03/09/2019
Mansarovar to Mt Kailash
Hey guys🙋♀️...spent the last night here at Mansarovar Lake. Brushing in the dark at 4am over a bucket of luke warm water, gathered together with the rest of the participants. Headlamps flashing and all. Such unique experience. Kinda makes it normal when others are in the same boat.
Today we drive up towards Yamdowaar where we will start our trek up to Mt Kailash basecamp...elevation between 5000-5500m.
After our routine morning Kriya session and medical screening we boarded our bus and were off towards Dirapuk trek - Kailash. Gosh I am petty sure I am missing some names and places as I write this blog. So much for Isha vollies advising me to keep it in your mind and write blog after Kailash🙄😝😂
Once we arrived at the start of the trek... we were allocated our porters and pony's. Tibetans have a certain ritual where they write their names on a piece if paper and get the participants to choose. Once the name is chosen, the porter/pony guide are paired with the participants and are together for the rest of the trek...in our case 3 days.
Before the trek begins all participants approach the Buddhist Stupa...where pilgrims are encouraged to make 3 rounds and going through thr Yamdowaar before commencing with the trek up to Kailash. The whole trek is approx. 12-14km and by pony it should take approx. 3 hours.
Off I went with my porter and pony... walked half way and ponied the other. The sight and the scenery is absolutely breath-taking. Shallow river flowing with crystal clear waters, beaver 🐻like animals popping in and out of their borrows for food, air and paying visit to thier human visitors. Domestic Yaks🐃 in the distant carrying our rest of the luggage. Sorrounded by seriously huge snow capped mountains constantly reminding us of how small we really are, which often can be a wonderful relief.
By midday we slowly approached the midway point where some very welcoming refreshments were waiting for us. Drinking hot masala tea ☕and dancing to some songs underneath the west face of Kailash is a memory I will always treasure.💃🙏🏔
Soon it was time for us to continue with the rest of the trek. As we approached closer and closer the weather turned and started to hail. It hailed for the rest of the trek. 🌨❄
Finally around 2.30pm I arrived at the base with my porter and pony guide. I was super tied by then and was looking towards the dormitory and our station area when Puteru my pony guide uttered the words..." look Kailash" as he pointed across and over my right shoulder. As soon as I turned and laid my eyes upon the most beautiful sight my senses have ever experienced, my eyes welled up with tears, my whole body trembled and my heart was filled with ulmost gratitude. I coldnt hold back my feeling and emotions and bursted out in a huge wail as I bowed down on the ground where we stood. There she was... big, bold, beautiful, dusted with velvety white snow, the one and ultimate only, Mt Kailash🏔🙏😍. I am sorry but I am not doing any justice explaining what I was feeling all over... holding back my tears as I write this now. All I can say is that I will live with that incredible moment for the rest of my life🙏🙏🙏 . My porters face were a sight to be captured as they got a huge shock when they saw me burst into uncontrollable tears and trembling😲😭. Dont think they were expecting this but I did sense that they knew what I was feeling... Tibetans are great devotees of Kailash too so they understand peoples sentiments. They probably didnt think a clown like myself would break down the way I did. 😂😝🤡
I sit here reminiscing those very moments when I truly laid all my sense upon Kailash🏔🙏. All the stories of Lord Shiva, Mata Parvati, Bal Ganesha and Kartikhe from my childhood days at temples and home, all became real in an odd sense. I felt genuinely blessed to be standing at the foot of Kailash🏔, the home of Shiva himself. Stood there recalling my dream I had at age 12...seeing a beautiful vivid face of Shiva on a full moon. It all made sense.
I was blissfully overwhelmed😍🥰🙏I would have stood there looking at Kailash for the rest of the afternoon but Daktu my porter probably felt colder than I did at that time, ascorted me into the compounds of our dormitory and handed over my backpack.
After the mandatory medical screening and refreshments... I got my self up towards our dom room. Pretty similar to Mansarovar accommodation. First thing my eyes searched for were power plugs and dont know why...but a heater😂🤔 As if!
Rest of the afternoon was pretty slow so just stood on the balcony looking at Kailash... which by now was almost fully covered by the rain clouds. I watched as the rest of the participants slowly but surely made their way into the compounds...laying thier first sights on Mt Kailash. Bowing their heads in respect and gratefulness.
Once we were all at the dormitory compounds, it snowed, continued to hail, and rain.❄🌨
Rest of the night was a challenge, as the sun slowly disappeared, the chill in the air started to do its thing. Rememner I am the one who sleeps with a blanket even in summer in NZ. 🥶🤧🤕 Even with two thermals on, 2 socks, balaclava, down jacket, sleeping bag, a thick quilt and a mink style blanket, the little old me still shivered until what seemed like forever, I eventually fell asleep. Wait🤚... only to WAKE UP AT 3AM to go to the freaking toilet which was a mile away (really wasnt but the state I was in ..everything seemed hard work and far)🤦♀️. Just the thought of walking down the wet slippery stairs... walking to the open air long drop toilet in the dark behind the dom (yes yes i did have my headlamp on but still😶), pulling down 4 layers of pants only to expose my bum out into the cold, was enough for me to consider wetting my pants in bed😂🤔😜 But my senses kicked in...somehow fighting through the numbness of my brains... I got my boots on (which was a mission in itself) and walked as quickly as my lungs😰 could carry me. As I squatted (tried to squart) in the dark relieving myself...I couldn't help but think, why is the darn toilet built right in front of Kailash and why on earth isnt there a roof on these toilets wals!🤷♀️🤦♀️
Felt kinda embarrassed peeing in from of Kailash!!☺️😌🙈 One thing I was gratefull for at that hour of the night was...when I looked up at the sky. Never in my life have I seen so many stars. Probabaly never will again. The sky was lit with billions of twinkling bright spots with Kailash in the background...it was just a truly phenomenal moment. I forgot about all my bodily discomforts for that moment and stood underneath the clear starry night sky looking towards Kailash. Yet another moment for me to remember for the rest of my life.🙏
Many pieces of Kailash and Mansarovar will always be with me until my last breath... and I have more than a few people to thank for that.
Nirmala Nand (my mother), Preetika Lal (my sister), Nitin Nand (my brother), Kriyaana Mishra (my own little Kailash😍👩👧), Bhushan Mishra and Sada Nand...my papa in heaven. Without these beautiful blessed souls, I wouldnt be here to see Kailash through. Thank you for your love, guidance and support.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
A humble thank you also goes out to the one and only Sadhguru, Isha Scared Walks team, Isha vollies, Doctors, participants, sherpas, porters, hotel staffs, and agents.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Blessed to have completed my 40th year in the presence of Kailash!
🙏Shambho🙏
