India: Lamayuru and Alchi
Monday morning, Stu and I climbed aboard a rickety bus, managing to snag the last seats, the dreaded, avoided-like-the-plague uncomfortable back seats for the six-hour scenic journey through the Himalaya. We arrived in Lamayuru, a quiet village that is home to the north India's most famous monastery, two-thousand Tibetan refugees, and a couple small guesthouses and restaurants. After checking into our room with its immaculate views of the monastery and mountains at the Shangri-La Guesthouse, Stu and I wandered up to witness the most excitement Lamayuru has seen in a decade: the paving of the road that leads to the monastery.
A hundred freshly-shaved monks of all shapes and sizes, from the very young to the ancient, dressed in bright red robes, were milling about the monastery, munching on juicy cherries and stealing sips from flavored drink boxes. After checking out some of the various empty rooms of the monastery, Stu and I sat down and joined the monks in the excitement of the road paving. We eventually wandered down for a warm Indian meal before heading to the room for a hot bucket of water "bath" and passing out for the evening.
Tuesday morning, with hopes of witnessing a puja, the Tibetan Buddhist prayer ceremony, Stu and I were delighted to happen upon day one of an annual festival at the monastery. After a short procession through the Lamayuru grounds, we joined all the excited monks, elaborately dressed villagers, a large group of uniformed schoolchildren, and a handful of travelers in the courtyard to witness the unfurling of a massive, five-story silk banner from the top of one of the buildings. We sat for hours, enchanted by the chanting of the monks and the paying of respects by the villagers while sipping hot chai. Finally, tummies growling and the looming noon check-out from our guesthouse, Stu and I had lunch, gathered our bags, and were back to the courtyard in time to watch the closing Tibetan dance ceremony and final procession.
We then made our way to the main road to try our luck in hitch-hiking our way down to Alchi. We sat on the side of the road for two boring hours, throwing rocks, playing truth or dare, and soaking up the warm sun before a massive, elaborately decorated semi-truck rolled to a stop beside us. We jumped in, and I sat on a wooden box next to the driver while Stu squeezed his 6'4" body between an Indian military-man and a quiet hitchhiker in the bench behind me. The truck reeked of death (I swear the driver was keeping a dead body in the box that I chose as my seat), and after long, curious stares and a few stammers of communication, we were on the road. Halfway through the journey, Stu pinched my back, and I turned around to discover the army man's hand groping Stu's shivering leg. I spent the rest of the ride stifling my laughter while Stu tried to writhe himself away from the man's soft touch.
We finally reached the turn-off to Alchi about three hours later (after numerous frustrating delays due to road work), and Stu and I happily jumped out and said goodbye. After a four-kilometer hike through the winding roads and hills, we entered the tiny village of Alchi. We finally settled into an over-priced guesthouse without running water or electricity, ordered a hot Thali meal that was delivered to the room, and after another hot bucket bath, we fell asleep.
This morning we awoke to a gorgeous, sunny morning, and after breakfast, we wandered through the ancient temple compound of Alchi. We wandered through the elaborately-painted murals of the small rooms of the temple, all the while refusing numerous times to pay an unnecessary "entrance fee" (we gave a donation instead). With a few hours before our bus' departure time (no hitchhiking today!), we waded through the village's green wheat fields to a peaceful spot for a rest in the sun.
Finally, at 3:00 pm, we boarded a tight, uncomfortable bus, this time opting for the back seats because they offered the most room. We eventually arrived in Leh just as the sun was setting, and after a walk through town, we met up with Jon and Hannah just as they were leaving the guesthouse to do internet.
What a great adventure the last two days was! I love getting away from the main tourist destinations, and Lamayuru and Alchi were the perfect places to get a feel for true village life. Tonight the four of us will have our final dinner together, and at 2:00 am Jon and I are going to say goodbye to Leh and the others (they are flying back down to Delhi on Wednesday) and try our luck again by enduring the painful one-day trip back down to Manali. I definitely am not looking forward to it, but I have no other choice, as my camera is waiting on me in some police station halfway there. I hope to get at least an hour or two of sleep before leaving, and this time I am going to bundle myself up against the dreadful cold!
A hundred freshly-shaved monks of all shapes and sizes, from the very young to the ancient, dressed in bright red robes, were milling about the monastery, munching on juicy cherries and stealing sips from flavored drink boxes. After checking out some of the various empty rooms of the monastery, Stu and I sat down and joined the monks in the excitement of the road paving. We eventually wandered down for a warm Indian meal before heading to the room for a hot bucket of water "bath" and passing out for the evening.
Tuesday morning, with hopes of witnessing a puja, the Tibetan Buddhist prayer ceremony, Stu and I were delighted to happen upon day one of an annual festival at the monastery. After a short procession through the Lamayuru grounds, we joined all the excited monks, elaborately dressed villagers, a large group of uniformed schoolchildren, and a handful of travelers in the courtyard to witness the unfurling of a massive, five-story silk banner from the top of one of the buildings. We sat for hours, enchanted by the chanting of the monks and the paying of respects by the villagers while sipping hot chai. Finally, tummies growling and the looming noon check-out from our guesthouse, Stu and I had lunch, gathered our bags, and were back to the courtyard in time to watch the closing Tibetan dance ceremony and final procession.
We then made our way to the main road to try our luck in hitch-hiking our way down to Alchi. We sat on the side of the road for two boring hours, throwing rocks, playing truth or dare, and soaking up the warm sun before a massive, elaborately decorated semi-truck rolled to a stop beside us. We jumped in, and I sat on a wooden box next to the driver while Stu squeezed his 6'4" body between an Indian military-man and a quiet hitchhiker in the bench behind me. The truck reeked of death (I swear the driver was keeping a dead body in the box that I chose as my seat), and after long, curious stares and a few stammers of communication, we were on the road. Halfway through the journey, Stu pinched my back, and I turned around to discover the army man's hand groping Stu's shivering leg. I spent the rest of the ride stifling my laughter while Stu tried to writhe himself away from the man's soft touch.
We finally reached the turn-off to Alchi about three hours later (after numerous frustrating delays due to road work), and Stu and I happily jumped out and said goodbye. After a four-kilometer hike through the winding roads and hills, we entered the tiny village of Alchi. We finally settled into an over-priced guesthouse without running water or electricity, ordered a hot Thali meal that was delivered to the room, and after another hot bucket bath, we fell asleep.
This morning we awoke to a gorgeous, sunny morning, and after breakfast, we wandered through the ancient temple compound of Alchi. We wandered through the elaborately-painted murals of the small rooms of the temple, all the while refusing numerous times to pay an unnecessary "entrance fee" (we gave a donation instead). With a few hours before our bus' departure time (no hitchhiking today!), we waded through the village's green wheat fields to a peaceful spot for a rest in the sun.
Finally, at 3:00 pm, we boarded a tight, uncomfortable bus, this time opting for the back seats because they offered the most room. We eventually arrived in Leh just as the sun was setting, and after a walk through town, we met up with Jon and Hannah just as they were leaving the guesthouse to do internet.
What a great adventure the last two days was! I love getting away from the main tourist destinations, and Lamayuru and Alchi were the perfect places to get a feel for true village life. Tonight the four of us will have our final dinner together, and at 2:00 am Jon and I are going to say goodbye to Leh and the others (they are flying back down to Delhi on Wednesday) and try our luck again by enduring the painful one-day trip back down to Manali. I definitely am not looking forward to it, but I have no other choice, as my camera is waiting on me in some police station halfway there. I hope to get at least an hour or two of sleep before leaving, and this time I am going to bundle myself up against the dreadful cold!
posted by Tiffany Joiner at 8:29 AM
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