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- Words & Pictures by Aya Yugami
- Voice by Laykah Mitchell

I’m now in Leh, North India. It’s getting cold here. I’ve been here for 3 weeks. It’s a nice place to relax. It’s quiet, not too hot, the food is good, and the people are nice. The buildings are cool, the sky is blue, and the view from the rooftop of my guest house is great. Only one thing that I don’t like about this place is the dogs. There are lots of dogs everywhere on the streets…and they are scary.

The other day I went to Tsomoriri Lake which is 220km away from Leh. On the way to the lake, it was a bit stormy, snowing and windy. But as soon as we got there, the sky cleared. It was like a miracle. The blue sky with a blue lake; was so beautiful. The lake is in the middle of nowhere, and it’s 4400m above sea level. There are no lights anywhere, so the sky is black and filled with so many stars… it’s crazy.

I had a chance to watch young monks creating a sand Mandala. They were new graduates from a Buddhist school. They made this very large Mandala using colored sand. It took 3 days. Usually Mandalas are made for special occasions and ceremonies. So I was lucky that I could watch the whole process. It’s something I’ve dreamed of seeing for a long time. My dream has come true. From 10:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening, I sat there watching them…and taking pictures. It was amazing.

I went to see the Dalai Lama’s teaching. In Ladakh, the local people are called Ladakhi. There are also many Tibetan refugees. They all follow Tibetan Buddhism. I think there were more than 30 thousand people at the Dalai Lama’s teaching. He spoke in Tibetan, and it was translated in English for foreigners. Since it was all about Tibetan Buddhism, it was too difficult for me to understand. Even if it were translated in Japanese, I think it would still be very difficult. Still, I liked the atmosphere and I was glad that I saw one of the most famous people in the world. His smile was very peaceful.

I’m heading for Dharamsala soon.

Aya Yugami is from Gifu, Japan.
She’s now traveling in India.
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