A Time of Gaining and Giving
Ju-Jullay!
We are back in Leh for a brief moment after our fabulous trek in the Sham side of Ladakh. This region is actually located north of Leh, but as it is several thousand feet lower than the rest of Ladakh, it is commonly referred to as "lower Ladakh". Our group was able to see firsthand how a small difference in altitude can completely alter the growing season and lifestyles of the local peoples! At points we visited villages above 12,000 feet and they had not even started to fertilize their fields yet, while at other times we passed through villages below 10,000 feet and the fields had already been plowed, planted, and were starting to turn a shade of bright green.
This mini-trek allowed the group to focus on Ladakhi homestays, rural agricultural life, and development in remote areas – all issues that we will touch on in the larger trek, but we felt that experiencing them first hand was much more beneficial. Hiking from village to village as a Ladakhi, living, eating, and cooking as a Ladakhi, and viewing the landscape as both a visitor and a Ladakhi gave us great insight as to why this place is so special.
Towards the end of our week of travel, we were able to give back to some of the communities we stayed in by completing several small-scale service projects. In the village of Ang, we completed a trash cleanup as well as white washed some stupas (each village has many of these white religious monuments, which traditionally contain the bodies and relics of the most accomplished and revered monks). As an exciting side project, we also participated in the act of 'donkey day'. Each spring, after sitting around a dung stove for 7 long months of winter, the Ladakhi village comes alive as locals empty out their composting toilets and transport the human fertilizer to the fields via donkeys! After the men of the village lift a 50 pound bag of fertilizer onto a donkey's back, the woman and children lead them to the fields to unload. The villagers split the work within the community and after several weeks, all of the fields are fertilized and ready for plowing! Needless to say, our group had some difficulty controlling these animals and it almost took a full afternoon to gain the confidence one needs to keep a donkey on track….
After continuing our journey down the road to Tingmosgong, we again were privileged enough to help out the local community by planting trees at a recently established school. As you may have noticed from the pictures posted, the landscape up here can be quite barren! To add a little character and give the students greatly needed shade, trees were planted around the perimeter of the school's property. After a full day's work, we successfully planted 28 trees and received many blessings from the school's chairman, Mr. Morup. To top things off, the male and female students split into two groups and each stayed in a monastery and nunnery on our way back to Leh. I think others have commented on our experiences there, so I will sign off for now!
As directors we are greatly anticipating the upcoming trek, as it provides a lot of time for reflection on all of the amazing activities that have taken place over the last three months. We will of course fill you in on the details when we return!
Jullay from Cam