KAILASH KORA
Written by: Dr. Sam Osmanagich
Kailash, Western Tibet, China
May 2017.
For seven days I had to stay in Tibet for the acclimatisation period and preparation of the tour around the Pyramid Mountain Kailash.
Kailash is a Hindu traditional name and it means “the eternal snow gemstone”. In many Eastern religions, Kailash is “the most sacred place on the Planet”, “centre of the world”, “stairway to heaven”. Some sources talk about the mysterious town beneath Kailash, Shambala, where “the perfect people live”. Kailash is surrounded by four rivers: Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali. Kailash is located at the heart of six mountain chains, symbolising the lotus flower.
Kailash is a Holy Mountain for all four religions: Hindu, Buddhism, Jainism and Bompo. Hindu teaches that the Shiva is a God, the victor over the evil and sadness, who resides on the top of Kailash in the state of perpetual meditation together with a woman called Parvati. For Buddhists, this is the home for the Buddha Demshok, who represents the divine light. According to them, this is the place where the Buddhism inherited Bonpo, as the former Tibetan religion. For the Jainism, this is the home of the first Jain, Tirthankar Rishabhadey, who has freed the reincarnation cycle of repeated births.
Indeed, Kailahs has great religious and cultural influence for the Tibetans, Hindu, Buddhists, from India to Japan, for the western and Chinese visitors. The begging of May is still too cold for the Indians, therefore, the most of the visitors are Russian and Eastern Europe nations (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria).
The start on the Kailash Cora from the base camp in Darchen is on 4678 meters of altitude. The hike is 52 kilometres long and usually, it’s done in three days.
Kailash is 6714 meters tall and it’s believed that no one ever climbed to the top of this mountain. However, some people got the special permits to climb to the top, but because of the international pressure, they didn’t dare to attempt it. The members of all the religions mentioned above think that the climbing would be considered as the desecration and certain death for the climbers. On the other hand, Kailash Cora is the act of respect for the natural pyramid and the sign of good fortune. For many people, this is the chance to be released of the sins, or to earn the merit, and to get the own divine spirituality.
Cora is usually done walking in the clockwise direction.
***
On that day, May 7, 2017, I woke up early in my room at the Darchen motel. Under two quilts and two blankets, with severe minuses, the cap on my head and three layers of clothes, I added three jackets, the mountain boots and I left the room with the backpack on my back. These several days I hardly slept, I have the problem with the diet, exhaustion of the high altitude and the lack of oxygen, without having any preparations for the adventure, all these are the featuring elements. In the other hand, I know that everything is the strong will and victory of the spirit over the body.
I get out. Boris, the medical doctor from Bulgaria and Tsenko, the Bulgarian pilot, are the members of this, a little bit staggered trio of the fifty-years old guys. We have Jang the guide with us.
The van left us at the beginning of the trail for the Kailash tour. Jang and the driver spread up the colorful flags with the prayers, and leave them in the valley together with the other hundreds of hanging flags with the messages, mantra’s, and Buddhist prayers for the good fortune.
The thin and cold morning air and the 12 degrees below zero, but in the sky there are no clouds, breeze, so we were fortunate with the weather. I came to the first mortar, a small Indian temple, decorated with the flags, feathers and animal bones. I went around three times around the mortar, I stepped inside, I bow, and with the arms crossed I send the thought to Kailas to regard our venture in goodwill and as the sign of respect.
On my leaving from the mortar, I stopped, closed my eyes again and send the message:
MEDITATION
“I am nobody. Only a grain of dust in the infinite universe. I call upon the mighty energy of the pyramid, the oldest constructed pyramid in the world the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, the Mother of all Pyramids and the oldest shaped pyramidal mountain Kailas, the Father of all pyramidal mountains, to bring Tibet back to Tibetans, to influence the Chinese which are travelling around the world to realize the truth about the events in Tibet six decades ago, that many Chinese which converted to Buddhism are slowly pressuring the Chinese Government to release the attitude towards Tibet. I call upon all Tibetans to combine the modern technology with the ancient spirituality, and so the new generations return to Tibet and continue to protect Tibet and respect the nature.
I am no one, just a dust particle in the infinite universe. “
***
I was hiking fully geared up, with walking poles, cap and two hoods over it and my face completely covered for the protection from the cold and sun. Today, the road was mostly on flat ground, with a few hills and easy downhills. As the time goes by it became warmer. Already after one hour, I was wet from sweat, but I didn’t unzip. And that will remain the same until the end of the first day of Cora.
On our way, we skip the pilgrims touring around Kailash whose journey lasts for three weeks. They make two steps forward raising the arms over the head, dropping them down to the forehead, and then the chest. They fall on their knees and with the help the arms lowering their entire body to the ground, saying the mantra. I stopped for the moment and did the same as they did. The frozen ground and stone. One time to get down and rise up is a good exercise. To do it all day long is exhausting, physically and mentally. To do it for 21 days is a miracle. Nothing else but appreciation I hold for these people. I met several of them on that day.
We were making a break every hour. While walking we watched Kailash under the everlasting snow. At first, its south-west looked at us and slowly his wide west side opened up.
Kailash is called the pyramid. According to my criteria, Kailash isn’t the pyramid. It doesn’t have four regular triangular sides. It doesn’t have the artificial construction material. But, Kailash has four distinctive sides properly oriented. They aren’t triangular, but in the strange curved rectangular shape narrowed at the top. Its location in the space, surrounded by the other pyramidal mountain tops tells something about organised activities on processing and arranging. Taking the size into consideration, that certainly isn’t something inside the human limits.
Sometimes I was in the lead, sometimes Boris, and then Jang joined me. After a couple of hours of the hike, I started thinking about the extra weight I had with me. In the flask, I had the combination of the water and tea, so I drink it to lower the load. However, I thought, I kept the liquid inside myself, therefore I haven’t decreased any weight, and so only the bottle was eased. The walking poles became excessive. I pass them to Jung who was happy to use the. I rubbed off the two toes on my left foot. Each step is becoming a little bit painful.
But, we keep further on with the same pace. A beautiful day and Tibet opened itself in its beauty. We pass the fast streams fed by the melted snow.
There was a herd of nine yaks. These strong Tibetan bulls were always helpful to the local community. Nothing can stop them, not the lower temperatures or the snow or the heavy cargo. In Tibetan restaurants, the yak meat is the main special dish. If you pass by near them, they get scared easily and react to every move.
We made two breaks. In the improvised tents, opened from May, the tea is served, they have water, and you can heat up and rest. In one of these tents, we met a smaller Russian group. In Darchen these days the Russian language is mostly you can hear.
At the second rest, Tibetans joined the forces and raised another tent next to the existing one. The spikes are hammered into the ground, the tent swing opened, and they were putting it on the tubes. All men.
I had a tea, then another one, and then we took some photos and loosened up since it’s much warmer.
Later, we moved on. Since this is my first time, I didn’t have the clear vision where I’m going, how long it will last, or when will we arrive. I knew the numbers: 18 km and about six hours.
We came around Kailash and from its west side, we came to its north-west edge.
“After this turn, we’ll reach our destination for today.”
It wasn’t exactly “after this turn”, but after another one, however, after six and half hours of walking, we came to the today’s destination, Daraphuk, within 4800 meters of the altitude. A big tent, the wood-stove in the middle, with the beds serving as the benches over the day and in the night, for sleeping for the host members, but also for the guides or anybody who needs to sleep. Boris, Tsenko and I, have got the room number 13. From far away, it looks like a small pavilion with five rooms each. Inside, the rooms were very simple, with five beds next to each other. It’s difficult to say when the last time the bed cloth is washed. I took a blanket from another bed and put it on mine.
The heating, in the European sense of the word, is something that doesn’t exist in western Tibet. If you hold a restaurant or an inn, you’ll find the bed is next to the stove. The same thing is in the private homes. The floor is the soil or concrete. The furniture is old and the hygiene condition is poor, on the 18th-century level.
But the people are very dear. On the smile, they always return the smile. If you speak to them in English they reply in Tibetan. They are especially amazed by our white, European faces.
I asked Jang to make the video. I was standing in the foothill of the north-west edge of the Kailash and I did two five-minute reports. The one I did in our language, and the other in English. In my reports, I spoke about my telepathic message I sent to the energies of the pyramids in Bosnia and on Kailash, and my desire that the economically and technologically mightier China steps forward and help Tibetans by softening the approach: To Tibetans I sent the wish to combine the 21st century standard and the millennium spirituality and to keep on living in harmony with the Planet as they did all this time.
Jang was listening, approving what he heard, but he asked me not to mention him or Tensin, the other guide because they might have problems.
Then I realise that could have problems as well. Even if China isn’t the same country as it was 20 years ago, or even ten years ago, it’s better to be reasoned.
All alone, I turned to the north-west edge of Kailash, and with my eyes closed, I asked if it heard my message.
***
MEDITATION
“The message is received. The action by a lot of people is needed. It’s necessary to raise the awareness.”
***
Our evening out was under the tent in the restaurant. I ordered scrambled eggs with tomatoes and this time without the beverage. Usually, they serve the salted tea and sweet tomato. It’s necessary to say how you wish that the food and the beverage are being prepared.
We also order the breakfast for tomorrow at six o’clock. I wanted two hard boiled eggs and a tomato.
The night was falling. As soon as you got to the room it meant you run under the blankets, dressed up of course. I was writing for a little bit, I laid down my computer and tried to fall asleep. Boris is on my right side, breathing heavily, coughing. I couldn’t hear Tsenko.
This night wasn’t the exception, too. The organism was fighting to take oxygen and it woke me up at three in the morning. Another night in which I didn’t sleep.
At five o’clock Boris and Tsenko woke up, walking in the room, packing, taking in and out the things in the backpack. They went to the restaurant which was closed. They are impatient.
“Well, they told us last night, they open up at six.”
I use a half an hour more and then I also got up just before six o’clock. Three pair of socks (and still my feet were cold yesterday), six layers of shirts and jackets, underwear and warm trousers. I put on my cap and leave the room. It was pitch dark. We came to the restaurant and they opened exactly at six. Jang was sleeping under the tent and he woke up with the messy hair.
Today is the “D-day”, I said to Boris. It was the day of the disembarkation of the Allies in Normandie 73 years ago. For a long time, it was unknown where and when but was known that it will definitely happen.
In my case, I knew this day would come. It is the second day of the Cora, the most difficult and exhausting one when the body, mind and soul are tested.
We started at seven o’clock. It’s still dark. We follow the flashlight on the frozen land and pebble. And then, as on purpose, the ascent started. It’s cold, the air was cutting, but we needed to inhale it even more because of the climb.
The other day Wolfgang told me:
“First, you will have to ascend than it will be flat, after are another ascent and a plateau, later on, is the third highest ascent and reaching the saddle Drolma La on the 5630 meters of the altitude. Later are the descent and a long plateau.”
So I arranged the images in my head. We are heading for the first ascent after which we’ll rest our bodies walking on the flat. Step by step, the feet looked for the most favourable place to step on, not to slip. If you hit the stone with the mountain boot, it’s pretty disturbing.
There are a few Russians with us. We are walking, resting, passing each other and so on. As long as you are resting, it’s harder to get up and continue. Therefore, I held my breaks at the minimum.
There was one girl going downhill accompanied by the guide. I was immediately thinking: “She gave up”.
She passed next to me. She was tall, maybe in her thirties, as if she was hiding the eyes. They were light eyes. Most probably, she started with the group around five o’clock to give up after an hour or two. I feel sorry for her. But, the problem is that this has the negative impact on everyone else. Immediately, the idea runs through your head to return and leave Cora for someone else.
Nevertheless, the theory of the lesser resistance doesn’t apply to me today.
It was after only fifteen minutes when we saw another Russian woman going back with the guide. Apparently, it was a larger group, 10-15 people, since they had the luxury to hire two guides. But, it means the group was left without a guide and it is up to their leader who brought them to Tibet.
So, there was a movie inside the head, guessing. During this time, almost automatically, the eyes and the feet are in harmony. They seek for the best place to step forward. Climbing up I thought about when the first ascent will finish.
These two Russians have a demotivating effect. I have to find my motivation to continue climbing.
At the next moment, we met two Tibetan pilgrims. On that hill, on the stone and frozen ground, they lowered the bodies every couple of seconds and conquer the new meters of the Kailash Cora. In my head, I was ashamed of my earlier thoughts. I greet the pilgrims and smile. I continue.
At last, we ascended the first elevation top. The path that followed wasn’t exactly flat, but it’s significantly less steep. Today, of course, for the first half of the day we will climb because we have to reach 1000 meters of the height.
“I prayed for days that there is no wind”, Tsenko said.
“And I hoped there will be no snow. We were both lucky”, I responded.
***
The second ascent was on. I don’t know which one is longer, the first or the second. Do they ever end, I asked myself.
While I walk around Kailash, I realised how insignificant are the everyday worries we have. How many people are overburdened with meaningless things which only hurt?
“The mirror”, Tsenko yells. The Kailash was reflecting on the mountain across the way.
“This is the place where, according to some people, the distortion of the time and space takes place. People here can have hallucinations”, Tsenko knows every detail.
I turned slowly, looked, smiled to Tsenko and then I continue. Every additional move was done with great effort.
***
I read that on the second day of Cora an interesting phenomenon happens. The nails grow as 14 days have passed, and you get older quicker.
I will look at my nails at the end of the day.
***
The intense walk in the second valley.
“Can you see that passage? This is the start of the ascent to the Drolma La. That is going to be a bit harder.” Jang said.
“A little bit harder”, I was thinking to myself. So, this was only a warm-up.
Two hundred meters in front of us was a group having a break.
“This Russian group has started this morning at 5:30 AM. And we already caught up with them. We have a good pace”, Jang was satisfied.
I agree with him. We had a good pace, taking short breaks. Even if it seems that our steps were slow and short, apparently we were quicker than this younger group.
When we reached the foothill of the Drolma La saddle, I realised why they speak about it with such awe. The passage was snowy and very steep. The elevation is greater than the Nubian pyramid of 70 degrees.
But, it’s power replenishing to know for a fact, that you’ve overpassed a group which started the hike much earlier than us. After a short break on the rocks which had the Buddhist messages, we took off. Relatively fast we caught up with a group which was ahead of us. The ascent was becoming steeper and the steps shorter. I took a look at my footprints, and when I walk it doesn’t seem that I’m progressing much. Almost as if you’re placing the foot to the foot.
As a little boy, I played with the long forgotten games “klis” and “pala”. To measure who is closer to the hole we used the foot, span and fingers as the units of measurement. “Five feet, two spans and four fingers”. This time was long forgotten. Why is this falling in my mind right now in this moment?
In front of me, there were two Russians, big as there were the giants. They make several steps and then stop. They are the last hikers in their group. I caught up with them. I thought they would continue after the break, but they took a new one just after another three to four steps ahead. I decide to overtake them. I took my right walking pole in my left hand (such an exhausting thing to do!), and with my right hand, I touch the elbow of the first Russian guy. I greet him with a smile and saying to him to persist (I never knew a smile can be that exhausting for the organism, it’s spending the energy). I came to the second one and did the same. They could barely catch the breath. I know it’s not nice when you are overpassed, but at least I showed the respect to them.
There was the snow in the cold shadows. The sun will reach it in this place in a couple of hours. The snow that has melted yesterday just superficially is frozen now. I hit with the poles a bit harder to make the support and then step by step.
It’s getting steeper. The air is thin. The Russian group is falling apart. Some were standing, leaning on the poles, bending and trying to get more oxygen in the body.
I breathe in the two-two rhythm. The inhale consists of two shorter breaths and then the double exhale. Two-in-two out. I’m thinking about breathing, about anything, as long as I don’t disturb the legs in the ascent.
“The Death valley” is on our right side. It isn’t surprising why the Indians gave up on living here. This physical endeavour for the unprepared is very big.
No one is talking, saving power. I’m not thinking any more about sweating a couple of times since this morning. The legs are in pain. The mind took the control long time ago and it’s sending the motivational stimulants. Two pilgrims were in front of me. Getting down on the snow and getting back up again. They’re tireless. I won’t waste the energy to join them and get in the snow as the act of solidarity.
But, they’ve motivated me more. I continue with the ascent. Jang is behind me.
“How much longer,” I asked. And while saying that I looked at these hills top thinking that it could be the end.
“Another 40 minutes”, he responded.
Only in dreams, I thought. This first hillside isn’t even a half of the ascent. And really, when we came up there was a much steeper and a white ascent in front of us.
I’m not thinking about anything, at this moment. Only taking the foot after foot. You don’t care about anything else. Just how to conquer a meter by meter. When you are walking, you are one step closer to the finish.
When the legs are giving up, throw yourself out and go forward by the inertia. When the physical body wants to give up, the mind overruns and pushes forward. And when the ratio doesn’t have any arguments left, the soul is here to stimulate, refine and give the extra stimulus.
“Everything is passing. This ascent will also pass”, I was thinking. I passed by a couple more of Slavik brothers and sisters and then two people passed me. I made some space for them, both Tibetans. I don’t have the strength even to think about how many times they walked through here.
***
When you reach your destination, then you can’t believe yourself that the hardest part of the way is behind you. While you are climbing, you think that at the moment you will raise the walking poles, shout out, or do something to express your victory.
In my case, when I climbed on the top of the saddle I was only thinking about finding an adequate, enough tall and flat stone to sit on it. On the saddle top, there were about ten persons which managed to reach it. Everyone was sitting, resting, and looking satisfied.
I took off the protection for my nose and mouth, I lay down the walking poles and I unzipped my jacket because was constricting me. The sun shined just at that moment. We came up at the right time. If the snow was melting it would be much harder and we would have the sun in our eyes.
I can see white little birds. I remembered that yesterday I took some bread from the restaurant. I found it, broke a piece and tossed it to the “Tibetan sparrow”. Carefully, skipping on its thin legs it took the bread. I tossed one more piece. Another bird comes, and soon there were ten of them. I was tossing small pieces to have them around for a longer time.
Borris arrives and crosses over the imagined bird feeder. They ran away.
“Boris, you’ve chased away my birds”, I said.
“I’m sorry” and he went to search another rock.
Indeed, this was wide and maybe the best of all rocks to rest. I looked for Boris but he already sat in the other place.
“I’m sorry, you can sit on this rock, I was just feeding the birds”, I spoke to him.
“It’s not a problem, it feels good here”.
I kept on feeding them and in these moments I forgot where I was. I was staring at the birds and now I could see the difference between them. That one had an injured leg, the other was the smallest, the third is a big one, true gangster…
I spent all the bread.
“Will we move slowly?” Jang was asking.
“Let’s go”, this tireless Bulgarian-Bosnian triple replied.
***
They say, if you passed Droma La you mastered Cora. However, we had a three-hour ascent behind us, from seven till ten in the morning.
We continue to walk on the flat, rocky and snowy ground. It’s much easier, no elevation, and I wasn’t thinking about the oxygen anymore. Downhill was always my favourite. I know that we will have to descend a couple hundred metres of the altitude by the rest of the day.
In some places, it was pretty steep. We walked carefully not to twist our feet. In fact, we passed two signs telling that there is the danger of injuring the ankles.
Now I know that nothing can stop us. The hard part is done and now we only have to pass these kilometers of the downhill, later it’s almost flat all around.
We came to the next resting spot. I had two sweet teas. The organism seeks for the liquid. We talked with the locals. How much is left? If we passed 18 kilometres yesterday, the rest of the Cora is 34 kilometres. What if we try to do the Cora in two days instead of three?
Jang and I talked about it and later we shared our idea with Tsenko and Boris. They’ve agreed.
Super, this is a new challenge. It will look nice in our biography: “completed the Kailash Cora in two days!” I joked in my head.
“But we need additional motivation. I propose we do a hot bath in Hot spring we saw on the other day”, I suggested to my fellow man.
They’ve agreed.
Having a new source of enthusiasm we headed for Darchen. Of course, all these kilometres won’t be walked just like that, with the tired legs and bodies.
Walking on the flat we have the opportunity to see more of nature, listen to the gurgle of the rivers and look at the unusual geometric shapes of the surrounding mountains.
Now we walk on the flat ground.
“Jang, take my walking poles here.”
A half an hour later Jang comes to me:
“These are very good poles. Did April give it to you?”
“No, I bought them in Sarajevo before the departure. But they are of the best quality”, and I tried to remember how much money I gave for them, but I know that any gear item wasn’t cheap.
Again, Jung said that the walking poles are very good.
“Jung, I’ll give the walking poles to you as a present. You’ll be needing them more than I will.”, and I close the walking pole story and move on.
Now it’s full sunshine, I removed the hoods and leave only the cap on the head. I unzipped my jacket. I thought about changing the plan to return to Sarajevo.
***
The next resting point was here. A modest little house of bricks and mud, with a wood stove in the centre of the room. I had two ice teas. There was a woman with a baby on her back and her son on the couch. Jung ordered Chinese noodles. I was playing with the boy. He is four years old. He was showing me the mobile phone with the games and an empty drawing paper. I took the paper and draw a small duck. He says the duck in Tibetan. Then I draw a house, and a yak and Kailash. He took one paper and tried to make something. I took it and made an airplane, which was flying as I tossed it. He liked it. We went outside and played for a while with the paper flying object.
On the way out of this resting place, we saw a pick-up truck. Jung tells me:
“Should we go back with this vehicle?”
“No, I should complete Cora. I’m doing it for myself and I can’t cheat.” I answered.
We passed 100 meters and we saw Tsenko and Boris sitting and waiting for us.
“We saw you coming in there, so we thought you went to recharge the battery of the mobile phone”, Boris Said.
“That’s right”, I responded. I was indeed recharging the smartphone battery, which doesn’t operate well in the lower temperatures. The battery is consumed very quickly. A criticism of the Apple. Most probably my next phone will be some other brand.
We continued together.
After the kilometres and kilometres walked, we came to the Buddhist monastery in which we should sleep on the second day. Several people are already placed in the rooms and check out tomorrow morning.
We pass by, ignoring the attractiveness of the resting.
***
In front there are three hours of walking. Usually, it is the third day of Cora. The way is flat, at some places we raise above the valley, in mild inclines.
I tell Jung about the change of my plans.
“Call April and tell her to buy me the ticket Ngari-Lasa and Lasa-Chengdu”, I said.
“But the tickets cannot be changed, especially not for the strangers”, Jung responded.
Boris and Tsenko agreed upon it, too.
“No, no, these are different times. This isn’t China from ten years ago”, I persisted.
Jung finally got in touch with April. She started to take care of the tickets. In an hour, she said that the reservations can be changed, with the additional payment.
“Make the reservations!” I was determined.
***
“Two more hillsides and there we arrive. The car will be waiting for us”, Jung commented.
It seems reachable. We walk. Of course, it wasn’t only two, but four hills and it took some time, but at the end, we saw the first house. The Darchen periphery.
“The cars are allowed here”, Jung said
We came to the board which indicated the ending of the Kailash Cora. I took a photo of myself.
We entered the house to recuperate. Inside, there were seven Tibetans, black as the coal. As they just came back from the mines. I took a photo with them too.
Until then, it was pretty difficult to remove both gloves, unzipping the jacket and looking for the phone, turn it on and take the photo.
I turn to the Kailash and once more I shut my eyes.
MEDITATION
“Is this the “activity”. Fight over the physical?”
“Yes, it is. You’ve seen the faithful. We’ll take care of everything. Those which are worthy will be awarded. The others will learn again.”
***
I dumped my tired body in the hot, mineral, holy water. Now when everything is done, it’s the time to give a call to Sabina. I sent her a message:
“My dearest, I made it. I did the Kailash Cora on twelve degrees below zero, at a fast pace, so we walked 34 km in 11 hours, and we completed the whole Cora in two instead of three days. The vertical passage on 5650 m was the most difficult. I wouldn’t recommend this heavy physical, mental and spiritual experience to anyone. I love you.”
Soon I received the answer:
“I can’t describe how happy I am that you have made it and because you called to say you’re all right ”.
***
I was looking at my nails. They didn’t grow much since this morning.
I was thinking about us three. Maybe, to someone, we seemed as the fifty-year-old, unfit trio, but indeed we are three mountain ibex still worthy of a challenge.
Gallery
