Trip Start Jul 08, 2008
1
10
23
Trip End Ongoing


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Sunday, August 10, 2008

I spent a few days hanging around Leh as there was more to see and I wanted any excuse possible to put off traveling back down that hell road to Manali. Tom was on the fast track with only about a month left in India so he went on his way and we both agreed that we would try to meet up in Bodh Gaya in two to three weeks.

The Leh Palace is a large complex perched on a hill overlooking the old city and looks remarkably similar to the Potala Palace in Tibet. Visible from nearly anywhere in Leh it was easy to move through the ancient alleyways towards the landmark eventually finding myself at the base of a long flight of steps leading to the palace. I arrived at a door to see a young man sweeping the hallway which resembled a dusty underground tunnel and I wondered why he even bothered. After paying the equivalent of $0.50 I was allowed to wander freely through the cave-like halls, flashlight in hand, where the tops of the doorways came up to my chest level. There was limited evidence of the colors that must have once gleamed with brilliance from the inside walls of this palace brimming with activity. Once home to the Buddhist kings of Ladakh, this place now served as a silent vantage point where one could observe the unfolding activities of Leh below; from the Polo Ground to the vegetable markets of the Main Bazaar.

Leh is a town busting at the seams with spirituality. A land of refuge where Hindus and Muslims, fleeing the violence in western Kashmir, settled in with the Buddhist majority. Throughout the town there are large prayer wheels; cylinders bearing Buddhist mantras, that when spun are believed to radiate the mantras outward to the surrounding world. Each cycle is signaled with a ringing bell. Between these ringing bells, prayers emanating from the local mosques, and the repeating of the Buddhist mantra "Om Mani Peme Hum" from nearby stereos on a seemingly endless loop, the soundtrack of the city reveals the various angles from which people are approaching the spiritual path.

The days were spent visiting the monasteries in and around Leh before taking the plunge and making the journey back south to Manali. Recent unrest in "nearby" Srinagar prevented me from venturing west to see the rest of Kashmir.
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