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Yesterday’s plan was to get the heck out of Leh. We’ve been here for a week now and it was time to see something new. Our transportation of choice was a rented Enfield motorcycle – a step up from the scooters we’ve been renting. Martin drove, while I did my best to stay out of the sun (see photo below).
- Jaime builds a stone sculpture in Shey
On the day’s agenda were three gompas (Buddhist monasteries) that lay southeast of Leh. The first was found in the town of Shey. Rumor has it there is a 2 story copper statue of Sakyamuni (the historical buddha) there, but all the doors were locked so we missed the boat on that one. We did take some time to build rock sculptures, which judging from the 10,000 other sculptures around, looks like it has been going on for quite some time.
- Thiksey Gompa and sun avoidance
The Thiksey Gompa (behind me in the above photo) was our second stop. It is more of a small town plastered to a hillside than a single structure. Snuggled inside was a beautiful 45 foot Maitreya (the future Buddha), which I snapped a quick photo of.
- Big Future Buddha
The last gompa we visited was by far our favorite. Stakna Gompa (in the large photo at the top of this post), which dates from the 16th century, sits on a hill overlooking the Indus river. We motored up to it and were greeted by an incredibly cute little girl, who became our unofficial tour guide. She spoke no English, but growled quite convincingly when pointing out the various demons painted in each room.
- Stakna Gompa Tour Guide
I’ve put together a photo gallery of some of the highlights of Stakna Gompa. Each room was filled with such color and detail that it took our breath away. Check it out below:
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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 7:05 pm and is filed under Ladakh. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
About Us
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
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