| Dege, Western Kham, Border with Tibet | | | | strong these people must be, living year in |
| | | | year out in such remoteness. No medical |
| Long before the sun rises we are up. Behind | | | | facilities, totally dependent on Tibetan |
| the mountains it begins to dawn, we are | | | | Traditional Healing, easier in the summer |
| engulfed by the beauty of the morning. | | | | months, unimaginable in winter when ice and |
| | | | snow cover the mountains. |
| The night had been noisy, with Tibetan lemurs | | | | |
| rummaging overhead in the double wooden | | | | A two and half hour ride on horseback, she |
| ceiling, sleeping was difficult. Where we | | | | immediately sets off to return back to her |
| sleep, kitchen, hall and bedroom in one, the | | | | home. Astonishing endurance, strength, people |
| typical Tibetan house. Throughout the night I | | | | here are robust like no other. I encounter |
| carried a flashlight to spot the noisy little | | | | the first Edelweiss on my trip, it makes me |
| creatures who were after the Chambar, the rye | | | | forget the strain on my body, for too long I |
| flour stored in the kitchen in a wooden box. | | | | was out of practice since leaving my home |
| | | | country. Recalling my Military training, |
| The breakfast is painstakingly prepared with | | | | Hauptmann Lukesch, and the 50 Miles we |
| Chambar, salted tea and yak butter, yak | | | | marched in Alpine regions, I think back and |
| cheese, mingled in a cup and bare fingers. | | | | realize how time has passed so quickly. |
| The hospitality of the Tibetan people has no | | | | |
| equivalent, we are honored guests in their | | | | Here in this region I find a variety of |
| house, and dare not to refuse their | | | | plants, wild fruits, Gooseberries, wild |
| persuasive welcome. | | | | Strawberries, Raspberries in deep red growing |
| | | | nearby. Reminding me of my youth and the |
| Red Tibetan furniture all around us, wooden | | | | Alpine world I grew up with, where we would |
| tables, an open kitchen furnace, we sit on | | | | roam in the meadows after school, using the |
| our bed eating and drinking the salted | | | | mountains as a playground, once again I see |
| Lapsang, planning for the day. We will ascend | | | | reflections of my early days appearing with |
| to the mountains staying overnight , where | | | | every step I climb these trails. |
| wolves and bears still roam freely. As a | | | | |
| result, every Tibetan carries a dagger, | | | | We zigzag along the rocky paths, it takes all |
| richly decorated with Silver and gemstones, | | | | my strength for its steepness. The higher we |
| according to his social standing. | | | | reach the more spectacular the views, the |
| | | | more you feel yourself free. Only a |
| A car takes us to the school where Mr. Chen's | | | | mountaineer can understand this feeling, |
| wife is teaching Tibetan kids, in a scenic | | | | perhaps I felt a similar sensation the night |
| settlement 30 miles outside the city of Dege. | | | | I found myself in Beyla, Guinea. |
| We visit the school, its basic facilities and | | | | |
| see only smiling, curious faces. Horses were | | | | The serpentine paths become more steep, |
| called in the day before to carry me to the | | | | walking dangerously close near to cliffs I |
| mountain, an almost impossible thought to | | | | realize I made a good choice not to move on |
| bear. The means of communication is by word | | | | horseback. Not being a good rider it would |
| to mouth, as no transport other than by foot | | | | have been too risky, a reckless idea I |
| or horse can reach to this remote parts in | | | | contemplate. |
| 4000 m altitude. | | | | |
| | | | Well into the afternoon, long overdue we |
| We start our ascent at 0900 AM and the | | | | reach the first house on a long stretch of |
| breathtaking beauty of the valley immediately | | | | green, rye growing up in this altitude of |
| takes me into a trance. My guide's pace is | | | | 4000 meters. We set of at 3000 meters, but |
| fast, difficult to follow pace, I grasp for | | | | the ascent was so strenuous it took me 8 |
| air in such high altitude. Alpine meadows on | | | | hours to climb. Here in the mountains |
| our way, tall yellow and purple cowslips | | | | everyone knows each other, so our arrival had |
| along the trails, in the mountain meadows | | | | been heralded and we are invited to the first |
| make me remember my own heritage. So similar | | | | dwelling we see. |
| is the vegetation here, I almost forget I am | | | | |
| 8000 Miles from home in a far away location. | | | | Sitting in the dark kitchen with only basic |
| | | | amenities, the lady of the house and her |
| The trail is steep, the first plateau reached | | | | grandson invites me with the same hospitality |
| we stare at the mountains around us, the | | | | I am so used to since coming to these parts. |
| valley below, fields of rye in golden yellow. | | | | All I take is some fresh mountain spring |
| The main route to Chamda and to Lhasa, a 5 | | | | water, trying hard to recover from the climb. |
| days journey by car. So vast are the | | | | |
| distances here, one needs to shut off his | | | | One can not describe the condition of this |
| sensing of time entirely for the duration of | | | | dwelling place, were it not to hurt the |
| this journey. Time has no meaning, we are | | | | genuine people's feelings. All they have is |
| only temporary on this Earth.. Tibetan wisdom | | | | this, and this is their life. The rye gives |
| comes in many shapes. | | | | them food throughout the year, and represents |
| | | | their staple diet. All houses in Tibetan |
| The stream we now try to cross is covering | | | | tradition are built of raw timber, logs of |
| the trail over hundreds of meters and we | | | | Fir and are painted with a red mixture that |
| attempt to jump from stone to stone with | | | | contains yak butter. The yak butter helps to |
| limited success. Ice cold fresh mountain | | | | preserve the logs for a long period of time. |
| spring water, a definite substitute to the | | | | When entering these parts one immediately |
| bottled water in PET packing. Prayer flags | | | | notices this phenomena without realizing the |
| with diverse colors line the places where the | | | | deeper meaning of it. |
| water is deep, marking the auspiciousness of | | | | |
| the location. Mountains and cliffs towering | | | | I dread to climb further up and really push |
| over our heads as we progress into the high | | | | myself to reach the last 300 meters where the |
| altitude dwelling place of my guide's | | | | grandfather is anxiously awaiting us. We can |
| grandparents. Eagles cry, circling above in | | | | see the house further up the mountain and can |
| the clear blue sky, looking for prey. | | | | see the grandfather standing and looking |
| | | | towards us. |
| An hour into the walk we meet our horses, | | | | |
| sent to take us on horseback to our | | | | The last stretch lasts forever and I take a |
| destination. I chose not to ride and pack our | | | | rest every now and then, grasping for air. |
| luggage on the horseback, a white mare. | | | | When we finally reach, I feel totally |
| Noticing the rider's pregnancy I wonder how | | | | exhausted. |