Himalayan Touring With My Guru

A heartfelt pair of journeys, far from everyday western life, deep in the Himalayas. Since first meeting my Guru, Anand-ji Mehrotra, in 2021, I have found great joy in being in his shadow, being immersed in his radiance and learning the life skills of growth and evolving he teaches. Combining the sacred mountains with his omniscience and accompaniment was an opportunity of a lifetime. These two stories let the reader in on this rare kind of travel that is so foreign.

Herein I follow my teacher on two spiritual pilgrimages to ancient and sacred places. The Ladakh, India tour was on Royal Enfield Himalaya motorcycles. Anand-ji is a great and well-practiced rider who loves riding solo but also finds sublime joy taking his students into the lands where the gods rule and ancient history springs to life. Joined by a film crew who will produce a ten-part documentary on the trip, we dive deep into the Tibetan Buddhist culture. Visiting a number of 1000 year old temples, I am joining monks in their practices and being in awe of the art, the temples themselves and the tangible spiritual essence that breathes throughout. Traveling throughout the mountainous Ladakhi region, we traverse the highest paved roads in the world, over 18,000 feet in elevation, wind around impossibly curvy and treacherous roadways and pause along pristine streams. We find ourselves staying adjacent to Pangong Lake, 85 miles long at 14,000 feet elevation. The borders of the lake are shared with China. Every step of the way we are surrounded by the majesty of range after range of mountains in the Himalayas.

Riding around a bend in the remote Nubra Valley we come across an enormous, 100 foot, brightly colored statue of the Buddha, sitting on temples grounds overlooking the entire valley. We stay in modern yurts with mountains streams running by our door. We come across camels, left over from the Marco Polo expeditions. As always, we enjoy wisdom talks from our teacher, as well as yoga classes.

At the Lamayuru temple, an ancient structure, we were welcomed into the holy sanctuary to witness prayers and music by the monks. We were politely served Coke and Sprite by child monks and made comfortable on thick Tibetan handmade carpets. Chanting, playing musical instruments of the kind unseen in the western world, all under the gaze of a 15 foot, 1000 armed Buddha. It was otherworldly.

Through all this, the group comprising of men and women from around the world, began to come together and form a tribe. Inspired by Anand-ji, joined in the thrill of adventure and dharmic action, we moved as a single unit across the Himalayas.

The memoir of the pilgrimage to the headwaters of the Ganges (called Ganga in India) River was one that I had been anticipating for months. The world famous, holy river is revered by millions in India. The river symbolizes purity and is used for rituals of purification and spiritual cleansing across the sub-continent, believing it to be able to wash away sins and help achieve moksha-spiritual liberation.

The journey to the headwaters begins in small town of Gangotri, population 112, and follows a 12 mile hike, rising 2500 feet in elevation. The stories of preparation, travel to Gangotri and the trek are filled with amazing scenes of Hindu culture and beauty. With the Guru leading the way, we venture into one of the most celebrated spiritual vortexes in India, if not the world. The pilgrimage ended up being a deep journey into the author's Atman (soul) as the magic of the Himalayas takes over.

Come with us. Meet my great Guru, whose sacred knowledge has been handed down rishi to teacher for 5000 years. Travel with people from the world over who are all here to better themselves and the planet.