Food, motorbikes, and the Dalai Lama...

Over the past week or so, I have developed a few routines that get me through my days at the office.  To start, about a week or so ago, I moved from my guesthouse to a vacant room in the office.  This was both a good and bad decision.  The good reasons for moving were mainly that it’s free, more space, and I can use the kitchen.  Using the kitchen has been key as now I can make a nice breakfast with coffee.  I was tiring of toasted white bread and jam at my guesthouse, so now I make a lovely wheat porridge with a cup of Nescafé.  Just delightful!  Despite my new amenities, I now have to ability to spend way too many hours in the office – already a place of tension – and I have lost some of the companionship of other people in the guesthouse.  But I suppose the last part is just life here now, as almost all of the good friends I have made here, have now left for home.  Life seems a bit quieter now.

My first attempt at cooking Indian food from scratch: Paneer butter masala, mixed veg raita, and homemade chapati!  SUCCESS!

Ahh, but my routines!  They have helped in breaking up the day and my time in the office.  Every morning I wake up early to make breakfast and coffee.  After that I go on a nice long walk up to the Shanti Stupa, which sits high above the town of Leh and gives a great view of the mountains.  You climb 500 steep stairs before you reach the overlook and in the mornings there are hardly any tourists making the climb.  So peace ensues and so does my daily morning meditations.  Then after my nice long walk, I return to the office to either begin working on my report for SLC-IT or read some of Ghandi’s autobiography ‘My Experiments of Truth.’  To say the least, I LOVE my slow mornings. 

Then at some point, the rest of the staff trickles in.  My days in the office now consist of tons of writing and organizing the data I collected from the surveys.  This is all made bearable by dried apricots and cashews (I’m truly addicted by both) and Star Trek.  The completion of my report will be in thanks to Captain Kirk and his brave crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise.    

After work, I go on another walk, visit my friend Stanzin at his office, and then head home to cook dinner.  Not the most exciting life I suppose, but this is what happens when you live somewhere for a while.  And, luckily, only eight more days until J.B. and Ryan come to visit and we begin our adventures.  So maybe a little quiet is needed.

But despite the ample time in the office and some quiet days, the last few weeks have been filled with new fun.  I took a motorbike trip with Stanzin and Anya (a woman from Switzerland) to Pangong Lake, which is just beautiful (and rumor that there is a Chinese submarine somewhere in the lake!).  This was the longest motorbike trip I have been on yet, about 6.5 hours each way over the 5^th highest motorable road in the world.  The ride there was amazing with incredible blue skies and perfect temperatures.  However, the way back was rainy and cold and snowing at the top of the pass.  All this would have been fine had we all come prepared for rain.  However, Anya and I only had chacos and socks, which were soaked from all the streams and rivers we had to cross on our way!  Luckily, I had mittens but Anya was gloveless and the driver. SO COLD.  I would imagine the picture of the two of us on the bike was similar to Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber entering Aspen minus the icicles, I suppose.  Regardless, a great trip and a needed break from Leh.

When we arrived back in Leh, the Dalai Lama had already begun his teachings.  So the next two mornings, I spent sitting in His Holiness’ joyous presence.  I admit, I have no clue what exactly he spoke on.  The translating was difficult to hear and understand but just sitting with the hundreds of Ladakhi’s and listening to his voice and, most especially, his laugh, was worth every moment.  I’m not Buddhist but there is no doubt in my mind that the Dalai Lama is a special and incredibly spiritual man.  And you can have nothing but reverence and respect for him. 

Whelp, nine days left on my lonesome and with SLC-IT.  Who knows what will be in store.  Certainly more apricots and cashews…