Tibet > Climb to the meditation caves

I didn’t have a good night’s sleep. I slept poorly and spent a long time debating whether or not to join the hike today. In the morning, however, I felt fine again and decided to go along for the climb to the monastery and the meditation caves. We had breakfast once more at Friendship. The lunch orders from the previous evening were rather mixed up, and it wasn’t clear which dish belonged to whom.

Tibet - A monk with his prayer wheel

Everyone simply decided to take a few items, and we would share them along the way. In an open truck, we drove to the starting point of the hike. Outside, it was barely ten degrees, and in the back of the truck it was quite chilly. There wasn’t much time to think about that, though (wearing a sweater and a rain jacket against the wind), because we had to hold on tightly over the bumpy road. Along the way, we picked up two Tibetan women walking by the roadside. To warm up, we taught them the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” After just under an hour, we arrived at a small parking area — the starting point for the climb to the caves. We walked past fields richly decorated with prayer flags. The colorful flags covered the entire mountainside. We also passed prayer wheels powered by flowing water. The path ascended gently, and after about fifteen minutes we reached the nunnery. Inside, the nuns were praying. This monastery, too, had been completely restored. From the roof, we already had a wonderful view over the valley. From there, the trail climbed more steeply. Since everyone had their own pace, the group spread out. The path was easy enough to walk, though occasionally we hesitated about which direction to take. Passing monks kindly pointed us the right way uphill until we reached the houses. At the stupa, we drew quite some attention and were allowed to take photos of the nuns. Looking back at the pictures on the digital camera caused great laughter, and soon we were asked to take several more. Eventually, we caught up with the leading group and had lunch together. Everyone sampled a bit of each dish. After lunch, René and Jozalien continued toward the mountain’s summit, while the rest of us descended at our own pace. Near the houses, we were invited to visit one of the cave dwellings. The small hut was built against a cave, inside which a tiny chapel had been created — fascinating to see one from the inside. The descent went much faster than the climb. Down at the restaurant, we met up again with the other walkers, and once the group was complete, we drove back to Samye.

Tibet - The hike upwards was a strenuous climb

We were supposed to return at four, but since everyone was already back, we left an hour early. The ride back was even bumpier than the way there — especially because this time I was sitting all the way at the back instead of near the cab. Several times I was lifted a few centimeters off the seat and had to hold on tightly. Fortunately, we reached the Samye monastery complex safely. In the courtyard, I had my first Lhasa beer — well deserved, if you ask me. Then I went to the public showers. Rumor had it that the hot water had already run out, and unfortunately, that turned out to be true. It wasn’t easy to enjoy a shower under the cold stream. In the evening, we had dinner at the restaurant inside the monastery, where we also met the other Sawadee group. After dinner, everyone went to bed early. During the night, I heard some shuffling outside the door. When I opened it for a late-night toilet visit (one floor up on the roof terrace), a sheep was lying against our door. The animal had sought the warmth of the rooms and jumped up startled. The fact that our room was on the first floor didn’t seem to bother it. When I returned from the toilet, it was sleeping one door down.