The trek from Darchen, which is the starting point, to Kailash is 14 kms long and goes to an altitude of 17000 feet. There are 4 points during this walk with an ascend and at that altitude it is no Childs play. Staying hydrated through out is essential. What I experienced through out this trek was a magnetic pull from the centre of my chest to some place i don’t know where it ends. It was nearly like there is rope hooked inside my chest and someone is pulling me with it and I have no idea where the other end of the rope is. It is cold when you walk up. I was dressed in layers of clothing and a down jacket with my ears and face properly covered through out so that the wind doesn’t get inside. There are only two public toilets on the way and it was really difficult to use it. Really.
My first stop was after 9 kms. That is where I took some rest and ate some biscuits. I was sipping on water almost throughout the trek. I tried to record a few videos for memory sake and to show my family where I had been and how wonderful it is. I could barely talk and walk together. Almost everyone on the way was either chanting ‘Shiv Shambho’ or encouraging others to walk who would stop and put their head down. Last 6 kms were not easy for me either. I got the view of Kailash exactly after half way up the trek. I bursted in tears followed by a loud laughter. This happened more than once. Needless to say, it was beyond my control, and I wanted to give in and not manoeuvre it. I was thanking every situation and everyone that has made me. I remember it felt like I was born to be here and that every situation I have faced has led me to this and how wonderful it is to finally feel blissful in a way I never imagined existed.
When I reached the top at the end of our trek, I looked around, I saw Kailash in a different way, like I was seeing it through someone else’s eyes. It was surreal. I entered the tent and sat down. Removed the top layer and uncovered my head and I got a total blackout in front of my eyes. I fainted and for few seconds I don’t know what happened. I remember when I tried to open my eyes I was given some water and everything that I saw was spinning. I closed my eyes in fear and started crying. I thought my headache has returned and I just did not want it to come back, EVER! Fellow participants of this trek, Saurabh and Supriya gave me some assurance that its okay and that they felt the same and gave me a lot of warm water with honey and told me to sip on it till I feel better. It took about 45 minutes for me to feel better, and after that I was totally normal. Ah! that teaser of seeing everything spin like inside of a washing machine was terrifying. Thankfully it did not last too long. I was a happy girl once again.
I waited for Sharmili, my batch mate to arrive and then we took some pictures of each other. We almost got to see the peak of Kailash. Clouds moved and we saw the top of Kailash and we froze! We both laughed after that and continued taking pictures and sitting with our eyes closed. Uma reached up a bit late, but thankfully she looked okay.
We were stationed there for next 2 days. It was the day after the full moon and Kailash looked gorgeous in moon light. Absolutely mesmerising & delightful. I saw three seasons in 5 hours, from rains to cold wind to bright sunlight. That night we slept in rather difficult condition but from the moment i fell on the bed to the time I opened my eyes it felt like rebirth. I truly woke up as someone else. I was so energetic the next day, happy like a baby & was ready to see what the day holds. We were initiated into Kailash that day, a meditation by Sadhguru. It was unbelievable. I saw my mother’s face in Kailash and it was scary, I closed and opened my eyes couple of times to not to see her face in Kailash. After the meditation we got back to the tent. We spent the rest of the day looking at the beauty, taking pictures and I spent my time writing how my past few days were. I cleared a lot of baggage and made space for newness. I felt light and happy, as if I shredded the dead part of me right there. Next day the descend was pretty amazing too. It was a long way down. Staying two nights at the top was not enough but we had to continue with the journey. We came back to Darchen, the buss drove us back to Mansarovar and we were absolutely thrilled to finish the trek successfully. We had a round of meditation at the banks of Lake Mansarovar and it was so thrilling. I took a bath in cold water (Isha dedicated a tent) at zero degrees and it felt amazing. That was the first bath in 4 days. I thought of so many family members while sitting there. My grandparents from my fathers side, his brother’s (my uncles) whom we lost while I was growing up, I took all there names and thanked them for loving me so much, for blessing me even thou I have never seen my grand parents from my fathers side since my father lost them early in life. I felt like as if their blessings are with me at that moment. Maybe, it is always with me but there was so much I realised by sitting there.
Next day we sat in our busses and came down to Saga. By now we stopped taking the altitude sickness medicine and started our descending journey. We stayed the night at Saga and the night after that a little before China- Nepal border. Next day we were driven down to the border, we cleared our immigration and once again the Chinese officer wanted to know if the year of birth written on my passport was a real one or a fake one. Our tour guide helped me translate Chinese to English and he told me that the immigration officer thinks there is a mistake in my passport and the immigration officer thinks I look 10 years younger than the year of birth on my passport! We laughed & the journey ended on such a light note. I am so thankful to every officer at China and Nepal. We crossed the border by walking into Nepal and that was another unbelievable moment! After sometime a helicopter was arranged to bring us back to Kathmandu from Nepal border.
That night at Kathmandu we all sat together, sang songs, ate pizza & laughed like a giant family. Next day we flew back to our country from Nepal & I remember having the most amazing plane ride with Vikramjit & Kavita. They were so nice to me, we talked and I cried and I was still floating in Kailash. I landed back to Mumbai and was happy to meet my husband, my parents and I realised I wasn’t ready to meet anyone else, not ready to use my mobile phone or reply to whats app messages because something was not the same. I believe i left my heart at Kailash.
It was truly a life changing experience for me. My husband, even today, says that it has changed me so much. I hope one day you get to go there too and have your very own wonderful experience.
Simyrights 