Tso Pema

  View from the bus in Mandi, where i had to change buses
  The decoration on the door frame of the Gompa
  Padmasambhava statue overlooking the lake
 

view from the top of the mountain...

I had been told that I should try and go to Rewalsar, so I did. I left my big bag with someone in Bir, and headed off with just a small backpack – the difference is big – I wish I could travel that way all the time... but no, I still need to shed some of my luggage to lighten my load...
I went by public transport, which is 15times cheaper than a taxi, so it cost me IR100 vs IR1500. That also means that it is more adventure packed than a taxi ride, as you have men squishing up next to you on the bus, you have bus drivers who are in a hurry and drive like maniacs on roads that are made for a single lane of traffic (but used by traffic going both ways), with a cliff on one side of the road. Then being dropped off in the middle of a town and needing to find another bus that is going to take me the rest of the way, and hoping that people are understanding what I am saying so that they can direct me to the correct bus, and then it is the whole thing all over again, high cliffs, narrow roads and men squishing next to me. I am quite surprised at the public transport, as it has been really efficient, as I have never had to wait long for a connecting bus – I found myself comparing them to the London transport system...
I arrived in Rewalsar (known as Tso Pema in Tibetan) to a thunderstorm and a bit of much needed rain. I found myself a bed for the night within minutes. At this point, what I think is a bladder infection, was at its worst, so I didn’t venture out for a couple of hours. What I think has happened, is that I have not been going to the toilet often enough, and so hence the difficulties. After a while I decided that sitting around was not helping, so I decided to head up the hill to the giant Padmasambhava statue that overlooks the lake, which is the centre point of the town. I was blown away by the size of this structure as well as the painting going on inside the temple beneath the statue. On my way back I popped in to a medical place and asked for some medicine. I was given something which felt very strong, as it kind of zonked me out for a while and worked really quickly. I think I am going to google it to check what it is exactly that I took...
I had dinner at a place called the Blue Cave, and had crispy vegetables and some Tibetan bread, then I walked once around the lake, seeing the different temples along the way. There are Hindu temples, Sikh temples and Tibetan Buddhist temples, and the prayers coming out of one of them can be heard from the top of the mountain (as I found out the following day). One of the temples had bright flashing lights all over the building, so at night time it looked like a Christmas tree in the shape of a temple. Feeling loads better the next morning, although maybe a little floaty, I decided to head up the mountain to see the caves where Padmasambhava is said to have spent some time meditating along with his consort. I had been advised to take the bus up and walk down, but being stubborn, i decided to walk up and bus down – I need the exercise anyway... I left quite early in the morning, as i was awake due to the prayers being broadcast around the village, and I got a bit lost about half way up, as the path connects with the road, so i ended up taking the road – which was the much longer way. It took me just over an hour to get up there, and by that time it was about 9am and boiling hot. I found a couple of the caves, and walked around a bit, and then decided to head down again in time to check out. I wasn’t completely convinced by the caves, and not by the ‘footprint’ that is said to have been created by Padmasambhava. It looks too big to be human, and it has the general shape of a foot without details, and it is quite high up on the rock. But it was interesting to see none-the-less.
I then headed back down the hill in a jeep (between a taxi and a bus in price), and then checked out and hopped on a bus back to Bir.
What I found so interesting is the number of people wanting me to take their picture, so I have a few pictures of some random people along the way...