Travellive 5 - 2018

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Visa
ñ You can apply for Indian visa at the
embassy in Hanoi or make an e-visa
at the embassy's website at www.
indianonlinevisas.org.
Itinerary
ñ From Vietnam there are many flights to
New Delhi, the capital of India. From here,
you can fly Indian domestic carriers to
Srinagar or Leh, two major cities of Jammu
& Kashmir. From these two major cities,
there are a number of tour operators
providing hotel services and driver
assistance, bringing you to Anmu village
(passing through Padum).
Staying
ñ Ladakh's major cities have many
guesthouses and hotels, with hot and
cold water. The tour companies will
give you the list to choose from, the
quality is proportional to the price of
each tour. Private accommodation in
Phuktal is geographically isolated and lacks
communication facilities, so reservations
can not be made. Room rates INR 1000
(about 15 USD per person per night). If
there is no room upon arrival, you can go
to monastery and ask for a place to sleep.
The two nearest villages to the monastery
are Cha and Purney villages.
TRAVELLIVE
The town of Padum is named
after Padmasambhava, the
Lotus-Born, one of two monks
who spread Indian Buddhism to
Tibet. Through its introduction
to Tibet, Indian Buddhism has
become interwoven with the ancient Bӧn
religion of the Tibetan people, forming
a distinct Tibetan Buddhism that
encompasses a magical flair and divine
spirituality. Tibetan Buddhism followed
the Tibetan immigrants back to Ladakh.
Taking its influence from Tibet, the
Buddhism of Ladakh follows two main
branches, the Drugpa and the Gelugpa.
The Zanskar region is no exception.
We stayed in Padum a few days to visit
nearby villages and monasteries, to enjoy
the pure and peaceful atmosphere of
Zanskar before starting our trekking
journey to Phuktal. The fatigue from
our long trip melted away at the sight of
the thousand year old monastery door,
veiled on the cliff. In front of me now
is a vast space. Below, a stream of water
winds between rooftops and gardens. Far
away, the shadow of Zanskar casts upon
white snow. All was quiet, except for the
whistling of the wind through wooden
chinks in the door; in the courtyard
the flag flew overhead as the leaves
fell against each other. How I love and
appreciate this moment.
From Padum to Phuktal
The next day, we left Padum early in
the morning for Phuktal, an ancient
Buddhist shrine associated with the
Gelugpa. Built in the 12 th century
from mud and wood, Phuktal has a
special position, dropping itself from
a natural cavern and looming over the
canyon above the Tsarap River. Today
the monastery remains isolated to the
outside world but is still home to
eighty monks.
From Padum, our driver named Kunga
drove us over two and a half hours to
Anmu village situated about 30 km away.