Trek for real! Day 6 To Majaj

This is it! This is what all the training (what training is that then Jo?), all the fundraising and all the tweeting has been about; we are here and going to be stepping outside the comfort zone in order to raise awareness of our chosen charity causes. 


I don't seem to be sleeping very well on this trip, however I don't feel tired so maybe the clean air means the little sleep I get is actually sufficient for my needs. I'm up before they call us and so sort out my bag to leave behind the items I really won't be needing on the trek as we are returning to the Dream and Adventure Centre when we finish. 


The trek will leave at 7.15 am so we can make a start before the sun gets too warm. Breakfast is a hearty affair with scrummy porridge, eggs and toast. There is a mix of nervous excitement and anxiety that hangs in the air coupled with the expectation of what is coming. We each fill our water bottles and ensure we have our day packs and poles and take a short car ride to our start point. 


Uphill, its all bloomin uphill! Our first day starts with a slow 4 hr trek uphill. We would be covering between 15 and 21 kilometres each day and whilst that may not seem terribly far it feels further when its warm and mainly uphill! 


Thank goodness I spent a stupid amount of money on good quality trekking boots. Sian and the team ensured that we took paths that were passible (if a goat can pass then so can we) and we walked at a fairly steady comfortable pace. We stopped after the first half hr of each days trek for essential stretching, which I really think that along with the stretches at the end of the day, helped ensure I had absolutely no aches and pains at all. Our first day took us up over the Haribag Pass at 2,500m through glorious Rhododendron forests that were bursting with red flower heads. 


The front of my thighs tingle and I did fleetingly consider that I may have needed to do more training prior to coming. However once at the top within a few minutes my legs soon felt normal again and I realised that actually I would be fine. 


It is in the moments when you can feel the discomfort in the muscles and the sweat is dripping down your back and there is the slight notion of a headache in offing that you consider why you are there in the first place. Or at least in those moments thats when I considered why I was there.


Globally, 600,000 women die needlessly each year during pregnency or childbirth. Women just like me, only unlike me, they have no access to basic maternal health care. The White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) campaigns to raise awareness of the need for effective maternal health care so that women and babies are not put at risk. Families and communities particularly in the developing world are torn apart when a mother dies and yet these deaths can be prevented if resources are effectively utilised and maternal health care workers employed to suppprt women in pregnancy and childbirth. 


Getting a bit hot and sweaty, challenging myself to walk uphill for several hours in the company of others is a very very small price to pay to make the point about the work of the WRA. I feel I should be crying with pain, I need to be hurting or suffering so that I can truly emathise with the plight of many women across the globe. But I don't. I'm not suffering, this trek although tough and challenging is not painful and I am not suffering. On the contrary, I'm loving it, every tiring footstep, every stumble on loose stones and every gaze across the beauty of the mountains that surround me. 


Maybe it isn't necessary to nearly die doing something, may it is a combination of many things that I do that will divert peoples thoughts to the work of the WRA and the challenges faced by ordinary women across the world. I really hope thats the case. 

Practice Trek - Day 5

We have a practice trek today to wake up our muscles after we've spent the last few days chilling out and not doing much exercise. 
Breakfast arrives and its real trek fodder that starts with the most delicious porridge. I'm not sure if its the clean air or the excitement but I seem to be ravenous and have porridge, omlette and toast! I hope to goodness that I don't go home with a Buddha belly!


Today we are doing a short trek to the ridge above Bir. There is a real sense of anticipation. I'm not sure what we were all thinking but there was an excitable energy almost palpable in the group. 
We loaded ourselves into three cars to be taken to the start point, where once we arrive we are met by a group of heavily laden donkeys coming down the track we are about to go up. 

So then, off we go a bit like a line of kindergarden kids walking in single file with their leader at the front and a helper at the back! 

The path up is mostly made up of concrete steps. Quite large concrete steps actually. I hate steps. I really hate steps and it feels like I'm walking up several flights of a multi story car park, only the scenery is better. 

I have a pang of slight anxiety as I feel the burn in front of my thighs. F*** f*** bloody f*** I really should have done more training, how the hell will I manage the next 80 odd kilometres over the next few days? 

Sian stops us after about half an hour (thank f*** for that) for some stretches, something that will become part of our trek routine. We then head off again uphill towards the ridge. The climb is fairly steep and Sian informs us that the trek has some much steeper ascents and that the first day we'll walk uphill for about 4 hrs. I think I would have prefered not to know that, but then I tell myself it's meant to be a challenge thats the whole point. Its not meant to be a walk in the park or else it would be called Charity Walk in the Park and not Charity Challenge. 

After a rest at the top and time to admire the snow peaks in the distance we headed back down to the cars and a short trip back to the Dream and Adventure Centre. 

If last nights frivolity reflected the general anxiety of what was to come, there were moments of quiet concern as we once again thought about our individual challenges, the charities that we were each raising money for and how we would each manage on the trek which started for real the next day. 

To the foothills of the Himalaya (continuing Day 4)

The Dream and Adventure Centre  in Bir is a base for both trekking and paragliding set in the Dhauladhar mountain range in the foothills of the Himalaya. The lodge is set in a tea plantation and owned by a family whom Sian, our guide has resided with for the last few years. She leads a range of treks for Charity Challenge and others and also offers bespoke treks and paragliding training. 
Julia and I found our room which was conveniently next to the dining room. The rooms were simply furnished and had a wonderful Indian rustic charm about them. I immediately felt at home. 

Its easy to feel so comfortable with your surroundings when everything is done for you and you don't have to think too much. There was an opportunity to sit outside and just soak up the essence of the place a while and pinch myself reminding me that actually over the next few days I'd be challenging myself for charity. 

We walked into the town of Bir, a Tibetan colony and the Sherab-ling Monastery, with wonderful and intricate thangkas and an impressive gold-plated, jewel encrusted 3-storey high Buddha! 

Thangkas are very complicated picture panels and can be painted or embroidered. They adorn doorways and walls and can be seen as wall hangings in the monasteries. They are designed for contemplative purposes and are icons of Buddhist teaching and it is easy to see how one might get lost in their design. 

Whilst the monastery is a wild assault of colour and imagery, it doesn't feel as uncomfortable as some of the Catholic Churches I have visited. There felt a much deeper connection between the imagery, the setting and the Buddha. I felt a real sense of place. 

At dinner we learned about what would happen over the next few days as we headed out for our trek. We each faced our own uncertainties and anxieties about whether we'd done enough training or had brought the right clothes with us. This sense of unease translated into raucous nervousness and we giggled and hooted the evening away until bedtime. 

Dharamsala to Bir -Day 4

Waking up in our rather luxurious Hotel Surya Resort and looking out across Dharamsala over to the valley we could see the Monks hurriedly rushing to the temple for prayers. We wondered if they'd been out on the razz but on reflection thought probably not! 
The rain from the previous night had all gone and the sun started to warm the dampend streets. 
We ate a hearty breakfast at the lovely MoonPeak Cafe along Temple Road, a popular and funki little place with a bit of a European feel as it has an expresso maker! 
It was just as well that a few of us went off for a walk up to McCleod Ganj as I for one had eaten enough for a small army. 


McCleod Ganj (named after David McLeod, once the British Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab) is a former British hill station where British people spent their summers and which housed a couple of British regiments until after the 1905 earthquake that destroyed much of the area and people. 
About two kilometers from McLeod Ganj is a holy pilgrim site for Hindus. Bhagsu, as it is better known has an ancient Shiva temple. The main attraction for many seemed to be the public swimming pool which had separate sections for men and women. There was another pool, dedicated to Shiva with a large Lingam (phallus), in which women who swim in it are supposed to become more fertile. 

Bhagsu has a much more hippie feel to the place although those driving up the hill didn't appear in the least chilled out! It was an absolute bottle neck and quite funny to watch the cars edging backwards and forwards trying to find a little space to get through. There was absolutely no organisation at all. 

The little and very ancient temple to Shiva was not particularly beautiful however, the fact it was still standing was amazing really. Shiva is one of the major deities of the Hindi religion and is the destroyer. This is not as bad as it sounds in essence Shiva is responsible for change and destroying the false ego, so he is also seen as a purifying powers. The Lingam I mentioned earlier is a symbol of extreme consciousness of love. A number of yogis are very devout followers of Lord Shiva. 


We ambled our way back down into Dharamsala visiting the Tibetan shops and small stalls selling Tibetan crafts, teas and prayer flags. It was a wonderful morning as I became absorbed into the surrounds, the smells, sights and sounds. People going about their daily business, children and dogs scampering about the place oblivious to our gaze. 

We wandered past the market selling beautiful local produce; each stall set out in a colourful array and protected from the midday sun by plastic tarpaulins. 
The previous day's disappointment of not seeing the Dalai Lama was soon forgotten as we embarked on the next part of our journey by coach from Dharamsala to Bir arriving at the Dream and Adventure Centre from where our real trek would start. 

Dharamsala in the Kangra Valley - Day 3

We arrived at Pathankot station on our overnight train from Delhi. We were all a bit dishevelled following our journey but there was a sense of quiet anticipation as we were about to take a drive to Dharamsala and hopefully get to see his Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso who we heard via Sian was delivering a teaching that morning. 


Pathankot is a town in the Punjab, where three northern states meet including Himachal Pradesh where we were heading for our trek. Most people arrive at the town's other station Chakki Bank and in fact going back to Delhi this is where we caught the train. 


We stopped off for breakfast and noticed that the air was much less humid here. Breakfast was a welcome stop, after our clattering about on the train, and we then headed for a three hour drive to Dharamsala. 


Dharamsala is the centre of the Tibetan exile world and the village of McLeod Ganj in the upper hills of the town is where the exiled 14th Dalai Lama now lives along with the Central Tibetan Governement. 


The story of Tibet is hard to swallow as it a story of that we see so many times in our world; the story of occupation, oppression and subjugation. There have been disagreements and disharmony between China and Tibet since the 1600's however it was the dramatic and appalling destruction of Tibet's independence that insenses ones ideals of decency and moral right. Since the invasion by China in 1949/50 Tibetans have lost their identity and freedoms to a country that vagrantly flaunts the human rights of individuals and communities. Tibetans are expected to pledge allegience to China and denounce the Dalai Lama for fear of being incarcerated or worse. So concerned are China about the status of the Dalai Lama that they made up a new law to state that any new Lama must have state approval. We learned that the next Dalai Lama is likely to be chosen by China and that if the Tibetans in exile decide to choose in the time honoured way, there will be two Grand Lamas. 
The current Dalai Lama has recognised this and even suggests there may not be another to follow him and so be it, if thats the case. He has already started the process to devolve his formal decision making to an elected leader. 


It is both amazing and admirable that despite the repression and fear under which many Tibetan people live, they have preserved their identity and cultural values. They are a warm and friendly people and I absolutely loved being in Dharamsala. 

It is with a sense of anti climax that Sian informs as we drive into Dharamsala that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has just finished his teaching and so we won't get to see him in time. I wanted to cry - but quickly refrained from the self pity as this trip is not about me, its about pushing the walls of my comfort zone and challenging myself for charity. And so on to our hotel for a shower (heavenly thought), lunch and wander around the town and into McLeod Ganj to visit the Tsuglag Khang, the Dalai Lama's temple. 

Om Mani Padme Hum ( Hail the jewel in the lotus) - The mantra recited so we don't need to speak, it embodies the comapsssionate nature of the Buddha and carries the 6 practices of Buddhist teaching. 
The Dalai Lama poses a question in one of his teachings, "

Can impure body, speech, and mind be transformed into pure body, speech, and mind, or are they entirely separate?" You can click here to find out more about his teaching on this mantra. 

The above picture is just a glimpse of the many carved and painted rocks on the path to Tsuglag Khang, the temple of The Dalai Lama. The mantra reaches deep inside me as I  repeat it under my breath, its an invisible leash that attaches me to the rocks, to the path to the prayer wheels and beyond. There is a sense of spiritual energy that flows around the place and can almost be seen weaving its way through the hundreds of prayer flags that hang loosely in the trees about us. The wave in the breeze lifting  the hopes and prayers of hundreds of people to the universe. I make a note to buy prayer flags for my garden.

A stone mason on the route to the temple

The temple complex houses a monastery, main temple and a smaller shrine with a huge gilt Buddha. There is a meditation trail around the whole complex and we spin the prayer wheels as we walk past muttering our Om Mani Padme Hum and hoping for good karma. 

We watched and listened to the Monks who had gathered to pray, it felt slighty voyeristic as we walked around the temple listening to their resonant vibrational chants. 


After walking around the temple we spent the afternoon in town visiting the Tibet Museum and shopping for all things Tibetan. 


That night we had the most incredible thunderstorm with both sheet and fork lightening and a wonderful downpour. We were safe and snug in our rather wonderful hotel and Julia and I who were sharing a room, slept with the curtains open to let the most amazing full moon stream into our room. 

Overnight train to Pathenkot - Day 2

They say that one of the best ways to see India is from the train, which is bollocks of course when you take the overnight train. Actually you do get a glimpse of a kind of microcosm of life once you are ensconced in your airconditioned sleeper, as there are some interesting sights to be seen from ones bunk!


Delhi station is a hive of activity with people bustling about the platform, rushing here and there, mangey dogs following anything that smells vaguely to have food about their person and its smells like an open sewer. Actually it smells like that as for all intense and purposes it is a sewer as the rail tracks are covered in excretement which falls from the hole in the floor which pass as loos on board the trains. They do actually have some western style loos but they are not much better and I certainly wouldn't fancy sitting on them. 


Luckily for us we had reserved berths for the night. There are a range of travel classes on Indian trains and we were booked into the AC2 category. Airconditioned 2 tier berths in a bay of four and then 2 tiers on the other side of the corridor. Each is curtained off to offer a little privacy. If you book AC1 you get lockable berths with carpet! The seated only carriages were packed to overflowing and I imagine the smell might be a little overwhelming. Contrary to popular belief there were no people hanging off the sides or seated on the roof.

I shared my bay with Dr Sue, Di and Vasanti and I bagged a bottom bunk so I could look out through the window (not sure what I expected to see in the middle of the pitch black night). The journey from Delhi to Panthakot is over 500kms and takes about 10hrs so after some hilarity and listening to the tea seller calling out "Chai, Chai" we made up our bunks with the pack of laundered sheets and settled down for the night. It seems that people on Indian trains go to bed quite early so we followed suit. 


I sort of dozed on and off to the clickety clack clickety clack of the train as it rumbled on through the night. Stopping at stations along the route where there were numerous people sleeping on the platforms and the odd tea kiosk open for business. 


In between dozing and the clickety clack, you hear all manner of snorts and snores, smell all kinds of odours (most rather unpleasant and thank Buddha for AC) and wonder if the night will ever end. 


I pinch myself; I'm in India (again) on a train and I'm loving it! 


To be continued .......

Trek to the Home of the Dalai Lama - Day 1

Standing at the top of a steep climb and looking out to the foothills of the Himalaya and beyond, I feel I want to yell at the top of my voice. I don't as my fellow trekkers may think I've pulled something in my ascent! However there is a kind of spiritual tingle that runs through me (I experienced it before in Nepal) a feeling of oneness with everything around and a stark reality of how small I am. I could cry really..... maybe its after days of absorbing the sights, smells and noises of India that once at the top of a climb it culminates in a spiritual experience. 


The whole trek has been amazing. Charity Challenge have been absolutely brilliant from the moment I arrived at the airport to leave until the moment I boarded the plane for home. 
There were 13 of us trekking in all, 5 of us for The White Ribbon Alliance for safe motherhood. The whole group got on exceptionally well, there were no hissy fits and quite soon there developed a closeness that surprised me. Maybe people undertaking challenges for charity are of like mind and so therefore find it easy to accept each others foibles and idiosyncrasies quicker than most. Anyway whatever, the net result was a group of people that came together to challenge themselves both mentally and physically and raise money for charity.


Our adventure started in Delhi on 18th March (my birthday) where we arrived in the morning and met Sian and Vasanti from the Dream and Adventure Centre in Bir, who would be with us for the whole trek. We were taken to The Estate bed and breakfast to freshen up and have lunch. After this we visited the Jami Masji mosque in Old Delhi. This was great for me as last time in Delhi I had to miss out as it was just after the 9/11 tragedy so we were advised not to visit it. 


We heard how the Jami Masji was built in the 1600's by Shahjahan the same Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal (Agra)  and the Red Fort (Old Delhi). The courtyard holds about 25000 people for prayer. We arrived as the call to prayer came, and it rang out across the courtyard as it was bellowed out from one of the tall minarets. 

After a wander around we then took to the streets in cycle rickshaws through the bustling narrow streets of Old Delhi. 
We found out that the spring festival of Holi (the triumph of good over bad) was imminent and so prepared ourselves in case we were the target of excited people throwing coloured powders or water at us. Of course that's exactly what happened and for those were not fortunate to have a covered rickshaw they got completely soaked! I was one of the lucky ones however I did get targeted at one point that resulted in just my lower half being wet and it looked rather like I'd had a terrible accident! It's not comfy sitting on a coach with wet knickers I can tell you! 
We enjoyed a lovely evening meal together and it being my birthday they presented me with a small dessert that had two candles in the top. 


We then caught the overnight train from Delhi central station to Pathankot in Punjab ready for our onward journey to Dharamsala in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. 


If you have not travelled on an Indian overnight train let me try and capture what it's like. 


To be continued.........