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Here is one of Elias's emails home. In 2006 he had to make a two hour trek down the valley to Kagbeni to get an internet connection. Nowadays you can send emails from Ranipauwa, a 30 minute walk away: there are two computers in a lodge there - as long as the power doesn't cut out... |
On the way to Kagbeni
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Hello family and friends,
After 30 days in Nepal I'm as fine as always. Perhaps even better, since the air, water, food and people are one hundred per cent pure here. I'm rather pinned down here, as there are lessons 6 days a week, so I am always sure to make the most of the free day on Saturdays. Most of the time I spend the whole day with my music in my ears walking to Kagbeni and enjoy having a bit of time completely alone. |
| Last week my former teacher Karin Inmann was here for 5 days and left on Saturday 4th at the same time as the two physiotherapists from Graz. So now I'm here all by myself among the Tibetans, which has its positive side too. |
| On Wednesday 1st we celebrated my birthday and I think it was the biggest party anyone has ever thrown for me. 35 guests, 70 per cent under the age of 13 cavorted around all day in a big meadow, which we headed off to in the morning. We put up tents and the teachers slaughtered the goat that we had fetched from Dzong the day before. We danced to Guns and Roses and Nepalese schmaltz, played volleyball and football and lay about in the sun while we ate. |
Goats in the village - meat is only eaten on special occasions
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The weather is beautiful today too (9 Nov), most of the time a strong wind blows only in the evening, bringing with it the clouds. But it's going to get less hospitable soon and we've already had frost overnight. In the coming four weeks I'll be making a few trips on Saturdays. This weekend I might climb the Thorung La Pass if the weather is nice, I might do some pioneer-like solo camping sometime too, I hope to visit a few of the surrounding villages and on the weekend before the descent into the valley, everyone looks to Muktinah for blessing for the winter and for the journey down. The descent is made in the first week of December, or earlier (depends on the weather) and together with the teachers, I'll make the journey that took me 6 days in just 2 days. But that's a long way off yet and it would be wrong to think about the end of my time here now. |
There's not much variety here (food, always the same faces, always at the monastery), but it serves a purpose that I decided to take on myself. It's worth simply making the best and the most of the time here, as time is limited and is just one and a half months of my life.
To fill the time I've started doing a little meditation and exercise, although jogging in this mountainous region hasn't worked out. I haven't drawn anything yet, but I'm not going to make rules for myself. It's just lovely to find peace and equilibrium here, beyond all the diversions and entertainment offered by the Western world (TV, PC, music, weekend revelry etc). |
Large Buddha in the Sakya temple in Jharkot |
Teaching is rather laboured, though I mainly use the workbooks. I rather naively and idealistically thought that there would be enough discussion material, but since the kids here have grown up with completely different surroundings and with other values, the use of materials is somewhat restricted. But it's going well.
I hope that winter doesn't set in here or in Austria for a while and I send you all my regards from the high mountains. Thank you for all the mails I've received, they're like signs of life for me.
Love
Elias
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| Unfortunately Elias damaged his camera on his India trip, so there are only a few photos, which he had uploaded while away >> |
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