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World Seva 2011
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13th Year: 2011
Jan
- Piano Recital by Robyn, Mosaic Art Portrait & CNY Reunion Lunch
Feb
- Chinese New Year, PA Got Talents, Alvin's Birthday & Opening of Clay-Street New Studio
Mar
- Bye-bye Heni
Seva Wk 01: Art of Living Ashram, Bangalore
Seva Wk 02: 1st Seva with Divine Karnataka Project & On Course
Seva Wk 03: Sponsoring Rural Village Sport Clubs & Bridge at Chikmagalur
Seva Wk 04:
'WHY DKP' Corporate Fund Raising
Apr
Seva Wk 05: DKP Helps Rural Farmers, Gadag & Koppal, Karnataka
Seva Wk 06: Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Puri & Sri Sri University
Seva Wk 07: Tribal School Project, Jharkhand
Seva Wk 08:
Tribal School Arts Festival on Facebook
May
Seva Wk 09: Tribal School @ Dumuria & Ranchi
Seva Wk 10: Tribal School Digital Contest & Kolkata
Seva Wk 11: Kolkata to Delhi to Himachal Pradesh
Seva Wk 12: Shoghi, Shimla & Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh

Jun
Seva Wk 13: Homestay @ Tirthan, Kullu Valley
Seva Wk 14: Sangla, Peo, Nako, Kinnaur Valley
Seva Wk 15: Tabo, Kaza, Kye, Spiti Valley
Seva Wk 16: Demul to Komic on Yaks, Spiti Valley

Jul
Seva Wk 17: Kaza to Manali to Gurgaon, Delhi
Seva Wk 18: Gurgaon & Barefoot College,Tilonia
Seva Wk 19: Jaipur & back to Bangalore
Seva Wk 20 & 21: With the Murthys in Bangalore

Aug
Seva Wk 22-24: Meridian 101 Ambassadors for India & Bye Bye India
Seva Wk 25: Seva in Africa - Jumbo Kenya!
Seva Wk 26: Seva at the Children's Garden Home
Sep
Seva Wk 27: More Seva Projects at CGH
Seva Wk 28: Self-drive Safari to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Hell's Gate
Seva Wk 29: Short Break to Arusha, Tanzania
Seva Wk 30: Safari at Nairobi National Park & Children's Day Celebration
Oct
Seva Wk 31: Launching BEADwear for Christmas
Seva Wk 32: Robyn turns 13 in Kampala, Uganda
Seva Wk 33: Rafting the White Nile, Jinja, Uganda
Seva Wk 34: Sipi Falls, Uganda & African Child Mega Dance in Kenya
Nov
Seva Wk 35: Nairobi to Mombasa, Malindi & Lamu
Seva Wk 36: Seva@Lamu - Donkey necklace + Kaya
Seva Wk 37: Seva@Lamu - Hands Up 4 Kids
Seva Wk 38: Bye Africa, Hello Istanbul, Homeward-bound Singapore
Dec
- Home Sweet Home in Singapore
 
   

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SEVA WEEK 15 (13-19 Jun 2011)

r e f l e c t i o n : VOLUNTEER TOURISM

 

We squeezed up the 12.30pm bus that took us from Nako in the Kinnaur Valley to Tabo in the Spiti Valley today, passing 2 police check posts at Chango and Sumdo, which are next to the Tibetan border. Following the winding Spiti River, we arrived at serene Tabo at about 4.30pm. What a wonderful place of tranquility and peace.

With some day light left, we visited the famed Tabo Monastery (right) that is reputed to be the oldest of the numerous thousand year old monasteries in Spiti.

Stupa at Tabo Monastery.
Stupa at Tabo Monastery.
Alvin turning the prayer wheels.
Alvin turning the prayer wheels.
Monk strolling the monastery parameter in prayer.
Monk strolling the monastery perimeter in prayer.
Spacious monastery ground with many temples.
Spacious monastery ground with many temples.

 

14 Jun 2011: Tabo Explored

We awoke to a sky that was so beautifully blue with patches of white cloud. So we went to the roof top of the hotel to have fun with our yoga asana.

Peaceful Tabo
Peaceful Tabo
Robyn in eagle pose.
Robyn in eagle pose.

Jin praying to blue sky.
Jin praying to blue sky.

Alvin in warrior III.
Alvin in warrior III.
Yongs in yoga
Yongs in yoga (union).

We stayed at Hotel Mentok Dumra which was a stone throw away from the bus stand. Sonu Kumar Shodi is from Delhi and he leases the place and runs it every Jun-Oct, after which he would head for Goa to run another hotel. Enterprising young 25 year old!

We enjoyed a breakfast of croissants and honey nut cake at a German Bakery run by a Nepali young man. We learnt that he does the same as Sonu. After Oct, he would head for Goa and run a German Bakery there!

Mentok Dumra Hotel next to Tabo bus stand.
Mentok Dumra Hotel next to Tabo bus stand.

Sonu is a great cook!
Sonu is a great cook!

We learnt from the previous day's visit to the Tabo Monastery that there would be a special prayer at the monastery by all the lamas from 5am till 9pm, and that we were allowed to sit in their ceremony.

We sat quietly behind the lamas as they chanted with elaborate dancing hand signals in this same temple hall that has witnessed 1000 years of such prayers, and where Dalai Lama himself presided over important Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies. We meditated and took in all the positive qi we could absorb...

Namgial Lama
Thanks to Namgial Lama who showed us around the various temples within the monastery ground.

We also scrambled up the hill slope to explore some ancient and deserted caves.
We also scrambled up the hill slope to explore some ancient and deserted caves.
From the caves, we could appreciate how pretty and tiny Tabo really is.
From the caves, we could appreciate how pretty and tiny Tabo really is.

Inside one of the cave with wooden door.
Inside one of the cave with wooden door.

> Finally, Alvin saw THE light! No, it's just sunlight...

Enlightenment?

Enroute to Kaza

At 5pm, we squeezed up the bus bound for Kaza. It was a dusty and bouncy ride. Seated at the last row, we experienced air lift many a times.

Once again, we followed the winding Spiti River with stunting brown and barren scenery. Nearer to Kaza, the river opens up to a wide delta quite unlike the narrow gorge that we observed all along our journey.

By 7pm, we were glad to finally arrived at Ecosphere and met up with Sunil and Angchuk, who helped found us a lovely room at Le Karze Hotel.

Ecosphere in Kaza
Ecosphere and Robyn Yong.

Robyn in Ecosphere office
Robyn in Ecosphere office.

We met Ishita at the Ecosphere office and learnt that 3 NUS interns and another Indian lady who worked with Singapore Tourism Board had just arrived to do voluntary work. She also has a few other interns from Indian institutions. Having many brains and hands was definitively a good problem. I wish this was the case at Tribal School in Jharkhand, and made a note to find out Ecosphere's secret in attracting volunteers and interns.

I was really glad that NUS students come all the way here for social entrepreneur internship. No doubt they would return to Singapore with very valuable experience to value add and serve the community in the days ahead.

It turned out perfect for me to not be needed by Ecosphere as it offered me a few days of quiet time in the comfortable hotel room to complete the "Children of a Lesser God" movie script for Tribal School Project, worked on the new Tribal School Project website.

Benedict and Wan Hui arrived at Kaza after 2 days at Tabo, and we met up again. We decided to visit the nearby Kye Monastery together.

Kye Monastery is another thousand year old monastery of significant importance to Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhists in the Spiti Valley.

Kye Monastery

Majestic Kye Monastery.
Majestic Kye Monastery perched high into the air.
Surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
The sight all round was snow-caps.
There's a feel of serenity at the monastery.
There's a feel of serenity at the monastery.

Serenity blended nicely with playful joyousness.
Serenity blended nicely with playful joyousness.

Robyn, Wan Hui and Benedict
Robyn, Wan Hui and Benedict.
A scenic stroll down to the Kye Village.
A scenic stroll down to the Kye Village.
Kye Monastery and Robyn
Breathtaking sight of Kye Monastery from afar.

Yongs at Kye surrounded by snow-caps.
Yongs at Kye surrounded by snow-caps.

Nako Lake

< "FREE TIBET" signs are everywhere.

The road to freedom is a long one, but can be beautiful if taken moment by moment. Same for our life.
The road to freedom is a long one, but can be beautiful if taken moment by moment. Same for our life.

At the Kye Village, one of Ecosphere's Green Houses was being constructed, assisted by a French couple who came as volunteer-tourists.
At the Kye Village, one of Ecosphere's Green Houses was being constructed, assisted by a French couple who came as volunteer-tourists. It was hard work but a worthy experience that money can't buy.

Wan Hui, Benedict and Robyn helped to plant flowers.
We managed to have someone cooked us lunch at the Kye Old Aged Home as there was no restaurant around. After lunch, Wan Hui, Benedict and Robyn helped an elderly at the home to plant some flowers.

Spitian Kid Sweet Tease
Girl in action Spitian girl Laugh

 

> Week 16: Living in Demul Village at 4400m in the Spiti Valley...

 

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