Travellive 5 - 2018

After months of
waiting, I have
finally made
it. Phuktal is
amongst the most
secluded and
mysterious of
ancient shrines.
The world around me appears
as primitive yet lively. It is so
close that I feel that by merely
lifting my hand, I will truly be
connected to the miraculous
breath of nature.
I will still be out to see if the afternoon
sun is fading, do not remind me to
hurry, I'm watching my step. The
ledges are narrow, some of the rocks
are near the edge of the road; our
movements are slight as the terrain is
difficult. Fortunately for us, it was not
raining that day.
90
Touching Phuktal
Three hours after leaving the Cha
village, we came to the lodge at the
foot of the monastery. This place
is the quintessence of isolation: no
phone signals, no internet. In the
summer, visitors can walk or travel by
donkeys or horse drawn carts over the
mountain trails. However, in winter,
extreme weather will blanket Zanskar
and the Tsarap River will freeze over.
We've arrived at Phuktal!
After months of waiting, I have finally
made it. Phuktal is amongst the most
secluded and mysterious of ancient
shrines. In the midst of the wilderness,
seasoned by centuries of fierce
weather, Phuktal has been shielded by
the natural cave in the cliff, standing
defiant, ancient and calm.
Phuktal is the soul of the Lungnak
valley (Tsarap). The monks here
TRAVELLIVE
assist the people by organizing
prayer, weddings, funerals and open
schools teaching basic subjects and
religious lessons to children from
grades 1 to grade 8. To this day, the
monastery's clinic hands down the
traditional medical knowledge of
the Tibetan people; they also help to
heal the neighboring villagers. The
monks were away when we reached
the monastery, only a few stayed in
the temple. The tranquility of this
landscaped is dwarfed by the silence
of the temple.
Phuktal, more than anywhere, is
a place to disappear and meditate.
Phuktal comes from the words "Phuk"
meaning "cave" and "tal" - "rest", or
"thar" - "liberate". It's far off distance
does not dissuade travelers seeking
absolute isolation. Travelers may find
that being alone with nature will melt
away the concerns of life.
That night, we slept at the inn on the
foot of the monastery. The inn was
simple with only four rooms; there
was no way to book rooms in advance.
Luck was on our side as there were
two little rooms available. It was only
a tiny bit crowded for ten people. As
the monks were away, we couldn't
have breakfast at the monastery
the following morning. The instant
noodles we packed were not nearly
enough for both lunch and breakfast.
The instant noodles offered by the inn
had expired 6 months ago. Finding a
proper meal proved more difficult in
this land of isolation.
We left immediately the next
morning. Although we knew that
this route would tire our bodies, we
still chose to take the road passing by