Leh, India - Day 2

ON OUR SECOND DAY IN LEH, WE DECIDED TO TAKE THE HOTEL'S TOUR OF THE LOCAL BUDDHIST MONASTERIES. I'D HEARD FROM MY BOSS THAT THE MONASTERIES WERE REALLY AMAZING - BESIDES THE MONKS EVERYWHERE, WHO WOULD TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE PLACE, THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK ON EVERY WALL! WE SET OUT EARLY IN THE MORNING IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT THE FIRST MONASTERY - THIKSEY - IN TIME FOR THE 7AM PUJA (PRAYER). WE WERE TOLD THAT PUJA WAS REALLY QUITE A SIGHT! ALL THE MONKS IN THE MONASTERY GATHER IN ONE AREA TO CHANT, SING, AND RECITE PRAYERS. WE WERE SUPER EXCITED TO SEE THIS AMAZING DISPLAY OF REVERENCE. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE GOT TO THIKSEY AT 6:30AM, WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PUJA THIS MORNING - THE MAJORITY OF THE MONKS WERE VISITING ANOTHER MONASTERY. BUMMER. ON TOP OF THAT, SINCE WE WERE THERE AT SUCH AN UNGODLY HOUR, A LOT OF THE MONASTERY WAS NOT OPEN TO VISITORS YET (OPENED AT 8AM). UGH! LUCKILY, THE ARTWORK ON THE WALLS WAS AS AMAZING AS PEOPLE CLAIMED, AND WE WERE ABLE TO WALK AROUND THE CENTER PLAZA AREA TAKING PICTURES AND ENJOYING THE PEACEFUL MORNING.

THEN, WE BEGAN TO HEAR SOME CHANTING AFTER ALL! WE FOLLOWED SOME OTHER VISITORS UP A SMALL PATHWAY AND FOUND A MONK PERFORMING HIS MORNING PRAYERS. ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T THE LARGE GROUP OF MONKS WE HAD HOPED FOR, IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH NONETHELESS. THE MONK WAS USING A PRAYER BOOK TO GUIDE HIM, BEATING A DRUM, AND SINGING/CHANTING IN THIS TINY, DARK ROOM. PEOPLE WERE SNAPPING PICTURES AND I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO GET A SHORT VIDEO OF HIS PRAYERS. IT WAS TRULY SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET!


AFTER WE'D WATCHED THIS PRAYER FOR A WHILE, WE WENT BACK TO THE PLAZA TO PASS THE TIME UNTIL THE OTHER PARTS OF THE MONASTERY OPENED. THE MONKS WHO WERE THERE BEGAN TO TAKE PITY ON US AND OPEN SOME OF THE LOCKED DOORS. WE WERE ABLE TO GO INTO SOME OF THE MOST ORNATE ROOMS (TEMPLES AS THEY CALLED THEM) THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. THIKSEY IS MOST FAMOUS FOR ITS TWO STORY BUDDHA STATUE. WHEN THE DOOR TO THE BUILDING HOUSING THAT STATUE WAS UNLOCKED WE WENT IN AND SAW NOT ONLY THE BUDDHA BUT ALSO A MONK PREPARING THE OFFERINGS AROUND THE STATUE - BOWLS OF HOLY WATER, BURNING CANDLES, ETC. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME TO WITNESS. WE GOT SOME GREAT PICTURES OF THE BUDDHA AND THE MONK!

AFTER EXPLORING THIKSEY, WE WENT TO HEMIS MONASTERY. THIS MONASTERY IS THE LARGEST IN LEH, BUT DUE TO SOME CONSTRUCTION WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO GET INTO PARTS OF IT. HEMIS DID HAVE A MUSEUM THAT HANK ENJOYED QUITE A BIT, AND THIS IS WHERE I LEARNED A LESSON ABOUT ONE WAY MY HUSBAND AND I ARE DIFFERENT. THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE IN THE MUSEUM, HANK TRIED TO "TEACH" ME THINGS - UGH! NOW, HE DIDN'T MEAN TO, (AND HE DOESN'T EVEN SEE IT AS TEACHING), BUT HE LIKES TO TALK ABOUT EVERY COOL THING HE SEES. "WOW, THIS IS FROM 1200A.D." "DID YOU SEE THAT BIG SCROLL OVER THERE?" ETC. I LIKE TO LOOK AND TAKE IT ALL IN - QUIETLY. BECAUSE OF THIS DIFFERENCE, OUR MUSEUM TRIP INCLUDED A LOT OF TERSE STATEMENTS LIKE "YES, I SAW IT! I AM RIGHT HERE BESIDE YOU!" LUCKILY WE LAUGHED ABOUT OUR DIFFERENT STYLES, AND HE AGREED TO PIPE-DOWN A BIT.

PERHAPS THE SINGLE BEST THING ABOUT DAY 2 IN LEH WAS THE FACT THAT IT WAS THE DALI LAMA'S BIRTHDAY! THAT'S RIGHT - THE DALI LAMA! THERE WAS A CELEBRATION FOR HIS BIRTHDAY NEARBY, SINCE THE DALI LAMA HAS A RESIDENCE IN LEH, AND OUR HOTEL MANAGER HAD ARRANGED FOR THE DRIVER TO TAKE US THERE. WELL, ON THE WAY TO THE CELEBRATION - WE HAD AN ACCIDENT. THAT'S RIGHT, YOURS TRULY WAS IN ANOTHER CAR ACCIDENT! WELL, THIS TIME, I WAS IN THE LARGER VEHICLE - A VAN - WHEN WE HIT A MOTORCYCLE! I WAS PETRIFIED! I THOUGHT WE'D KILLED THE KID FOR SURE. (I SAY KID BECAUSE THE LITTLE GUY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN OVER 17!) WE CREAMED HIM WHILE HE WAS MAKING A U-TURN OR SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW - ALL I KNOW IS THAT HE WAS OK AND OUR DRIVER BASICALLY TOOK HIM HOSTAGE, AND MADE HIM COME TO THE REPAIR SHOP WITH US TO HAVE THE VAN'S SIDE REPAIRED. IT WAS SHOCKING TO HIT SOMEONE AND HAVE NO COPS OR MEDICAL AID COME, BUT I HAD TO REMEMBER THAT NOT ALL COUNTRIES DO THINGS LIKE THE U.S.

WHEN WE FINALLY GOT TO THE DALI LAMA'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, IT WAS AWESOME! THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF TENTS SET UP, WITH PEOPLE RELAXING WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, COOKING OUT, BASICALLY JUST ENJOYING THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, AND HONORING HIS HOLINESS. IF I HAD TO RELATE IT TO SOMETHING, I WOULD SAY IT WAS LIKE A BIG CARNIVAL OR FAIR - ICE CREAM CARTS, BALLOONS, DECORATIONS - BUT WITH A BIG HEAPING OF REVERENCE AND RESPECT THROWN IN THE MIX. (I.E. BOWING AT THE DALI LAMA'S PICTURE IN HIS HOUSE, REMOVING SHOES, ETC.) WE WANTED TO STAY AT THIS CELEBRATION LONGER BECAUSE IT WAS SO RELAXING, BUT WE'D TOLD THE DRIVER WE ONLY NEEDED 1/2 HR. SO WE HAD TO LEAVE AND HEAD BACK TO THE CAR. AFTER ALL THAT EXPLORING, WE WERE READY TO HEAD BACK TO THE HOTEL FOR LUNCH. YES, WE DID ALL THAT BEFORE LUNCH! (ALTHOUGH, I WILL ADD THAT THEY DO EAT LUNCH LATER IN INDIA - AROUND 2PM.) WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO OUT AGAIN AFTER A FEW HRS. REST, BUT HANK AND I AGREED THAT WE WERE POOPED, AND WOULD PREFER TO STAY AROUND THE HOTEL THE REST OF THE DAY. BESIDES, WE WERE ONLY A COUPLE MINUTES WALK FROM THE MAIN MARKET, AND THERE WAS TONS TO SEE THERE. HANK GOT THE HOTEL MANAGER TO CANCEL THE CAR FOR THAT AFTERNOON AND WE RELAXED FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.

FOR PICTURES OF OUR MONASTERY ADVENTURES, GO TO: http://picasaweb.google.com/April.Gay/IndiaLehMonestariesTour

BONUS VIDEO: HERE IS A FUN LITTLE CLIP I TOOK OF HANK TURNING THE PRAYER WHEELS AT THIKSEY: