13 August 2011

Kailasa Yatrai 8

BUrang/ Purang/ Pulan to Manasarovar 26 May 2011
We stayed put on 25 May at Purang to get acclimatized to high altitude. The rooms, while well constructed   have no heating and it is probably less than 5 degrees (no thermometers, cannot do exact measurement).  No hot water either. Even walking 10 feet to go to toilet becomes a task due to cold and high altitude. You feel short of breath and it takes a few minutes to come back to normal breathing.


The food is good, upma, chapathi etc for break fast, soup, rice, curry, chapathi for lunch and dinner. Food is arranged on a table in the open and you eat standing with a plate in hand under sun. 


Next day, we started our drive to Manasarovar at about 9am. It is a 2 hour drive on a very good road through a deserted landscape. After an hour, we reach Rakshas tal.    Rakshas tal is an irregular shaped lake, where Ravanan is believed to have meditated. You are not supposed to touch this water as this is evil lake.  Next to Ravana lake is Manasarovar, which is roughly an inverted triangle. We take a drive round it, a drive as per various sources, 80-100km. We also visited Selarung gompa.  This is a Buddhist monastery, destroyed during cultural revolution and rebuilt. Most of the monasteries even in this remote part of Tiber were destroyed and some of them have been renovated. You can get a very good view of Kailash during this drive, though it will appear small. Sometimes, Kailash will disappear among clouds.


We drove via Darchen, the last point with road to have a close darshan of Kailash from Ashtapad. The path was snow covered, Toyota 4X4 could move after a point. We had to return with disappointment. I recommend that yatris per form Yatra in Aug/ Sep as snow would melt and you can have the closest view of Kailash.


We came back, stayed for the night at Chiu Gompa. The rooms are built structures, but no electricity or toilets. You answer the call of nature is in a natural way - out in the open, behind the rooms. Women will find this an issue. I am told August is the peak season and you may have to stay in tents. 
Chiu Gompa is right on the Manasarovar and you also get good views of Kailash from your rooms. We stayed over night here.