Monk for a Month, monastic experiencein the community in Ladakh

TIPS BEFORE DEPARTURES

A conscious approach to travel requires a considerable capacity and willingness to adapt and adjust to the local environment and culture. If you wish to travel with us, we request you to be open enough to experience local culture, religious and traditions without bias and pre-conceived ideas you might have before the departure and which belong to our Western cultural way of thinking. Exploring with fresh eyes, with patience and openness, you will be able to access the real essence of the cultural heritages and spirituality through the places and people you are going to meet; if you are ready to do this effort you will really enjoy the beauty of the rich culture and religiousness of Ladakh, the extraordinary of the nature, the solemnity of Buddhist monasteries. As a foreign visitor to Ladakh we request you to respect the rights and beliefs of local people and to minimize your impact, both culturally and environmentally. Be aware of your actions and how they will affect the people and environment around you. Here are just a few suggestions of things you may like to consider while visiting Ladakh: Dress appropriately – “more is better”, revealing clothing is not suitable, especially for women, but men should also not go shirtless. T-shirts and trousers/long skirt are the recommended dress. Sleeveless and/or low-cut tops, and shorts are not suitable for either men or women – always cover your shoulders and legs. Demonstrating an effort to be sensitive to their culture will enhance your experience with the Ladakhi people. You will also avoid sunburn if you cover up! Please don’t encourage begging – don’t hand pens, money or sweets directly to the children. This not only encourages begging, but also causes conflict between the children themselves. One of the many organizations in Ladakh set up to help children could put your kind donation to better use. Every school in the rural areas would gladly accept your gift of pens and distribute them amongst the children. Leave nothing but footprints…. Let’s help to keep unnecessary rubbish from accumulating in these magnificent mountains. Avoid buying anything in plastic bottles as there is no recycling available and plastic is often burned, polluting the environment further – instead fill up your own water bottle with boiled, filtered or treated water. Smile… easy to give, wonderful to receive. A smile surpasses all cultural boundaries. When you arrive in Leh, remember that you are at an altitude of 3500m. Rest at your guesthouse on the day you arrive in Leh and drinks lots of water – great excuse to read a book, sit around and chat and just be lazy. Listen to your body! However, this tour has been designed as to reduce the effect of altitude as much as possible. After a first day of rest in Leh we have organize a meditation retreat of 3 days, which will be useful to acclimatize. Altitude sickness is caused by a lack of oxygen at high altitudes (3,000m and above). It occurs as the result of our bodies’ inability to adapt to a sudden increase in altitude. If given time, our bodies will adjust and a gradual ascent will decrease the possibility of altitude sickness. During these first days we suggest you to drink a lot of water and pay attention to your body sensations. Mild symptoms include headache, nausea, loss of appetite, mild shortness of breath with minimal exertion, difficulty sleeping, dizziness or light-headedness, mild weakness, fatigue or a general unwell feeling may occur especially at the beginning of the tour. However, in the event of more serious symptoms that may be a sign of HACE (High Altitiude Cerebral Edema) or HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) you must descent immediately as these are life threatening conditions. We strongly recommend being vaccinated against rabies before visiting Ladakh. There are many stray dogs here and we recommend caution when approaching any dog. Be particularly careful with dogs when out and about in the evening in Leh.