Tibetan Pilgrimmage part 1

Years ago Clark and I spent a few months in China and Tibet. We spent time learning more about our medicine and the culture that developed it. We also spent a good deal of time studying meditation. Part of our time in Tibet took us on a journey to one of the most isolated places on the globe. We traveled to the sacred Mt. Kailash in western Tibet.

Mount Kailash is revered as a very sacred place by Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as the native Jain and Bon religions. It is also the headwaters for some of Asia’s longest rivers. Its location is very remote and veiled in mystery.

Our journey to reach the 22,000 foot mountain and take the 3 day trek around was inspired by our commitment to evolving spiritually. It is said that a pilrimmage is a journey inward and outward.

Our incredible journey started in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Along with a collegue and another traveler, we booked an 18 day round trip with 2 landrovers, 2 drivers, a guide and a cook. We were told that the trip would include the proper gear to keep us comfortable in the extreme conditions of the Tibetan plateau, as well as food that would sustain such a challenging journey.

The road was beyond bumpy and the climate was very cold and windy. During the night time the boiling water that we put into our thermoses would freeze. The gear turned out to be very poor quality and we all looked forward to the dawn, when we could begin to warm up again. Our food was a mix of strange Chinese packaged snacks, yak meat, and yak butter tea.

The journey was greuling and I was the only female in the party of 9. Yet, somehow there was a simpleness to the terrain and our days. We enjoyed hours of peace along the road.

We sang songs, meditated, and were in silence for hours at a time….and when we did stop to eat or sleep we became quite the attraction to the local nomads.

To be continued………….