Photos and videos at the end.
A few of us decided to set off a little later after breakfast, so we could catch the sunrise over Kailash. It was a beautiful morning, cold but with a steel blue sky. It was slow going for me up the first ridge, but I didn’t mind. The weather was fine and the prospects were good.
After a while, you stop noticing the rubbish strewn among the rocks. Discarded ampules of what I think were energy or caffeine shots, small canisters of oxygen. Pilgrims praising the gods while disrespecting the environment.
I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but you can’t help being affected by the mysticism of this place. I tend to choose logic over belief and superstition but fully respect devotion in others. But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to the fantastic tales here of bodhisattvas in their thousands flying in to occupy the area around Kailash and the Buddha himself flying in to nail Kailash to the Earth before demons stole it away.
After a while, we joined the rough four wheel drive track, and stopped at the first tea house. We stay there for tea, among pilgrims and tourists, probably all wondering what the day would bring. Three of our group of 12 had turned back this morning at Dirapuk Monastery. Of the other group of 12 travelling separately with our tour company, eight had turned back. A mixture of exhaustion, health issues or concern about snow and ice on the pass above.
The four-wheel-drive track ended at the tea house and on we went, pilgrims and tourists, walking, riding ponies or prostrating. The track went higher, and soon we are in snow. Still a beautiful sky and magnificent views of Kailash.
The pass got steeper and pony riders had to dismount. It was very difficult for some, even with the ever present oxygen canisters. We passed a few individuals being held up by their friends or family, struggling to take steps but very determined. For me, it was steady steps and stopping every 20m or so. Even the youngest or fittest among us had to do this.
I passed a large boulder with photos of departed loved ones attached for dedication. As I stopped to make a dedication to my late wife, a dog passed by, the only one I’d seen so far. Ann loved dogs. Whether a coincidence or a sign, I chose a sign.
Not long after, Andrei, Anton and I reached the pass as the track levelled out. An incense burner wafted pine scent into the still air. Thousands of prayer flags attached to rocks among the snow fluttered their silent prayers into the wind. I tied a line of prayer flags dedicated to family and friends and stayed for a while in contemplation. The deep satisfaction of having achieved something long-held.
The weather was very kind, cold but not bone chilling. Andrei and Anton had gone on ahead by the time I started to descend. Soon I was above the emerald-green Lake of Compassion (also known as Guri Kund), believed to purify a lifetime of sins with a dip. For Hindus, it is believed that this was the site where Goddess Parvati had meditated for a long time to win Lord Shiva as her husband, who lives on Mount Kailash.
The formidable glaciers on the northwest slope of Mount Kailash shone bright in the sunshine as I descended further and caught up with Andrei and Anton. The track broadened again and soon we were along a ridge above a long river valley leading south. Slowly down into the valley, stopping at a tea house for lunch.
The long walk along the Lham Chu river valley was pleasant in the afternoon sunshine. After around 22 km, we reached our destination for the day, the guesthouse at Zutulpuk Monastery where we stayed overnight, bright with the exhilaration of having completed the hardest part of the trek in kind weather. Blessed or lucky? Who knows. Maybe both.
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