Saturday, April 12, 2014

Whether we use old or new forms of travel we all need blessing before entering BC

In photo one we see a decorated "pilot" yak. This guy was so proud of himself I just had to take his picture as he led his team past us, back downhill for another load. He carries at least 10x the load each of us do so we've come to have great respect and gratitude for these creatures.

The next shot I found intriguing: a herd of Yak and Nak moving through the field near Pheriche as a helicopter hovers above waiting to land. Both chopper and yak now compete to provide transportation services to BC. The old versus the new, side by side..

Third photo: I think I heard mama yak explaining to baby yak to look at the mountains - the mountains where she'll spend her life helping others fulfill their dreams..

No matter how we get up this hill we all need the blessing of the local Lama before we proceed. It was an hour long ceremony where he chanted quietly as he looked us over. Eventually he blessed each of us by touching foreheads and draping our necks. Even though we couldn't understand much of what he said the blessing somehow offered a sense of peace.

As our friend Mr. Thoreau said "go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined". It's awesome to get the chance to follow his directions. What a life . . .

Jon

5 comments:

  1. You......Jon Reiter......are amazing

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  2. Base Camp...WOW! As you contemplate the next chapter of this adventure, remember "SUCCESS is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it".
    I am so proud of you! Sending you peace and love...and don't forget to laugh every day...laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams do come true!

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  3. The Yaks are amazing. God bless those creatures.

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  4. We're happy you made it to base camp safely. We hope you have safe travels across the ice. The yaks look very interesting. Do they smell pungent? They look like they might. Thank you for posting all the beautiful pictures.

    Ms. Cagle's Third Grade Class

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