Tibetan Buddhism and the Achievements of off road biking

So last nights binge with the locals went ok. We were led to a small room, with seating on the floor in a horse shoe shape. A tv showing India's humiliation of England at cricket provided a background. We drank rum, ate chicken curry, shook hands with a few locals, and mostly listened to Jamaica monologuing about himself, his history and his businesses. And how he could help his.

The rum had an excellent effect on me - I slept much warmer and happier, and was not wakened until the chai wallah banged on the door. Dan however, slept far worse. I think that this reflects better on Dan more generally - my system is obviously much happier passing out when drunk.

We started the day's tour round Spiti with some action shots of us driving the bikes around. I have deliberately not included any pictures of me so far, but have put a couple in today. Our video attempts are laughable - no doubt some of them will emerge somewhere if Dan is feeling vindictive.

We took Jamaica's ideas for the day and headed out to Kye monastery. About 11km from Kaza it is perched on a hill overlooking the valley.

Dan is not really comfortable around religion or spirituality, so whilst tried to lurk inconspicuoulsy in the courtyard, I was shown the different Gompas by two different monks, Lobsang and Thakchen (pics below). These are combination meditation/teaching/shrine rooms.

The monastery has been there almost 1000 years, and a lot of the relics and artefacts there date back to this time. Hangings of the different incarnations of the Buddha's, statues of different Lama's and teachers, mandala's, offering bowls, prayer scrolls of the Buddhas teachings, small cheda's and stupas containing relics of previous teachers.... more than I can remember or write.

It was actually very familiar to me. For several years I studied and practiced with the New Kadampa Tradition, which is a Western Interpretation of Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism. I recognised Maitreya Buddha, Heruka Buddha, Green Tara and Je Tsongkhapa, and was able to say a couple of prayers.

There was a lot that I disagreed with and eventually rejected about Kadampa Buddhism but it felt good to go and just touch base with this part of my life and history. I am not here on a quest of spiritual discovery, but in some ways life, and living, and being really in the moment is itself a transcendental experience.

So it was back to Carmen and Butch and to experience some, if not transcendental, then very moving, very quickly moving, experiences.

Kibber, a few miles up the hill was rustic and mostly closed. The next village after that looked enticingly at us, but it was only accessible by a basket on a wire over a gorge., and the road did not lead directly there.

We decided to head back down to see if we could find the wildlife sanctuary that Jamaica had told us about. This was a track that led off the main road and wound up into the hills.

We didn't see any wildlife (although the roar of an Enfiled might be mistaken for the mating cry of a snow leopard they are actualy quite different), but I did have my first experience of true off road biking.

The track looped in wide chicanes, but there were steep shortcuts cutting out the bends. Dan roared off up them with no problem, but Carmen really struggled. Partly it was my inexperience and nervousness at hitting them at speed, but also she struggles with steep hills at high altitude.

The road went higher and higher, higher than i think I have been before, Over hills and round little valleys until eventually it ended in a little house (pic below). The path actually continued, but it was over road base layer, and the football sized boulders are impossible for us to ride over. We passed a man on a donkey who said there was no way forward anyway, so we headed back.

Overall I enjoyed my first taste of off roading. I struggled at times, got cold and nervous at others, wished it was over and we could just stick to the roads once or twice, but completed some difficult and challenging sections at very high altitude. I don't think I am going to be taking up motor cross, but I do have a sense of achievement and success right now for having done it.

Good job too as we made Kaza just as the sun was setting. Over Momos, we met a girl from Romania called Trixie, who is here for a year. Also bought some North Face knock off gillies from a very chatty man called Papu who gave us some lemon tea.

The weather is going to be best for the mammoth ride to Manali on Wednesday. So we are going to stay here an extra day, and go to a festival in Comic, another small remote village, tomorrow.

Tonight, it is dinner with Jamaica and chums again. He has promised to bring some local wine, so I am anticipating another good sleep.