(Leah and I recently returned from a three week trip to India and Nepal. This is the 12th of about 15 daily posts I will do, sharing photos and journal notes I made as we traveled.)
Leh, Ladakh (India)
Sunday, September 13, 2014
Two days ago, Leah and I -- and about 150,000 others who are here this week for the Kalachakra teachings -- took part in the celebration held to honor the 79th birthday of His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Because the Dalai Lama has a twinkle in his eye and a boyish, sometimes-mischievous laugh that seem to belong to someone much younger, I hear that plans are already underway for a party of major proportions when he turns 80.
Though I have photographed people of all ages during our time here, this surely seems to be a culture that honors its elders. Everywhere we went in Leh, there were older Ladakhis and Tibetans who were out, living active, involved lives. The Kalachakra grounds were in a very remote area that required a lot of walking in the intense, high-desert heat. Nevertheless, it appeared to be a given that grandma or grandpa would join the younger family members on the pilgrimage to the teaching.
We depart Ladakh early tomorrow morning, and I will be sad to leave. I do, however, look forward to getting to a less remote place where telephone service is easier. My mother is in her 80's, and, except for the days that Leah and I have been on this trip, I typically talk to Mom every day. I want to call her and tell her I have been thinking of her.
