young. We had white colored horse in our house. Father sold it long time ago and it quite long I have not ride horse.

Day 3.  7 july 2011

We wake up early in the morning and went to the tent and had breakfast. There was still snow and glacier in the top and it would be best if we reach there as early as possible because as the sun light fall on the glaciers,  it hard to walk over them. We were at the top after almost four hours. Medicine herbs and flowers are growing in this mountain. Sova Rigpa doctor (Tibetan medical) often visit here to collect flowers and herbs.  We could see lot of others series of Himalayan mountains by the top. Small type of lack formed in the top by melting of Glacier. Prayer Flags are waving there in non stop motion. It is said that spiritual words written in the flag could carry by wind to all direction to spread peace. I liked the idea but still I have to learn lot of things in Buddhist culture.

It was pleasant walking on other side of Shinku-la. At noon we arrive at Zanskar Sum-do, which is state border of jammu and Kashmir and himachal Pradesh. A new road was also constructing from Zanskar Sum-do towards Zanskar by BRO. Motor road has been constructing both side and in a few years, it will be complete. I felt that the joy of walking  would not be exist as soon as motor dominate the trekking route. We  arrived on time in Darcha and we took taxi to Manali.  And… .. .

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[I] An Austrian, (6 July 1912 – 7 January 2006)  who  was an Austrian mountaineer . He traveled to Tibet during 2^nd  world war and spent sever  years in Tibet. The book seven years in Tibet was written by him as a dairy during his travelling. He was one  of the earliest English teacher  to 14^th  dalai lama. 

[II] An Indian scholar, (April 9, 1893 – April 14, 1963),  who travelled  in Tibet for four times  for restoration of Buddhist Sanskrit text in Tibet who is called the Father of Hindi Travel literature, was one of the most widely-traveled scholars of India, spending forty-five years of his life on travels away from his home.[1] He became a Buddhist monk (Bauddha Bhikkhu) and eventually took up Marxist Socialism.[2] Sankrityayan was also an Indian nationalist, having been arrested and jailed for three years for creating anti-British writings and speeches.[3] He is referred to as the 'Greatest Scholar' (Mahapandit) for his scholarship. He accompanied Gadun chophel  to India in his second Journey to Tibet.

Ode to a skylark

The valley is surrounded by giant walls of Himalayan mountain. The climate is rising on her best form, people are busy in their fields and the skylarks are singing high in the sky to make the valley colourful with their melodious song. It is like as if birds are extending their hands in the fields and encouraging farmers.

The day, I arrived in the middle of farmers at Pipiting village in Zanskar. I visited fields with the purpose of watering. Both my shoulders equipped with tools which are used in the fields for water. As I was going through the fields I enjoying listening to music by some music player. At the same time a natural song was singing over my head, I was fool I was not aware of it.

The fields had already ploughed and new sprout began to appear in the fields. It was time when spring turns into summer and huge glaciers start to melt. But in the beginning the weather was quite cold and the valley had still little water for fields. I could see that snow had not molten even lower parts of mountain. Molten water flowing by streams provide harmony to the valley. A big stream is shared by four villages and due to cold weather, it is difficult to get water for field properly. It took almost a month to water the fields and as fields drank, it become green.

water the field

But in between I experienced an emotional or rather disappointing incident. As I had been to fields everyday with the purpose of watering them and one day I found a nest of skylark. The incident took place as one day I took a few minutes rest and I was willing to take stroll around the bushes. As I was passing by the boundary of fields a bird flew suddenly beside me.

It was a skylark! The bird was singing high in the sky and filling the surrounding with melodious song. The bird flew and left her nest with three small eggs. I thought it was not safe to keep the nest as it was, because it could be easily seen by everybody. If the visitor were naughty children then I was sure they play with it and break it. I put some grassy soil around the nest for protection. After that I visited and checked the nest every day and returning with satisfaction.

The process was going on for a week and one day I had not found the nest but the scattered straw and pieces of broken eggs and skylark feathers everywhere. I could not understand at first sight. In a second moment my eyes were filled with tears and faint for few seconds. That was the evil act of a wild beast, the cat. I have seen cat in the fields the day before and I was not aware of their evil hunting journey. I felt excited by their present in the fields. I thought they also like to visit in the green field and to enjoy the nature.

I was thinking of watching the little chickens come out from the eggs. Everything was gone. The beast left no thing,  killed the skylark and broken her little eggs. I was not willing to work in the field after that incident and started to return but after a few steps I decided to work in the field whole day to pay tribute to the skylark and her three little eggs. As time passed I had involved in many events and almost forgot the incidence.

Back in Varanasi after the summer vacation, once again the memory of skylark is rising in my mind spontaneously as we had a poem about skylark in our syllabus. “Ode To a skylark” by Percy by byshe Shelley. The poem was written two centuries ago but the description over their characteristics  is same. How they fly high in the sky and disappear but we always hear their melodious song. I added with the poem that the skylark which was seen in Zanskar had disappeared, but she always remains in my mind by melodious song.