always returning

diskit gonpa

where was i? ah yes, the nubra and shyok valleys. wonderful place...the gonpa in diskit is particularly fascinating. the death defying ride over the khardung-la (twice, there and back) is almost worth it.

the past few weeks, i have visited the gonpas in chemre, spituk and thikse. these buildings seem so surreal, set upon some hill or ridge. cascading down the slope as if poured from the top, the multi layered structures appear to have been hewn directly from the rock.

chemre gonpa

inside the chemre gonpa, an artist is busy restoring the magnificent murals on the walls in one of the many rooms. the detail is incredible and difficult to describe. as with many experiences, words are of little use.

katey (standing) and cecile (sitting in front) watch the sunrise at spituk gonpa

sadly, the spituk gonpa has been sullied. when the indian government decided that ladakh was in need of more of a military presence along the disputed borders with pakistan and china, an airport was built just south of leh near the little cluster of homes and farms in spituk. the gonpa is now a great place to watch the jets landing as the the only runway is right next door.

looking west from the roof of the thikse gonpa (i know, everyone takes this shot)

the winds of change have been blowing for weeks now. i had hunkered down to get out of the chilling breeze yet this was, of course, futile. change comes and that's that; no amount of resistance or hiding will stop it.

after nine weeks in ladakh, i still had no particular desire to experience the vast expanses of india to the south. i was perfectly content to stay put, however, one thing stirred me in to action. it was not the desire to travel - not another place - but another soul.

soon, i was going through those surreal motions of packing up from somewhere i had come to call home. the weather was glorious as the soldiers made sure that my foil wrapped kit kat was not a bomb about to go off inside indian airlines flight IC446. delhi was only an hour and fifteen minutes away by plane but sixty some odd light years away from my heart.

where was i going? surely, delhi alone had no power over me. the landing came far too quickly and the assault began with the blast of moist heat as the plane's door swung open. this wasn't merely another city in india. this was delhi, the city of djinns, but no genie called me here. no, i was called by a soul that drifted in and out of my thoughts and dreams, and delhi was merely a stop along the way.

that soul, in the end, became my own. this "other" soul, this magnificent mirror, this angel, this djinn, this friend forever merely helped to show me the way...home. no longer spellbound, i was suddenly quite clear about what needed to be done. a tuk tuk ride to connaught place, a coffee (at last), and off to the airlines office. in three minutes, i had a flight home the next day.

apparently, winter is now settling in back in leh. some day when i return, the banana pancakes will taste a little bit sweeter, the thukpa just a little more spicy, while the sound of "ju-le" will resonate far deeper into my heart.