20120926

Kailash Parikrama



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There are a couple of other things which are a must to take while on this yatra - something made of garlic and ginger to eat.. Ginger protects you from having cold while one of the Sherpas told me that they take garlic to help them with the breathing problems.. Kaafur/Camphor also helps you tremendously with the breathing problems so don't forget to take that along with you..

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Proper trekking shoes which are either water resistant or water proof are a must along with a down jacket , monkey cap, gloves and other warm clothes..

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This was the second day of the parikrama and this is the day that no one will ever forget in this life time..It is a true blessing to be here walking on ice..

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If you continuously chant the mahamrityunjaya mantra over here-- it automatically connects you with all the positive energy .. It just seems as if all your wishes and dreams have come true and there is nothing left in the world that can give you any more happiness, peace and contentment than what you are experiencing at that particular moment..

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One can hire a horse over here which will cost you about 1500 yuans and a porter which (according to me is a must) will cost you about 600 yuans

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Your porter can also act like your guide and to get a good porter is a blessing from above..I saw so many people fighting with their respective porters on the way but Thank God, my porter who carried my back pack was an angel sent from above.. He guided me all the way through out the journey. He told me where to put my step and where not to... At times when it was very very slippery, he held my hand and assured me that he will not let me fall..And above everything, he was very patient with me.. I stopped so many times..Sometimes just after taking 5-10 steps due to shortness of breath- I felt extremely tired but he gave me the confidence to move on..This was the time I realized that whether it is a yatra like this or the journey of your life, it is important to have a Guru - A guide- who has been there before and knows all the ups and downs. He has the knowledge to tackle a situation and can help us to reach our destination..

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The highlight of the day was crossing the Dolma La pass at 5680 meters (19000 ft).

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The trek was extremely hard. 10 steps upwards demanded a 2 minute rest. And after every 10 minutes of hike, 5 minute rest was a requirement. Oxygen level was very low at this height and that made the climb daring. It made even trickier on the loose stones,boulders and the sliding gravel..

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When I see these pictures right now so many memories come back to me.. One of them was where I was complaining that I feel as if my lungs were bleeding and my heart will stop beating at any second.. Technically, I know that my lungs can not bleed but the pain that I felt then was extremely hard to digest..

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And in that pain when my heart was beating very fast-- something magical definitely happened.. It was like all my past regrets, pains, negative feelings -everything just washed away..Everything made complete sense... I forgave all the people whom I was never able to forgive for some wrong doing that they did towards me..

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I always felt the peace within me but this was something way different..

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