Throughout our travels we discovered that Tibetans love playing pool. There always seemed to be some weather-worn table in every yak-crap village. In Darchen, while gearing up for our Mt Kailash kora George and I had a nice competitive game with the locals. Those Tibetans know their way around a pool cue and whipped our butts at first but we fought back for a 50/50 tie.
Little watercolor of the locals washing their clothes in a stream that flowed past the temple chortens.
Some of the very friendly Tibetans. Everyone dressed in eclectic unique outfits pieced together from local traveling salespeople. My Tibetan was lousy so communication was hand signals and touching. Such great people.
Watercolors of the ponies used to haul gear on the Kailash kora/trek. Hardy beasts that can put up with big loads, winds and biting cold weather
Here we go...packing up tents, cooking gear, food, bedding, etc.. for our 3 day kora around the mystical, sacred Mt Kailash. This peak is the central hub for Buddhist, Hindu, Bon, and Jains belief in redemption, blessing and removal of sin. The experience of a lifetime.
"Gary" the yak. Named because George and Jamison thought he was the orneriest, bull-headed, tough loner yak of the bunch. Always off on its own and never listened to the guide until it got a whack in the ass to get it back in line.
Little pencil drawing of my Doppelganger
Jamison identical twin
George the yak...the most introspective and gentle of the bunch
Shortly before we left this intrepid pilgrim took off with this pack horse and his six, four legged disciples
Heading up the Lha Chu (Divine River) Valley. Stunning quiet, breezy, broad glacial valley with 22,000+ foot peaks towering above. We are walking at about 15 thousand feet high right here
Our little band of gypsies paralleling the mountain walls as we trek the pilgrims path. Hindus and Buddhists do the kora clockwise (like us) , the older Buddhist Bon sects take it counter
Our first glimpses of Kailash's western summit. Already Gary the yak is getting out of line, wandering away from the group and the herder is chasing him down.
The formation of the left is known as "Gesars horse" (you might see a thin icefall which is the horses "tail"). Gesar is the hero-king of Tibetan epic Buddhist stories. The skies are so blue and beautiful and the air so pure it hurts to breath its perfection
A group of Bon pilgrims has walked past us and towards the "Torma", the offering cake of Guru Rimpoche and where the protector god resides.
Our yaks fording the river, gear in tow. This river is considered the sources of the Indus River that starts in this valley and continues through India
Me standing in front of Mt Kailash's western wall at 22,000 feet elevation taken from our first camp. In shorts of course and then it started to hail and snow.
A quick little pencil sketch of the Drira Phuk gompa, which was a small monastery up from out camp. Our yaks grazed around the meadows. I had to punch the sketch out fast because a nice little cold storm moved in.
Sheets of hail and a wave of snow dropped over the monastery
From above our camp I tried to sketch out how dramatic and stormy the weather and landscape was at this moment. This was the next valley and first high pass we would have to hike over. The whole experience is still otherworldly. Still having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
Our little camp out in the meadow below Kailash. That was our cooking and dining tent but our crew usually ate out in the open air.
With this simple cooking set up Migmar whipped up some amazing feasts while we were on the road and trail. The food was curry, rice, noodles, vegetables, etc...all cooked with TLC.
For my son, Stevens birthday, back in the states, Migmar whipped up this celebratory cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to him from thousands of miles away in a mystical, stunning location at the base of a sacred peak.
The west face of Mt Kailash in the very early morning. Freezing temperatures at the end of July . Frozen ponds and frosty, crunchy meadows as we broke down camp. We set off early because this was what we had been training hiking for. We had two 17,000+ and one 18,300ft pass ahead of us, the air was really thin and we had about 30 miles ahead of us
Pencil sketch of Mt Kailash. We got really lucky with the weather because even with the occasional storms we had clear sketching skies. Horse and guide not to scale...they would be just dots on the page.
Jamison slowly hiking in a head fog. It took a lot of focus to get through all of this altitude though the stuff we witnessed stuck I my cloudy overtaxed brain.
SUMMIT! Drolma La Pass (18,400ft) on the North side of Kailash. The last mile or so was just take 20 paces, rest, 20 more paces, repeat and don't pass out. Pilgrims praying, making offerings, burning incense and we just sat down for a short while taking it all in. Hard to describe the sense of accomplishment and wonderment of being there at this sacred site.
My "coach" that helped me get up the pass. This Tibetan woman joined me on the hike to the pass caring her child tied to her back while her 10 year old boy ran around without getting winded, even in that altitude. We "talked" while I paced slowly up the trail and I swore if she could do it with that load, I could do it hefting a light backpack.
A pilgrim making offerings for the souls of some deceased relatives with burning incense. Curtains of prayer flags left by pilgrims (I added a flag string) are draped in the background.
My "coach" praying at the sacred Rock of Drolma (Tara) where monk Gotsangpa was first lead to the sacred pass buy a pack of 21 blue wolves, the protectress of the pass. Once in front of the landmark the wolves merged into one body and the she wolf melted into the boulder.
Jamison, George and me on the summit of Drolma La. Ready to head east down the other side.
Looking east from Drolma La Pass down into the milky green Bathing Pools of Compassion. You bath in its waters or simply drink a handful of water and run the rest through your hair for its blessing.
Dropping over a lower 17,000 pass through a shattered granite landscape. By now our yaks and the guides have caught up with us for the walk into the next valley below
Winding through the granite boulders and starting to pick up smatterings of meadow grass for the yaks as we quickly drop into the valley.
We are entering the Lham Chu valley after a 1,500 drop into the long beautiful meadow that follows the river. The third sacred footprint of Buddha is set on top of a boulder down at the base.
Our campsite on the second day of the kora after a nice trek. Just too beautiful and enticing enough where I waded out to the middle of the river fell asleep on a large rock, rolled over and fell into the cold waters.
Various pencil sketches from camp 2. Big peaks, storm clouds, shepherds dogs and Gary the yak
The landscape during our last day trek out to the trailhead of the Kailash kora. the entire valley spread out and the hike was level and peaceful, white daisies and little purple flowers carpeted the meadows.
S couple of pencil sketches showing the ruggedness of the terrain and trying to capture the beauty of the skies.
A couple of the pilgrims on the way out of the canyon. They had just started the kora and though I saw these tiny little old ladies with hardly any gear (they were carrying small sacks of food) and wondered how they would ever make it I also remembered Tibetan women are a tough and resilient bunch
Up above the river it got dryer and the environment was harsher but our 35 mile trek was practically over so at this point we could literally see the end of the road where we unpacked the ornery Gary the Yak and I took a picture with my doppelganger
Our guide who faithfully stayed with us and tended those dossal beautiful yaks
Carved prayer stones of granite , limestone and slate stacked with care in front of a group of small chortens. This site is located at the tip of a hill overlooking Lake Manasarovar. This vista covers hundred of square miles and we could see that we JUST dodged a big snowstorm (in July?)that covered the Mt Kailash mountains
Small chorten with prayer flags. Beautiful stormy skies rolled through the heavens
In front of a large incoming storm is the Chiu Monastery, perched on top of a rocky plateau
Chiu Monastery covered with fluttering prayer flags. George and Migmar heading up the trail to the main monastery ahead of the storm.
One of the ancient doors that open to the monks storerooms. Built with wood and stone and coated with white plaster and stain with iron oxide.
Two full panorama pencil sketch showing the wind storm flailing at the curtains of prayer flags over Chiu Monastery. The wind rolled in, caught the flag on the ropes and pulled several of the posts out of the ground and whipped them around the compound.
George sitting on some boulders drawing the landscape as the storm moved in.
My buddy George who I had the privilege to travel around Tibet and Nepal with.
At the base of the monastery was a nice little hot spring (REALLY HOT) which gave me a chance to wash off all that dirt that had coated me from the last couple of the weeks on road and trail.
The host & hostess (and son) of the place we stayed at in far western Tibet. A nicer couple you could never meet and were friends with our guide Magmar who had connections through the country and knew all the history and true stories of the culture.
Celebrating our completion of the Kailash Kora and the ritual washing of a portions of our sins away (so we could collect some new ones?). The whole crew is in here. One of those great moments where the food, drink and friendship all mix together in an amazing beautiful place
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