TravelStream™ news feed for member markkacik on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/markkacik en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 02 May 2009 16:03:44 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241259840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241259840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241259840/tpod.html Sat, 02 May 2009 16:03:44 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

daejeon, Korea Rep.

I stepped off the bus into a cool, mid-afternoon rain and quickly snapped open my umbrella. The 3 hour bus ride escorted me out of the thriving Seoul metropolis, thru a flatland agricultural expanse and into the mountains of West-Central Korea. Far from any tourist areas, I find myself alone at a rural bus stop, absent of a taxi stand or even phone booth. Undisturbed by the isolation, I stand for a few minutes and listen to the raindrops impact the taut umbrella fabric. It gives me that 'reflective' feeling. You know....kind of like when you awaken on a Saturday morning and lie in bed listening to the rain of the rooftop.

I take a short hike to a small shop within sight and enter after shaking off the umbrella. The shop owner speaks no English but does recogize my request for a 'taxi'. Kindly he gets on the phone and makes a call that sends someone my way. A few elementary schoolchildren are poking aobut selecting out candy and some chewing gum. They take the opportunity to practice the "how are you?" and "What is your name?" lines they have learned in school. I welcome their smiles, energy, and interest and try to keep the conversation alive. The shopowner smiles.

The taxi pulls up just as I purchase a couple of pens as an appreciation gesture for his kindness. The 20 minute drive weaves thru narrow roads and up a densely wooded mountain side. The mountains are nothing close to the massive peaks of Nepal but rather remind me more of West Virginia terrain. The hills are steep but not forbidding, wooded but not void of civilization. We pass a stunning blue-green mountain lake and then round a corner to find the monastery which consists of 3 ornate temple buildings each having tiled gable hip roofs with corners traditionally swept upward and outward.

The monastery is quant and the people friendly. Established by a Korean Zen master made famous by his efforts to introduce his Jogye style to Western civilization, I am not surprised to find primarilly western practitioners. It is a blessing to have a reprieve from language struggles so I take advantage of their language skills to have enlightening conversations with a couple of the resident masters. These two one-hour conversations are why I was lead to Korea.

Weary of travel, chilled by the rain and cool mountain air, and also having been exposed to a virus being passed around, I succumb to an upper resperatory infection the day after my arrival. Self-treating using antibiotics I have been toting in my medical kit and supplemented with a heavy dose of horizontal rest I triumph over the internal invaders in a couple of days.

Nonetheless, a sense of completion has been settling into me gradually over the last few weeks. The knowledge I have gained here had a tone of culmination and attainment. I have a plan for my life at home. I know what to do and am now anxious to begin anew. My illness drives me to the computer to book a flight home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241277360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241277360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1241277360/tpod.html Sat, 02 May 2009 16:01:23 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Seoul, Korea Rep.

I find that my last 3 days in Seoul so very appropriately coincide with the annual 'Lotus Lantern Festival' which includes a parade through downtown Seoul and is as large and festive as any parade in the USA. I am fortunate enough to be both an observer and participant in this internationally acclaimed parade.

Taking the subway to the center of the parade route I find a perfect grassy traffic island perch to take in the colorful extravaganza. Over nearly two hours pass by rows upon rows of drummers, bands with conch horns, internally lit-colored paper figures, singers, dancers, candle holders, chanters, the very young, and the very old. The festive energy flows bidirectionally as much from inside the parade outward to the crowd as equally intense as the crowd cheers enthusiastically to those displaying. Both sides of the street are lined with observers several rows deep. Major TV networks have mounted their flood lights on overhead cranes to film and broadcast the event to the world. Announcers on the sidelines inform the crowd of the significance of each display....all the stats; who's, how-longs, and why's.

I carry a lump in my throat as I march knowing I am a mere couple of days from being back home. I will miss this sincerity. I will miss this devotion. I will miss this culture. I will miss these people.

I do so very much miss everyone at home though, and that is what carries me onto an eastward-bound plane.

See you very very soon!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239579480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239579480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239579480/tpod.html Sat, 02 May 2009 06:24:22 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Seoul, Korea Rep.

Seoul is a modern city, expansive, organized and efficient. Left in Western Asia are the overpacked busses and the anything-goes traffic, now replaced with multi-lane highways, traffic signals that are obeyed, and travel on the correct (right hand) :) side of the road. I left in southern Asia the masses of motorcycles that weave in between everything including pedestrians on the sidewalk. That is now replaced by fully modern 4 door sedans. The city is clean, quiet with all the comforts of home. I guess this is my preparation for back-to-home life.

Oh, yes, the climate is much like Cleveland...cool at night and in upper 60's in daytime. This is perfect....I will not complain about cool weather again after my Ho Chi Minh climate experience.

My biggest surprise is that it is hard to find English speaking people here. For that reason, it is harder to navigate here than in Vietnam!

The Zen center sits on the side of a mountain literally on the edge of Seoul. Just a block to the front are busy streets with the maze of neon lit, chinese character signs while to the rear is a mountainous National park with a climbing trail within sight. From the mountain top the cityscape shows itself to the south and looking the opposite direction is a massive lush-green wooded mountainside. The center sits in the crotch of a valley which blesses it with quiet refuge from the city so very close.

The people have been very friendly but not nearly as warm and hospitable as the Vietnamese people were (excluding the government officers of course). Maybe that is one drawback to modern life?

I stay for another day and then head to southern mountains for a couple of weeks
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239490920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239490920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1239490920/tpod.html Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:28:12 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mui Nhe, Vietnam

Pristine beach, sun, warm Pacific waters, constant breeze off the ocean, palm trees, swimming pool, seafood, moonlit nights.

Just a little R & R here folks. I was told there was scuba diving here.....bad info.

Only 1.5 days here and then a overnight 'sleeper bus' to Ho Chih Minh city to catch my flight to Korea.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238860140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238860140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238860140/tpod.html Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:35:24 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dalat, Vietnam

"Please give passport sir", the hotel clerk asks as a routine procedure. For this young woman the daily task of taking all guest passports to the local police for review is routine and she is startled when I resist. "Must sir-Police go-must". I know, I know.....she is just doing her job and she cannot deviate.

Normally I am very cautious about giving my passport to anyone, especially a young clerk Compound that with knowing there may be a notice about me at the Dalat police station and my apprehension grows. "Let it go" I tell myself while passing her the little blue book. Twelve hours later it is back in my hands without incident.

The whole problem still bothers me. Especially when, sometimes as I walk the streets, people approach me to sell marijuana, or prostitutes offer some "Boom-boom". Those officers should have had better things to do with their time.

This city of Dalat is fabulous. It is at 4600 ft altitude and the climate is perfect. Slightly cool in the evening at mid 60's and reaching mid 70's during the day. Bugs are nearly non-existent. The city has broad streets, is very active, clean and has a colorful market in town center. 'Camel-hump' peaks surround the city giving it that mountain town flavor.

I spend 5 days at a local monastery (staying at a hotel at night though). It is buried on the side of a very quiet mountain overlooking other peaks and a turquoise blue lake punctuated with an island in center. Absolutely perfect. Temperature, quiet, lack of insects, warm and welcoming people. Perfect. As expected there was a slight language problem but it did ntot get in the way. The monastery provides a motorcycle ride to and from the monastery every morning/ evening. They know how to work around the government. Riding second seat on the motorcycle at 10 pm under moonlight with a totally clear mind will be unforgettable.

Time is ticking for my Vietnam stay and I decide to spend a day and a half at the coast. I just gotta say hello to my old friend 'South Pacific'.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238720880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238720880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1238720880/tpod.html Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:09:05 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Trang Bang, Vietnam

I was kicking myself underneath the simple wooden table for forgetting to bring the US Embassy phone number with me to this meeting with Communist Provincial Immigration authorities. "just meeting confirm information" I was told in the usual broken English when the five stone-faced officers showed up at the meditation center asking to take myself and 4 other foreigners to the local police station. I am in a remote province and have not seen a Caucasion for a couple of weeks. My presence has drawn a lot of attention....too much. The other foreigners are Vietnamese expatriots from Australia, Canada, and USA and are all studying here for extended time.

At the police station they separated us with each being privately interviewed by an immigration officer......no interpreter. After the usual name, birthdate, etc demographic questions, more leading questions evolved: "You have people friends in Trang Bang City?" he asks in broken English. "Speak much slow I can understand" he asks of me. "What religion you?". "How you find about Center?" he asks revealing just how out-of-the-way this place really is. "How long you stay Center?". He points out that my visa is a tourist visa and does not allow "studying". "Do you agree that you violate Vietnamese Law?". That's the one.....that's the lethal question. We argue about my negative answer "How you no agree when I tell you law broken?". Time to stop this. "I need the phone number to the US Embassy". "Not Necessary!!" he sharply replies. I get up to ask the assistant from the center to help get the US Embassy number. She does not understand my request and the officer quickly snaps at her and she backs away acknowledging his authority.

I see two options here, either standoff and not cooperate until the US Embassy is involved and risk escalation, or be vague and elusive and try to defuse. I choose the latter and it seems to work. In the end I believe he tells me I can go but later I am told that the form he handed me, written in Vietnamese, says come back in 3 days for further discussion. I am caught up in a proceeding that is likely to go on for weeks.

A call to the US Embassy the next day I find the surprising advice: "skip town" I am told. "There is a small risk to do so but most likely there will be no problem". "Mark, Religion and Politics do not coexist well here and you are caught up in an uncomfortable relationship between the center and the local authorities. You are being used by the authorities to make a point to the Master at the center." "Call their bluff" he suggests. "Walk away and disappear from that province and they will likely not pursue you". "You are Caucasion and that scares them" he surprisingly states. "It is not worth the effort to them".

Once again, I quickly don my backpack and within an hour I am in a taxi back to Ho Chi Minh city. The meeting was this morning and I am told they were upset I was not there. All 5 of us are given 10 days to depart the country. I have been thrown out of better places!

Just as well, I will have to adjust my plans but that closely coincides with what my intentions were anyway. The 10 days gives me time to visit a center in Dalat central highlands, and catch a day or two at the coast.

The center I stayed at was remote and in a very rural woodlands. It was very peaceful and serene. Nature was all one could hear; tropical birds, jungle owls, woodland locusts, roosters and cows. Once again, the people were absolutely wonderful, and I found the teachings similar to Panditarama; logical, practical and intuitive......no superstitious religion.

One would think this is optimum place to concentrate but I find several roadblocks that compound the government disturbances; temperature up to 37C (98F), language translation problems (surprise! duh!), an infinite variety of insects, adjustment to sleep schedule, adjustment to eating schedule and frequent interruptions because I am the first caucasion there. I simply could not concentrate. I was ready to call it quits before immigration showed up, so leaving was not a difficult decision.

The stay at this center was preceded by a stay at another monastery at invitation from people I met in Nepal. I was treated wonderfully there. They toured me thru the area showing several of their temples in the hills and along the coast. Beautiful temples surrounded by jungle infested with monkeys and fruit trees of every type. I admired the peacefullness of each person I met. They invited me to stay at any of these temples of my choice but I realized that these were not where I was being called to. Before I departed, the head nun, a woman nearing 90 whom I had grown close to, called me to meet her at 2am. Her wisdom revealing itself, she passed to me precious advice that echoed thru my head for the next few weeks. She also gave me a priceless gift that I will always treasure. I stayed here for just less than two days and had two deeply impactful experiences here that I will never forget. This temple is not home to me but I find here two people that are my 'home' for spiritual advice.

At each stop I learn more. Each person teaches me a valuable learning. Each hour of effort brings me closer to my goal. Sitting under the stars at 3am just a few nights ago an internal discussion transpired. It was comprehensive and conclusive. It felt like the final chapter. I think things are beginning to wrap up. Maybe a few more stops first.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1236693660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1236693660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1236693660/tpod.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:58:27 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Warm climate, more reasonable traffic, a room with real hot water, AC, no spiders, a clean western toilette and get this......electricity 24 hours a day! I feel like I am swimming in luxury. This is a lively and exciting city. Hong Kong has long been my favorite city in the world and now this becomes a very close second choice. Of course the tradeoffs are noise, light, and air pollution - and the absence of the good friends back in Lumbini.

This is a refresher stop for me. Email, blogs, phone calls, FedEx packages, and CHOCOLATE CAKE!

My Guest House is in a area that reminds me of the flats or Put-N-Bay. Many sidewalk cafe's, open-air bars, street vendors, places to sip a beer, music, and dancing. That is not what I am here for though.

My first evening I went for a quiet, reflective walk at 10pm. My attention perked when I heard a loud crash of breaking glass followed by a large crowd of non-Vietnamese rushing into the street. "Fight for sure" I thought as I saw several people climb onto their high-powered motorcycles. Two policemen on the corner watched. The engine roared but the drunken driver could not manage the power, jumped the curb, fell over, slid on the side for maybe 30 feet, then slammed into a building just 20 feet from me. The dizzy, oversized man slowly pulled himself up, brushed off his pants, uprighted his still-running machine and drove away. The two police just stood and watched and I don't blame them for the man was bigger than both of the policemen combined, not to mention all his husky friends nearby. I kept walking. After two approaches by prostitutes for "some boom-boom", one approach by a pimp, and an offer for Marijuana I decided maybe this walk is not so peaceful.

Don't get me wrong. This is a exceptionally nice place to visit. I was just in the wrong places at the wrong times.

It occurs to me that they should coin this the "motor scooter capital of the world". More than half the traffic is motor scooters and when the light turns green (yes, traffic lights here!) it sounds like a go-cart race track. Check out the video attached for a glimpse of it.

Tomorrow I leave for the mountains to visit a monastery I have been invited to. I also have a recommendation to visit another "study" center NorthWest of here.

It entered my mind that since Vietnam is a tropical country, and a coastal country, that I owe it to them :) to visit a nice secluded beach! Hanoi remains a possibility as there are ancient temples in the norhtern mountains.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1232699220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1232699220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1232699220/tpod.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:36:54 -0400 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Lumbini, Nepal

The bus to Lumbini tracked the same route from Kathmandu as when I was headed into the mountains. By now the crazy traffic seems so very normal and I do not cringe when our bus passes across centerline on a hairpin mountain turn. Just accept the risk I remind myself in order to avoid a long tense journey.

I am still shocked by the amazing sights that appear. Looking out the window I see three men at the roadside holding a goat upside down draining the blood from the freshly decapitated body into a clay pot. Shortly after that I notice half a dozen goats grazing.......atop a bus while it is moving down the road. Anything goes here.

Passing thru the mountainous valley to lowlands takes the 16-person mini-bus much longer than one expects as the driver swerves around never ending pot-holes, rock-slides blocking portions of the road, oxen pulling carts and the occasional herd of sheep. Surprising since this is one of the very few main intercity routes in Nepal.

We roll into Lumbini Village just before the sun sets. The driver climbs atop the bus and tosses my backpack down to me while leaning against low-slung power lines. I am glad I do not have to catch his falling, limp body.

I saddle up and begin the two mile hike into Lumbini complex toward Panditarama center, my first destination.

People are filtering out of the complex as the day concludes. Their tour of the 22 temples spread out over a couple of square miles has exhausted them. Most have walked the dusty and uneven gravel roadways with the sun beating their bodies all day. Someday this World heritage site will have paved roads, food vendors, and AC shuttle buses with drivers explaining history as they cruise thru the historical and religious sights. Not yet though. Due to lack of organization, knowledge and corrupt governance, little infrastructure exists to support tourism. Access is from neighboring Bhariahawa via a 18 mile 1 1/2 lane, pot holed road that is shared by every type of user from chickens and goats to massive Diesel powered AC tour buses.

As I hike in, I rejoice for the lack of development for as the sun sets the Jackals, probably a hundred of them, yelp and howl as if in deep pain. I pause and absorb the eerie sound and the pink shaded sky and then smile to myself as I continue to stride into the nature-rich expanse with large fields of brush, swamps, and woodlands. Those Jackals became my friends as they sang to me every evening and morning for the next 7 weeks. So did the tropical cranes, parakeets and frogs. I did not befriend the mosquitoes though.

I entered the gate of Panditarama. It was quiet. I explored the very simple and austere facility in search of Venerable Vivekananda. He welcomed me and directed me to my dorm bed - no different then all I have had so far- a foam mattress on a homemade wooden cot. Perfect! This along with a mosquito net draped over it is all I need. All I wanted.

Quiet. Slow. Quiet. Slow. That became my life. The gong rings at 4 am. From that time until I retired at 10 PM it was deep mental concentration. I struggled with effort. I learned. I found. I realized there was more to find. I planned on staying one or two weeks but that became 4 weeks due to the great benefit I found.

Time was running out on my already extended Nepal Visa and I have an invitation to visit the Vietnamese temple that is just less than a mile away. I was tempted to pass on that opportunity to stay here. My sense tells me I must move on to that temple.

Walking out the gate I felt my work was unfinished. I can return to Panditarama in the future. Or maybe I will finish at one of my other destinations.

The Vietnamese monastery sits on about 4 acres that is contained by a stylish 9 foot high brick/ concrete wall. There is a main temple atop a 88 step red-tiled concrete staircase with railings sculpted depicting bamboo and dragons. The view overlooks the whole of Lumbini and on a very clear day one can also see the peak of Mt. Everest so very deep into Nepal. Several Ponds are lush homes to Sarus Cranes, the largest flying bird in the world. The ponds are delightfully bordered with bamboo, banana and palm trees. Frogs sing at night and the lotus flowers expose their beauty when the sun strikes. The ponds and foliage attract a myriad of colorful and melodious tropical birds.

A 3 story, temple supported by a single pillar sits in the middle of a pond accessible only by stepping across colorful concrete lotus flowers. There are smaller temples in the complex and accommodations for over 50 people. This is a secluded tropical paradise that compares to the nicest resorts in the Caribbean.

I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to stay and the Vietnamese Phat Quoc Tu Monastery. It is closed to the public and under construction. In November I was fortunate enough to meet the head of the complex, Thay Huyen Dieu who is also a well-know international peace negotiator. He invited me to study with his senior Monk Minh Do who I also met in November. I was then left with the impression that this man has great knowledge and is a great teacher. Over the next three weeks I find my intuition right.

For most of my 3 week stay only Minh Do, Yen - a Vietnamese/American seeker, and I are residents. I awake at 3:15am to perfect quiet, incredible starlit skies, and the flickering yellow glow of candles from within the temple. I expected to hate early hours, but with the aid of a cup of coffee and a short yoga session my mind becomes crystal clear and a peace exists like I have never experienced.

An Australian tour group has arranged to stay for a two days about a week before I must depart. The day they show up in their big tour bus a local Nepali minority group announces a 3 day Bandh transportation strike to protest the format of a new government constitution that is being written. A Bandh is a common form of political expression in Nepal in which all motorized vehicles are prohibited to use public roads and enforced by probable damage to the vehicle if violated. A 3 day strike is longer than usual.

The tour group was to stay 2 days so they have to extend it another day. Three days becomes 4 becomes 5 becomes 6. Many tour buses are stranded within the Lumbini facility. People are missing chartered flights. People trying to come into Lumbini from the neighboring town turn around and head back to India. Businesses cannot get supplies. Food is getting more expensive. Tempers are getting short.

It is at the breakfast table when we are informed that there was violence at the nearby village last night and two young men were killed. We are very safe at this Monastery but who knows what will happen in the streets. I have 3 more days remaining at Lumbini before I must leave to catch a train. I find that I can use a bicycle Rickshaw to travel the 18 miles to the India border but I fear in short time there may arise a government curfew or, worse yet, retaliatory violence.

I make an spontaneous decision to immediately pack and head for the border in whatever way I can. I had such a hard time informing Minh Do. His integrity, his peaceful nature, his warm smile and his diligent practice became an inspiration for me. He said he understood. Yen and I both showed a deep mutual appreciation as we shared a hug goodbye.

Normally I would say a 18 mile bicycle Rickshaw ride thru a country road surrounded by rice fields on a roadway absent of vehicles would be a rather enjoyable experience. Instead, it was eerie seeing the streets full of only pedestrians and bicycles. It was sad knowing two families are grieving loss of their sons today. I felt sorry for these people that have such hard lives.....even without political problems.

At one point we approached 4 police standing in the road with 2 bicyclists pulled aside. Two had rifles, two had bamboo poles. I decided to avoid eye contact not knowing what their perspective was of a Westerner using a Rickshaw to get to the border. We drove right thru the checkpoint with just a slightly curious look from one of the policemen. Then, shortly after that and as I somewhat expected, from ahead rolls in a large flatbed truck loaded with 30 military soldiers in full riot gear- helmets, face shields, body armor, guns. My heart sank. I have spent the last 7 weeks in this peaceful environment surrounded by people that so strongly oppposed violence that they literally would not kill a mosquito. Lumbini should be immune from violence, it should be a place where peace is law.

Within 3 1/2 hours from getting the news I was in India once again and headed to Dehli. I carried across the border many gifts from Lumbini and from all across Nepal. I did not have to declare any at customs though, for those gifts reside gently within my mind.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1261817040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1261817040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1261817040/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:36:41 -0500 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mende, Nepal

My Sherpa porter, Happah, and I waddled into the monastery around 1 PM. The trek was tiring but not too bad. The last hour was straight up the mountainside..

We were immediately given a warm greeting and a hot lunch after which I bade Happah farewell and got settled into my cabin.

Lawudo (pronounced Laudo), has an interesting history. The Lawudo Lama, a very famous Sherpa Buddhist monk, meditated in the cave here in the 1020's-40's. There was nothing else here at that time, just a cave. 3 years after his 1944 death, his reincarnation was found in the neighboring valley. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, 3 years old then, insisted in sleeping in 'his' cave. Lama Zopa Rinpoche resumed meditating in that cave and built the monastery around it. He has since built 134 facilities worldwide. His sister is the Nun that runs the place and Norbu is the monk. They also have 2 helpers, Sangmo a 19 year old female apprentice, and NemaSundo a Sherpa laborer of friendly character. There is one other retreatant, a 26 year old Slovenian man named Arpi.

The monastery sits at 12.700 ft altitude and faces south. Across a very steep valley rises the majestic Mount Kunde at somewhere shy of 20,,000 ft. The several structures include a small Gompa (Temple in Tibetan), a kitchen/ living facility, a few stand alone cabins for retreatants, the cave and some structures for laborers and again some for the 5 cows. All are separated by steep stairs because of the sharp slope of the terrain.

I find my cabin the lowest of the group and quite solitary. It is a perfect 8' x 8' with a finished wood interior, typical wood frame foam matress, a small window, and a stack of blankets. Cozy, except, wheres the thermostat??? As for washing oneself......."Ani-la, can you please boil a liter of water for me this morning?"

Also to my own is the 'outhouse' which is as you would expect, simple, austere, with a hole cut in the wood plank floor.

The thermostat. It turns out this is the week-lnk. Wood is precious here and is used very sparingly for cooking only and is always supplemented by Yak dung. There is no heat. No refuge from the cold other than my sleeping bag or the hot tea in the kitchen. I chose the month of January because I was already here, not because I like cold. The advantage of January is no crowd at all up here. The disadvantage, well, get a hot water bottle and slip it into your sleeping bag at night. It did not snow while I was there but it regulary went into the teens outside and low 20's in my room at night.

From sun-up until it dropped below mount Kunde peak at 3:30pm it was usually pleasant. Warm (40's), beautiful, inspiring, peaceful, peaceful peaceful. No noise, no engines, no horns, no sirens, just the sound of the Tibetan prayer flags flapping.

It is like watching a movie as incredible images come and go before me. The contrast intensity of the sun on the peaks fluctuates as the sun changes angle. Clouds swirl in the valley below me mixing white clouds with grey. Without notice the wind shifts bringing a grey cloud charging up the mountainside and within minutes wrap around me as if pulling a comforter over my head in bed. At sunset the peaks stay lit after most else darkens. |An extrordinary image of a mountain peak appears above me as a soft window breaks open in the white clouds just a sunset is happening in that 'other world' above the clouds. I have to fight the tendency to always pull out my camera. It is all beautiful. It is all photoworthy. Stop. Watch. Take it in.

I find my home in the cave. It is even more quiet than my cabin. It is most protected from the wind and it has that 'holy' energy. I spend a large portion of my time here. Arpi jokingly says I am the 3rd Lawudo Lama.

It is not really a cave anymore. It has been nicely finished with a wooden plank floor, nicely painted wood sides, and a beautiful alter with pictures. The front has been enclosed and provided with a 4 ft high door. The inside is only about 8' x 15'. Perfect!!

The food is great. Roti bread (similar to Nan) and jam every morning. Lunch is the big meal and can be Mo-Mo dumplings, a thick potatoe soup, potatoe pancake with Sherpa seasoning, Dal Bat or Sherpa Stew. Dinners are similar. Always, always with a tasty sweet milk tea. That is unless you want the salty, Yak butter tea that the Sherpas drink.....no thank you. The portions are surprisingly large and the 'family'pushes seconds on you. I do mean 'pushes'. Like my grandma did, they always quickly approached my plate with more and I had to be insistent to decline. But it was not because they had abundance. They did not. They did not take more until they were sure you were done.

Food is expensive up here for the same reason as it is on islands. Most of it has to be carried up from Lukla or from the lowere valley where it can be grown. They only grow in Lawudo in the summer.

You all know that I need exercise to function as constant sitting is no good for anyone. I decide to exercise by hiking. Some days I hike down the mountain to take dirty clothes to the spring to wash them. Once a take a lateral hike over to a neighboring family monastery of sorts situated at the inset base of a large cliff. Sometimes I go up to get better views.

I tell Arpi that a I scoped out a way to hike ridge of a mountain a few miles away. We can get a view of the valley on the other side. Arpi, a muscular, snowboarder, windsurfer was quick to jump on the idea. We set out at 8 am with 2 liters of water and some extra garments for the wind. we expect a 3 hour hike. We pass another monastery in a wooded ravine....no one home. Up one steep incline and wrapping around a huge outcropping we get inspired by a steep but manageable alpine meadows extending upward. 'We can manage that' he says. Off we go. At the top of that slope it gets rocky with a large steep cliff. However, on the side of the cliff is another manageable rock pathway. Again we pursue the greater height. Then we come to a difficult area-too steep. We split up scoping out the situation. Arpi says ' I found a path' and cimbs forward. I start to follow but froze when I realizee this 'path' is 6" wide dirt patch with a 30ft cliff to a rocky bottom below. To the other side of the clif is 70 degree slope of dry grass with nothing to hold onto. I think I can make it up but cannot imagine how to get down it. Here I had to admit to my younger hiking friend that I was 'chicken'. A gentleman for sure, he agreed and we backed down.

Then we did find another route higher. And then another beyond that. And even one more. In the meantime the clouds rolled in. The view was gone, the wind was kicking up and it was cold and clammy. Our water was almost gone. We were both hungry. We both had a slight headache and I just got a slight nosebleed. Arpi, said he thought we could go higher but for safety sake we need to turn around. We were in agreement on that one. The altimiter said 14,918. Can I round up??

One thing about mountain climbing/ hiking I found out. It is a lot like cave exploring in that things look totally different going the other direction-down. We were unsure of the right way. Sure, down is down, but remember there was only a few selections going up that were navigable. A wrong approach going down and on finds oneself atop a cliff with the only alternative of going back up and trying again. I was glad Arpi was with me. He had a sharp memory and two is better than one. It was tense at times.

We were worried about getting hurt. "Dont slip Arpi, we are a long tough trek back to Lawudo.....too long for a broken ankle" I said with concern. "From there it is a longer trek to Naamche from Lawudo. And it is a longer, steeper hike to Lukla. And then theres that flight. We must not get hurt." Our new mantra was "must not get hurt". Each and every step was oh-so-carefully- placed, and double checked and then I recite my new mantra as I slowly transferred load.

The other thing I learned is that when climbing the eye is trained on your next grasp and you get this feeling of control from focusing closely. However, going down with each step is seen your next footplant as well as the steep decline and the valley a mile below. I found it most difficult to focus closely with that sigt of such a huge drop in my face.

It was a more exciting adventure than either of us bargained for. Nonetheless, it ended with a great lunch of hot MOMO back at the monastery.

The time ticked by too quickly. I became attached to those friends at Lawudo. I admired the constant hard work of milking the cows, cooking, hiking miles to town every week to get our food and carry it back in on their back, the daily trips to the spring to carry back 30 gallons of water for the people and cows, tending to the Yak, caring for the monastery. As they do all this they either sing Religious inspirational songs or they chant a montra. With all that hard work they face, never, never would they hesitate to do anything for me. Always would they assure Arpi and I are satisfied before they satisfy themselves. Never would they accept an offer to help-I had to insist.

I already miss them all.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1231932240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1231932240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/markkacik/1/1231932240/tpod.html Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:38:38 -0500 One Mind's Journey Thru Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Lukla, Nepal

It was so hard to leave Lawudo. In just two weeks I became very fond of the people there. I surprised myself by becoming choked up as I said my goodbye's. Ani Samden (Ani means Nun in Tibetan) and the helpers were so incredibly nice. The peacefullness and quiet amplified all the good qualties in these people. And then there is Sangmo, the helper/ understudy. How could I imagine that this 19 year old woman would become a role model for me regarding selfless giving?

So it took two people 3 days (6 person-days) to go up the mountain.....how long does it take to go down?? One of my flaws is that I always optimistically estimate. My answer was one person for two days ( 2 person-days). Wellllll, kicked my arse it did!!! The first day I hiked for 8 hours and dropped about 4200 feet, not to mention the rises and fall of the trail. With frequent pauses, plenty of water and carbohydrates, I was able to prod myself with my 50lb backpack the distance. I was feeling like one of those Yaks with that load on my back. Leg muscles used to go downhill are different than going uphill and these were burning and trembling after a few hours.

I checked into a guest house just as the sun had settled over the sharp peak at the top of the valley. Each step took conscious effort to force my muscles to carry me up the narrow and dark stairway to my room. I collapsed on my cot and listened to the roar of the turbulent water a couple hundred feet directly below my room. I did not have the energy to relish that sound as I wished. A big and hearty bowl of Sherpa Stew later, I collapsed into the comfort of my sleeping bag and went immediately unconscious.

At 3:30 am I awoke to the gentle clinging of Yak bells as a motivated Sherpa herder proded his team of 6 Yaks along the full-moonlit trail. The sound was pleasant, mystical, and strangely comforting.

The second day hike followed the trail down the valley and then climbed almost 1000 foot out. elevation change was close to zero for the day but all the rise and fall of the trail took its toll on me again. Another sunny day made this last day so very enjoyable.

One of the main reasons that I decided not to hire a Sherpa to help me down the mountain was that I wanted more time to think. I spent a lot of time reviewing the experience. I spent a lot of time pondering my next steps. I spent a lot of time enjoying each step, each breath, each incredible sight.

Each time that my mind reminded me I will fly from Lukla in less than 24 hours there came this sinking feeling in my gut. I get that same feeling now as I write. Simple living has always drawn me. So has pristine nature. Combine that with people committed to a moral lifestyle and a culture of honesty and goodness and you have near paradise.

I have been affected by this experience. I'm not ready to change my lifestyle drastically....yet. But I have been impacted-'direct hit-full contact, impact'.
]]>