Leh

On thursday I will go to Nubra valley by bus along the higest passable motorway in the world.

Yesterday I cycled to Stok a small village about 15 miles from here. The first 7 mile was only downhill nice fast and cold, but then after the river I went up to Stok palace and above. Then I noticed the difference of cycling on approx 3500 meter and higher. I had to make many stops for drinking but i made it to Stok I had a look at the palace (not very interesting) and cycled little bit more uphill to gompa. From there I had a nice vieuw over the valley. The way back was fast down to the river and then climbing for another 2 hours uphill to Leh.

The other days:

One afternoon I went to see the gompa of Spituk, the other day I saw the Gompas of Shey and Tiksey. The Gompa of Tiksey was absolute amazing.

What about Leh:
In Leh there is not so much to see with the exception of Shanti Stupa and the fort above Tsemo Gompa.

Books:
I finished the book "Cave in the snow"

I'm reading:
a journey in Ladakh from Andrew Harvey

Leh -altitide 3505 published 16/ 7/2006

Since a couple of nights I'm in Leh. After a first night (3 nights ago) I saw a polo match. You know the kind of match with horses, a ball and long hockey sticks. The first real day to acclimatize on 3505 meter. The books say you should not do anything for the next 36 hours, so that what I did nothing with the except watching a polo match. 2 Nights ago I went to Shanti Stupa from there I had a very fine view over Leh and the surrounding mountains. A steep pad to leads to the stupa but the view wauwwwwwwwwww. A sat in the sun, reading my book "Cave in the snow" and watching leh for the afternoon. In the evening I watch some local folk music performance during Leh spring festival. Yesterday I walked to the palace and the fort it is a nice steep walk up it takes about 30 minutes and the few is amazing. On the top I met a group of Americans and some English people, together we went for dinner and saw the match England against Tobago a bit boring but still OK. Today I wanted to cycle but the weather turned very cold with rain and bits of snow. So cold that I bought a winter jacket. Yesterday I was sitting in the sun and was it 24 degree. The mountains you never know what the next day will bring. For me it gives me some time to write emails, read a book. Start with a new book etc.

Happy travels!!!
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

Leh (3505 meter)

Yesterday evening I arrived in Leh after 18 hours in a jeep from Manali. The ride was amazing crossing several high passes. Like the Baralachalah top/pass at 16500 feet, the Nakeelapass at 15547 feet and the Taglangla pass at 17592 feet during. The fews were amazing we had breakfast at around 8 am on an altitude of 4300 meter. With dalbat and rice yummie. The road was sometimes paved somtimes dirt it all made the journey even better.

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Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

8 days

In 8 days I will be on holiday for one yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and I'm still not tired. 

 

My plans for the next few weeks:

 

 

6 july I will take a train from Delhi to Chennai this takes about 28 hours

12 july I fly from Chennai to Sri lanka

19 july I will take an other vipassana course.

 

But tonight I go to Leh..

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Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

Manali

Yesterday I walked to old manali from Vashisht, a nice small walk downhill about 1,5 hour to the other side of the river. In between I had a stop at Johnson cafe for the best trout ever. It was expensive nut very nice. so nice that I went  back today.

 

Old manali is a kind of Bagsu with many shops for travellers and to many guesthouses. To stay in Vashisht was a very good idea.

 

Today I walked again to New Manali for some cheese, some German bread and the ATM.

New Manali is very nice, I saw Indians on Holiday. All the shops are for Indians and the food yummy. The masala dosas are great. Vashist is also an Indian holiday place but they only come for a few hours for the Hot spring baths and the temple.

 I walked back to Vashisht and had some nice cakes and then in the evening at 6:30 pm I saw the match between Holland and Serbia on 54 inch tv. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Holland won........................... during the match I played chess and I won.............yeah......

 

Tonight at 2 am or better tomorrow morning at 2 am I will go by jeep to Leh this ride takes about 18 hours and crosses two very high passes both around 5300 meter. This is in altitude one of the highest roads in the world.

 

 

 

nti, shanti, shanti
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

The dinning hall

The dinning hall,
originally uploaded by mjrijnen.

I uploaded some new pictures to the set Dharamkot april/may. If you one to see more pictures just click on the picture. This pictures represents the dining hall of the vipassana centre.

Manali - India

Yesterday morning 9 of June I arrived at around 6:30 am in Manali. These night busses are not that great esp not when I arrived that early. No guesthouse is open and most people are still sleaping.

 

What to do, after some thinking I decided to stay  in a nearby village called Vashsisht. This village has some hotsprings and prety small. (Today I saw it was a good decision not to stay in Old Manali).

First I stayed in My house but they had no hot water and then I moved to another place which clean and has some hot water but it had not the charme of My house.

 

When I moved out My house I met Moa better Moa saw me. I met here in Dharamkot she is also a vipassana meditator. Together we went to Manali new city, we strolled around looking to the Indian Tourist had some nice food like Masala Dosa, an ice cream and coffee. Moa had later on butter tea ,at a Tibetan temple, which she didn't like. I remember I had it once in Kathmandu and had to make a great effort to drink this it is disgusting, hey I was invited so what to do.

 

We saw also a disco great for Saturday evenings and they only charge 200 rps per couple.

 

At 5:30 pm we were back in Vashisht she booked here ticket for Leh for the same night and I watched the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica.

 

Dharamkot

After two months of Dharamkot a change of venue. I had a great time in Dharamkot.

Between the 11 of May and the 8 of June I did not only go to Triund. But also meditated every day for two hours one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening at the Vipassana centre. I took lessons flute with Vinod every other day and practised flute for about 2 hours a day. 

 

I met so many nice people. After the morning session of Vipassana we hanged out in Snow Monkey for breakfast with Jonny, Scot, Sabine, Sam, Takesh, Patric, Rebecca and late also Moa. Sometimes I went to Trek and Dine for there nice home made Muesli. The Japanese restaurant was also a nice place for food. In Snow Monkey I played some chess matches and many games of shithead with Sabine, Sam, Scot and Patric. 

 

In the early morning before Vipassana I played a bit flute had tea with Helene, Sarah and Mandi. 

 

My day schedule in Dharamkot was like this:

 

Get up at 6:20  am put the boiler on for a hot shower

6:45 take a shower

7:00 till 7:20 play flute

7:20 till 7:35drink tea with Helene and Sarah

7:35 walk to the Vipassana centre

Till 8 am drink a small tea and talk with other people in the Himalaya tea shop

8 am till 9 am vipassana

after 9 am have breakfast for some time depending on the weather (rain) sometime the rest of the day.

In the afternoon I practised flute for about 2 hours.

At 6pm another hour of mediatation at the centre.

In the evening again to snowmonkey for dinner, shithead etc.

On Monday I went to Karama Nirvana in Mc Leod Ganj for the open Mic night a great opportunity to hear some music, reading poems, etc. Sometimes a movie but most of the time I was in the Snowmonkey.

 

Conclusion Dharamkot was great and I met very nice people.

 

Triund after the rain

Triund,
originally uploaded by mjrijnen.

I added a few pictures of triund to picture set Dharankot april/may 2006. If you want to see more pictures just click on the picture.

a night in Triund

A number of days ago we decided to walk to Triund.

 

Triund is just above Dharamkot on 2980 meter and Dharamkot is on 2000 meter. Just behind Triund I can see some mighty mountains. During my Vipassana course I was looking at Triund and the mighty mountains everyday. Sometimes they were hiding in the clouds, sometimes they changed colours from shiny white  into reddish during sunsets. During my stay at the Vipassana centre I was dreaming of going there.

 

So a number of days ago. I think it was Saturday. We Jonny, Moa, Dennis and two others walked up to  Triund it took us about 3 hours climbing. Including a short break for Tea.

We arrived around 11:00 AM. We were lucky the weather was still good because the last days it was always raining in the afternoon, but the mountains were hiding in the clouds. It was stranged weather on Triund one moment we are in the sun and it is hot. The other moment clouds drifting in and we are putting on as many clothes as possible because it is freezing.

 

Jonny decided to stay here for the night. It is possible to sleep in a cave but we didn't have any mattress or sleeping bag. We decided to rent a room for 300 rps it looks like a goat shack with 3 matrasses on the floor, no toilet, no shower. The toilet is outside everywhere were you can sit.

Later on we met some other people and we decided to share the room with 5 people. We were lucky because they had blankets and sleeping bags.

 

Around 5 pm most tourist were gone and Triund is again for goats and the occasional stayer.  Temporary it cleared up so we could see the mountains more clearer then ever. At 18:00 it started to rain, it got cold and very windy we went back to our small room and at many cookies. After the rain it cleared up and we saw the mountains and a rainbow in full glory.

 

After dinner at one of the 3 chai shops we went to bed. During the night it rained a lot and it was very, very windy.

 

The next day our roommates went to the snowline at least two hours more climbing and Jonny and I went back to Dharamkot on the way back we meet Sarah and Mandi. Sarah and Mandi stay in the same house as me. The Yellow house!!!! 

  

--
Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

books

In the last 2 months I only finished a few books. Hey I was busy talking to people doing Vipassana for 2 hours a day practise flute for another 2 hours. Taking flute lessons in another village 25 minutes from here downhill. Walking around, meeting people etc...Because I live in Dharamkot it takes some time to go from one place to another. 15 minutes downhill to mcleod and about 25 minutes downhill from Bagsu and then back again fro  Mcleod to Dhramkot takes about 30 minutes.

But hereby some books I finished in Dharamkot.

 

Kriya yoga - Heidi Wijder 

 

Autobiography of a Yogi - by yogananda wauw this is an amazing book a must read. 

 

Discourses on Satipatthana suta -  S.N. Goenka

 

The day of the jackal -  Frederick Forsyth

--
Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

Dharamkot

Hi guys,

 

I just want to inform you about some movies I have seen lately:

 

• What the bleep do we know: an amazing documentary about quantum physics, a must see documentary.
• Baraka: a movie without words, just sounds and the best places in the world. This is a very good movie/ documentary. The director of this movie is Ron Fricke.
• Monsoon wedding: this is a hindi movie partly in English and pertly in Hindi. It was a good movie for the details just see the link.
• Samsara: this movie is about a monk who turns into husband. It is a spiritual love-story set in the majestic landscape of Ladakh, Himalayas. This move is also directed by Ron Fricke. 

--
Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train