Breaking the Cycle in Ladakh
Sep 21
#11: Padum to Phe and GHE Himalayan Innovation Centres
Published at 03:19
12th - 13th September 2018
Now back in Leh for a couple of days and the best internet access I will
have in Ladakh, I will attempt to update you all with a couple of blogs
in succession. Here’s the first one.
Day 10
Padum to Phe - 33km
Total distance - 627km
From Phe, after struggling with the internet, I set off in the late
morning for Phe. There was no rush as it was meant to be just a simple
ride back to Phe, via a couple of monasteries, to meet up with the
Global Himalayan Expedition team that was due to arrive in the late
afternoon.
First stop was Sani Monastery, and just in front of it, the Holy Lake of
Tuthot. The lake is formed by dozens of springs that jet water straight
out of the hillside. On the far side of the lake was an enormous statue
on Buddha set in the grassy floodplain of the river. The stupa inside
the monastery is presumed to date back to the 2nd Century AD, the oldest
stupa in Ladakh.
Continuing towards Phe on the south side of the valley, I then diverted
12km to see what I think is one of the most special monasteries I’ve
seen, Zunkul. Set into a cliff high above the windswept valley, at an
altitude of around 3900m, it was a serious side excursion to get there,
but worth it. With winter approaching, this place will soon totally cut
off from the world, as it is for half of the year. A monk said that this
is optimum as there is little else to do except meditate and reflect.The small cave / puga (prayer and meditation room) was particularly
special. Set high up and half into a cave, the ceiling was lined with
hundreds of coins, I guess were once offerings.
From there it was back to Phe to meet the rest of the GHE expedition.
It had been an extra long day’s drive for them from Kargil. It was a
large group - Paras Loomba, Jaideep, Gaegan, Stephanie, 18
expeditioners and a staff including guides, catering and several
others. The rest of the group had been together for several days,
acclimatising back in Leh and getting to know each other before
spending two days on the road to get to Phe. The first thing I had to
do was introduce myself to the group and try to catch up. We camped
that night on a spare field in the village.
Day 11
Phe
13th September 2018
The aim of the day was to set up two Himalayan Innovation Centres in
schools in Skiagam, a few kilometres from Phe, and then in Phe.
Skiagram primary school has 31 pupils. The very impressive 29 year old
principal (who has a masters degree in education) decided to amalgamate
three tiny schools to have a better educational outcome for all. The
principal had options to progress his career in a larger place, but
being from the region, he wanted to stay and make a difference in his
own region. In applying for GHE to provide the computers and RACHEL
(wifi and education resources), he’d written a seven page essay as to
why his school needed the Innovation Centre.
Not just the students and teachers were there to welcome us, but the
whole community were involved. It was a big deal - after the
installation, not only were the students keen to learn how to use the
computers and virtual internet, but the parents were also inquiring
whether they could access the technology perhaps after school hours.
We were entertained by the school assembly and then singing/dancing
performances by the students and women.
The afternoon was spent setting up the same technology at the larger Phe
School. There was an equally enthusiastic welcome, great hospitality and
rounds of performances from all age groups. It too was a great community
event - the whole community was appreciative. After it was all
installed, I gave a presentation to the older students and most of my
GHE teammates in the new computer room.
There was a fair amount to fit in one day, but we came away feeling it
was incredibly successful and that each community was incredibly excited
to receive the Innovation Centres as this is going to provide many more
opportunities in a region often overlooked by the government.
Now back in Leh for a couple of days and the best internet access I will
have in Ladakh, I will attempt to update you all with a couple of blogs
in succession. Here’s the first one.
Day 10
Padum to Phe - 33km
Total distance - 627km
From Phe, after struggling with the internet, I set off in the late
morning for Phe. There was no rush as it was meant to be just a simple
ride back to Phe, via a couple of monasteries, to meet up with the
Global Himalayan Expedition team that was due to arrive in the late
afternoon.
First stop was Sani Monastery, and just in front of it, the Holy Lake of
Tuthot. The lake is formed by dozens of springs that jet water straight
out of the hillside. On the far side of the lake was an enormous statue
on Buddha set in the grassy floodplain of the river. The stupa inside
the monastery is presumed to date back to the 2nd Century AD, the oldest
stupa in Ladakh.
Continuing towards Phe on the south side of the valley, I then diverted
12km to see what I think is one of the most special monasteries I’ve
seen, Zunkul. Set into a cliff high above the windswept valley, at an
altitude of around 3900m, it was a serious side excursion to get there,
but worth it. With winter approaching, this place will soon totally cut
off from the world, as it is for half of the year. A monk said that this
is optimum as there is little else to do except meditate and reflect.The small cave / puga (prayer and meditation room) was particularly
special. Set high up and half into a cave, the ceiling was lined with
hundreds of coins, I guess were once offerings.
From there it was back to Phe to meet the rest of the GHE expedition.
It had been an extra long day’s drive for them from Kargil. It was a
large group - Paras Loomba, Jaideep, Gaegan, Stephanie, 18
expeditioners and a staff including guides, catering and several
others. The rest of the group had been together for several days,
acclimatising back in Leh and getting to know each other before
spending two days on the road to get to Phe. The first thing I had to
do was introduce myself to the group and try to catch up. We camped
that night on a spare field in the village.
Day 11
Phe
13th September 2018
The aim of the day was to set up two Himalayan Innovation Centres in
schools in Skiagam, a few kilometres from Phe, and then in Phe.
Skiagram primary school has 31 pupils. The very impressive 29 year old
principal (who has a masters degree in education) decided to amalgamate
three tiny schools to have a better educational outcome for all. The
principal had options to progress his career in a larger place, but
being from the region, he wanted to stay and make a difference in his
own region. In applying for GHE to provide the computers and RACHEL
(wifi and education resources), he’d written a seven page essay as to
why his school needed the Innovation Centre.
Not just the students and teachers were there to welcome us, but the
whole community were involved. It was a big deal - after the
installation, not only were the students keen to learn how to use the
computers and virtual internet, but the parents were also inquiring
whether they could access the technology perhaps after school hours.
We were entertained by the school assembly and then singing/dancing
performances by the students and women.
The afternoon was spent setting up the same technology at the larger Phe
School. There was an equally enthusiastic welcome, great hospitality and
rounds of performances from all age groups. It too was a great community
event - the whole community was appreciative. After it was all
installed, I gave a presentation to the older students and most of my
GHE teammates in the new computer room.
There was a fair amount to fit in one day, but we came away feeling it
was incredibly successful and that each community was incredibly excited
to receive the Innovation Centres as this is going to provide many more
opportunities in a region often overlooked by the government.
With the 85 year old nun at Tungri Gonpa (women only)
Buddha at Sani - Lake Tuthot
Inside puga cave in Zunkul Monastery
View of the valley from Zunkul Monastery
Assembly at Skiagum School
Add Comment
Current position 
Previous positions
Comments
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks inagaming güncel giriş
Fantastic article. I find something innovative in a bunch of sites each day. It will always be rousing to find out subject material out of different consultants plus understand a tad there. I’d choose to make use of a number of this post in my own , personal weblog if you ever don’t thought process. Natually I’ll offer a great attribution to the web-site. Thanks a ton pertaining to spreading. messier dashboard
Intimately, the post is in reality the greatest on this worthy topic. I fit in with your conclusions and also will thirstily look forward to your forthcoming updates. vapetape 12k
I am unable to read articles online very often, but I’m glad I did today. This is very well written and your points are well-expressed. Please, don’t ever stop writing. Buy 9mm bulk ammo
This is very educational content and written well for a change. It's nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post.! 爱思助手
Hello! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot! savastan0 cc
This sort of thing needs to happen! Really its a must to take a look past everything and get upset. Now this will let you take the next steps to becoming successful. Sugar Defender
Have you considered about introducing some social bookmarking buttons to these blog posts. At least for twitter. Prodentim
An excellent presentation. Clear. Practical. Insightful. Shows a depth of experience. Thank you. I learned a great deal.. Tonic Greens
The the next occasion Someone said a blog, I hope who’s doesnt disappoint me up to this one. Get real, I know it was my substitute for read, but I really thought youd have some thing intriguing to convey. All I hear is a handful of whining about something that you could fix in the event you werent too busy searching for attention. ezybet
The idea thinks fully correct. Most of smaller sized features ended up made by way of a lot of file education and learning. I adore the approval a great deal. lazywin888
Thanks for another wonderful post. Where else could anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? wings789
The post is written in very a good manner and it contains many useful information for me. pgg369
Howdy are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated! Gluco6
There are some fascinating points over time in this article but I do not know if them all center to heart. There may be some validity but I am going to take hold opinion until I take a look at it further. Excellent post , thanks therefore we want a lot more! Put into FeedBurner in addition Nagano Tonic
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write extra on this topic, it may not be a taboo topic but typically people are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers Prostavive
Promptly this kind of extraordinary internet site must unquestionably become identified inside of every one of the web site a lot of people, as a result of meticulous posts or perhaps critiques or perhaps comments. Nitric Boost Ultra
Great ?V I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, website theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Nice task.. Fitspresso
This site is actually a walk-through its the details you wanted about it and didn’t know who to question. Glimpse here, and you’ll certainly discover it. happyluke
Thanks for the concepts you write about through this website. In addition, numerous young women which become pregnant usually do not even seek to get health insurance because they have anxiety they wouldn’t qualify. hit789
I actually enjoy the posting. It usually is wonderful to evaluate any one demonstrate around thoughts in the cardiac coupled with lucidity in this significant dilemma can be immediately found. dark168
Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Nagano Lean Body Tonic
Hello! I would choose to supply a huge thumbs up with the great info you have here with this post. I will be returning to your website to get more soon. neuropure
That can feel totally proper. Each one of more compact factors have been developed by means of several document schooling. ALPHA BITES
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new surveys are added- checkbox now when a comment is added SUGAR DEFENDER
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise FÓRMULA NEGÓCIO ONLINE
Cool stuff you have got and you keep update all of us. zencortex reviews
You really should take part in a tournament for starters of the best blogs on-line. I am going to recommend this great site! AVIS LIBONEX
Excellent line up. We will probably be linking to this great article on our web site. Keep up the great creating. ZENCORTEX REVIEWS
Whats up very nice website!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally ARCTIC BLAST
Right away this website will probably unquestionably usually become well known with regards to most of website customers. LIPOZEM
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to improve my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!! lottorich28
Spot lets start on this write-up, I actually think this fabulous website needs a lot more consideration. I’ll apt to be once more to see a lot more, many thanks that info. fenix168
This was a really great contest and hopefully I can attend the next one. It was alot of fun and I really enjoyed myself.. plataforma nova
I will right away grasp your rss feed as I can not in finding your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me recognize in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks. plataforma nova
I think this is one of the so much vital information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to statement on few common things, The site style is great, the articles is in reality nice . Excellent activity, cheers. Nitric Boost Ultra
Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally — taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done. Neuroquiet
The the next occasion I just read a weblog, I really hope who’s doesnt disappoint me as much as that one. Get real, It was my solution to read, but When i thought youd have something intriguing to mention. All I hear can be a couple of whining about something that you could fix in case you werent too busy seeking attention. plataforma nova
Usually I do not learn post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to check out and do so! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, quite nice article. plataforma nova
Considerably, the post is in reality the finest on that laudable topic. I fit in with your conclusions and can eagerly look forward to your incoming updates. Saying thanks definitely will not simply just be enough, for the outstanding clarity in your writing. I will certainly at once grab your rss feed to stay privy of any kind of updates. Pleasant work and also much success in your business efforts! plataforma nova
I think that thanks for the valuabe information and insights you have so provided here. Sugar Defender
There’s noticeably a bundle to discover more on this. I assume you’ve made sure excellent elements within choices additionally. Lipozem
This kind of seems totally best. Every one of these little information are manufactured together with lots of backdrop information. I prefer that a whole lot TC 24 Review
Simply want to say your article is as surprising. The clearness in your post is just nice and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work. Carbofire Reviews
I enjoy kinds very own post. It'll be respectable to get a single describe inside terms from the central and also chastity on this distinct essential specialized niche will probably be commonly knowledgeable. Free Sugar Pro
There are a couple of interesting points with time in this posting but I do not know if these people center to heart. There’s some validity but I’m going to take hold opinion until I check into it further. Good write-up , thanks and now we want a lot more! Combined with FeedBurner too Revive Daily Reviews