Himalayan Journeys Along the Ancient Silk Roads

Chapter 1 The Inspired Journey: Reflections On The Nature of Life “I’ve been preparing for the climb all my life... now I know how I’m going to die.” — Jimmy Chin, Climber Film Director, ‘Free Solo’ It was the end of the summer season in the high altitudes of Ladakh. One of the last festivals of summer, the very Buddhist, Mani Rimdu Dances were being held at the Hemis Monastery. These are the masked dances which are designed to illustrate through emoticon masks what negative emotions can cause internally. Circumstances will always influence us emotionally, while we have the choice as to how we react, in wisdom or in travail. The Mani Rimdu Masked Dances were taking place simultaneously at many monasteries throughout Ladakh in the ‘chimney of India’ in this land of Kashmir. I had decided to camp in my own little tent above the monastery in the cradle of the mountain to attend the masked dances. My friend Andres had camped out beside me to attend the dances as well. I’d met Andres in Leh, Ladakh’s provincial capital, two months previous. We had discussed our mutual longing to trek through the Markha Valley tucked into the Great Himalayan Range. It was renowned for its incomparable beauty. There was only one high pass to cross and just enough time in late September for a last trek through 1 the high altitude landscapes before winter arrived. After a deep and engaging experience of the Masked Dances at Hemis Monastery, we agreed to meet in Leh to finalize our plans. The trekking season was coming to a close and time was of the essence. We stuffed our survival gear into our packs and headed into the wilderness of the high altitude landscapes. Little did we know, we were truly leaving all that we knew behind. After a week of intense trekking over extreme terrain, we were in the midst of it, crossing the 17,000 ft. (5200m) pass and facing completely unexpected circumstances. The temperatures had dropped well below freezing and it was beginning to snow as we descended from the pass. We were still well above tree line and found ourselves walking on the edge of an iced over river framed by frozen waterfalls along cliffs concealed within the Great Himalayan Range. We watched the snow laden storm clouds gathering at our backs throughout the day as we hurried across the high altitude scree fields. Darkness fell and snow enveloped us. It was apparent, winter had indeed arrived. We had no choice but to carry on despite having been trekking for thirteen hours. We seemed to be moving through a wilderness of great proportion, engulfed in the unknown and the unseen as our body temperatures fell and darkness descended. We were using head lamps to guide our footsteps along cliffs in the pitch blackness. One step off the edge of the icy rock strewn path could send us plunging hundreds of feet to our death. Hypothermia and dehydration began to overwhelm us as we descended through the snow and ice. Finally, out of the darkness, there emerged the faintest smell of smoke lacing the air. Suddenly 10,000 years of evolution 2 passed in moments, we had entered civilization again with its languages, its fire, its shelter, and most of all its human ambiance. We had surfaced out of the darkness and the cold into the warmth of humanity again. Knowledge of the nearness of death walking beside us while in extreme circumstances leaves the clearest impression of what compels us to live the life we choose. It is the crossroads where our emotions synchronise with our future aspirations. These reflections emerged through a close encounter with death in the Himalayas in 2008 while trekking at high altitude. The impact of those experiences served as the driving force in my desire to know more about these insurmountable mountains and their ancient indigenous cultures. The Himalayas had drawn me into their mystery. Like a cat with nine lives, I died many times on this journey to understand the world from all angles. I came to understand that it is the journey through the universe and our understanding that matters. While death is a profound event, it is a mere moment in time, what leads up to that moment is where the meaning of life is continuously formed. What opened within me through this experience, was a keen desire to understand the evolution of the people who populate the vast ranges of the Himalayas. Knowing the entirety of the Himalayan cultures meant I would have to travel to China, then into Tibet. Traveling to China to understand its ancient cultures takes a lot of preparation, practically and psychologically. There is a beautiful synchronicity which can happen while contemplating the journey, where all of the coordinates align and the journey falls into place with ease. The coordinates aligned for my entry into China with an easy synchronicity in early 2018 when I was in North Vietnam 3 teaching English in a small municipality on the border with China. It was a mere 15 minute motorbike ride to the border crossing into China, however, this overland crossing was prohibited to foreigners.