We were ready to go! Food for four days was bought and we knew when to bus would leave. We were rally read to go – for a 4-day trek from Ganden to Samye.

But then we meet this girl – she just came back from the holiest mountain, Mt. Kailash. She told us how easy it was to get there – just take a bus to Ali and from there hitch a ride to Darchen. She told us in such a fascinating way about the whole trip that we got really excited to see this holy mountain to. Not that we hadn’t heard of this mountain before – no it wasn’t that – we just thought it is to late in the year to go there and to fare away. But now, this girl told us that it is not to cold and easy to get there and, as we remembered now, she was not to first one to tell us that.

Well, over a good meal we decided that we would give Mt. Kailash a chance and checkout the bus schedule the next day. Twenty fore hours later we found yourself lying on a ‘bed’ of a sleeper bus on the way to Ali –
Mt. Kailash we are coming!

An other twenty fore hours later we were still lying on the ‘bed’ and enjoyed the scenery – Mt. Kailash we are coming! An other twenty fore hours later we were still lying on the ‘bed’ and thought – “That’s a long ride and it’s still an other twelve hours to Ali – Mt. Kailash we are coming!”

Some when we got to Ali and tried not to be caught by the PSB (Public Security Bureau) since we didn’t have the proper permit and weren’t willing to pay the 300 Yuan fine to get one. “Should we check in in a hotel and risk to get caught by the PSB or should we tray to hitch a ride to Darchen today?” After walking up and down the town, it was to late to hitch a ride, so we checked in in a hotel – will PSB get us? After a bit relaxing – a knock on the door – is it the PSB? No, it was just the women from the hotel and she gesticulated (since we don’t speak Chinese and she no English) that there was a phone call for us.
“Hello, here is Mr. Lusser speaking. Who is on the line?”
“Yes, hello, here is the PSB from Ali ……”
Shi…, PSB got us!!! But no, he just liked kindly to ask us, whether we would like to go to Guge kingdom the next day. He hade a Jeep driver how would leave for the kingdom next morning. Was this a trap or just a frank offer?
“Thank you very much for your offer. Can we think about it till tomorrow?””
“Sure, if you like to go be at 8:00 AM by the bridge.”

Next morning we were on the bridge at 7:00 AM to hitch a ride before the PSB-Friend will show up. It got 8:00 AM, we were freezing by -10 degree Celsius, and now truck yet. It got 8:30 and still no truck but a jeep came along.
“Would you like to go to Guge kingdom?”
“No, thank you very much for the offering but we like to go to Darcha.”
Was this it? Would the PSB not get us? 10:00 AM and finally a truck came your way.
“Yes, we go to Darcha”
“How much we have to pay for a lift to there? How much!?! – 200 Yuan per person that is too much – 150 Yuan per person, okay?”
“Okay?”
Great, we had a lift to Darchen on the back of an open truck – together with 20 Tibetan pilgrims.

Ten hours ride and we got to some hot springs. Our pilgrim-friends stayed here for the night and would go the next day to Darchen – so we stayed also. After some Kora’s (circumambulation of holly sites) around the holly sites at the hot springs, an other 2 hours ride to Darchen.

Finally we are there – we saw Mt. Kailash already from fare and now we liked to make the Kora. We are leaving the same day, even it is already 16:00 – PSB is in town! It is just 3 hours to the first monastery were we intend to stay for the night.

So, we are on our way around Mt. Kailash and the weather gets bad and it got worse. The snowstorm started after about 1 hour walking. “What is worse, the PSB or to walk in such conditions?!?” Luckily the weather cleared up gain and we made it save to the monastery. The next day we would join our pilgrim-friends (they do the Kora in one Day) and walk the rest of the Kora with them.

At 7:00 AM I could see some moving lights at the valley floor. These were our friends, walking with torches at night – no way we will catch up with them again since we are still in our sleeping bags.

It was 8:00 AM as we finally went on our way again. First down to the valley floor and then up the valley. One hour along the way I felt thirsty so I graphed the water bottle witch was strapped to the side of my backpack. I started to drink but there was no water coming out. After a closer look I realized that the water was frozen. I knew it was cold that morning but ‘that’ cold? It seamed to by ‘that’ cold, at least my thermometer told me the same thing – it indicated -18 degrees Celsius.
“How fare is the next monastery with his fireplace away?”
“Three hours?”
“That is a long way but doable!”
We walked, trying not to be to concerned about the feet we couldn’t feel anymore, with just one aim – the monastery. Three hours passed and we couldn’t see any monastery.
“Were is this fak…monastery? We should have passed it a while ago. Did we pas it without noticing?”
An other hour, and there it was – still fare away but there it was. Fortunately the warming sun did by now shine at us and we could feel our feet again – the monastery was not as important anymore and we skipped it.

The next aim was the pass, just 3 hours away and from there an other 3 hours to an other monastery. The last 2 hours from that monastery to Darchen would be easy. We will get to Darchen late at night, but we will get there today!

First things first, so trough some snow up to the pass. We didn’t consider the tribute the elevations would take from us careful enough. Our progress was slow – we will need more then 3 hours to the pass – it was already 18:00, what should we do? “Well, we still have the tent with us and it is probably best to camp here” – in the snow at a bit more then 5400 m over sea level – that was something new for us.

We pitched the tent and got in the sleeping bags – it gets could fast after sunset at this elevation. I didn’t sleep a lot that night, it was more a dozing. It wasn’t because I felt cold. I felt quite comfortable in my 4-season sleeping bag – probably a rating made for Thailand seasons, comfort range from +15 to +20 degreases Celsius – and a blanket on top. (I switched my “Wuelchli” with the sleeping bag from Virginia, since she didn’t felt well and needed it more to feel “toasty” that night. With a temperature of only -10 degreases Celsius in the tent it wouldn’t hade been a real challenge for my “Wuelchli” anyway.) No, the reason I didn’t sleep that well, were the Yeti’s I had to scare away the whole night, or were it in the end just snow leopards or even dog’s? We will never know since I always just could hear them but I never saw anything when I went out of the tent.

The next morning came and we got ready to leave. It took some time – packing the frozen tent by -18 degrease Celsius together is not that easy. That the fingers getting numb will you roll things together is on thing, an other is that your fingers stuck to the tent polls and you have to be careful nut to tear your skin of by the attempt to get them of again. Somehow we managed to get ready and had melted enough snow to have water for the day. (After my experience with the frozen water the day before I carried the water bottle now inside the jacket.) So, off we went towards the pass, just one hour to go – it took us two. Fast we made some photos and offering to the mountain deity (a New Zealand Steinlager-beer Virgin had carried all the way up. The Idea was to drink it on the top, but like the water, it had turned solid).

Now we went down, down, down, aiming for the other monastery just 3 hours ahead. We walked and walked and walked but there was now monastery.
“Were is this bl… monastery?”
“We are almost 4 hours on the way since the pass. Did we walk by?”
“Does it not exist anymore?”
“Is it just behind the next turn?”
There was something behind the next turn, not a monastery but some prayer flags and tents. Well, this has to be this holy place that is closed to Darchen.
“Wau, we are almost back in Darchen then!”
“We must have walked really fast and have passed the monastery without noticing.”
Proud of ourselves and motivated by the thought to reach Darchen soon, we went on. After the next turn we could see some buildings down the valley.
“What are those buildings?”
“That is not Darchen!”
“Is this by the end the missing monastery?”
“We are after all not as fare as we thought?”
It WAS the monastery and we ended up staying there for the night.

How could our pilgrim-friends do the Kora in just one day and we needed four? It is just amazing what they do! Next time, I think, I would do like they do – just take a small daypack and go around Mt. Kailash in one day, at least I would try it!

Back in Darchen we got, after two days waiting, a ride back to Ali. Sitting on the back of the truck, Lhasa with his hot showers and wonderful food is not fare away anymore – just 10 hours on this truck and other 60 hours in a bus. It is hard to describe how sweet this tough is – Lhasa we are coming!

Eugen

P.S.
My “Wuelchli” is a really nice 4-season sleeping bag – Europe rating – with comfort range down to -20 degreases Celsius and you feel really “toasty” in it. It was a farewell present from my Working-Friends.