Alvin conducted a Clay LEGO team bonding session for Ecosphere's staff, volunteers and interns. Sunil selected 5 themes for their creative expression. It was so wonderful to see the team members from so many different cultures, regions and nationalities blending together, having fun and manifesting their collective ideals into form through the humble medium of clay.
>So pleased to know 3 NUS students from Singapore on social entrepreneurship internship with Ecosphere.
Everyone was busy playing with clay...
Clay LEGO at 3700m...
The areas of focus of Ecosphere creatively expressed by the team members in clay.
Proud team members.
Raymond giving a presentation on his team's art.
Upon completion of this little seva to Ecosphere, it was time for us to leave the cool and blue sky of the Himalayan highland of Himachal Pradesh and head down to Delhi and Rajasthan, and eventually back to Bangalore.
Bye bye, Ishita and Sunil and all at EcoSphere and Kaza and Demul Village...
2 Jul 2011: Kaza to Manali
We woke up before sunrise, left the hotel in the dark and got to the Kaza bus stand by 5am. Only to be told that there would not be any bus to Manali today.
As we have come to experience time and again, when one door closes, another usually swings open. We approached a taxi and found 3 awaiting vacant rear seats.
After a quick mutton chowmein breakfast, we began our 10-hour scenic drive to Manali.
Taxi truck that took us from Kaza to Manali.
So glad to have known Hsiao Mei, a Taiwanese artist who is travelling and painting in Himachal.
Gompa at the Kunzum La Pass at 4551m with a spectacular view of the Bara Shigri Glacier.
Robyn and the Bara Shigri Glacier in the background.
Even the lunch point offered a gorgeous view.
We drove pass gushing waterfalls at the opposite hillside, frozen glaciers that were melting under the warm sunshine, beautiful vastness that magically opened wider that door from our inner self. It was a meditative journey through the mountains.
We finally arrived at the famous Rohtang Pass where regular road closure due to landslides, glacier conditions and road opening restricted some stretched to 1-way muddy traffic flow. At 4000m, the Rohtang Pass is the winter wonderland for families from Delhi looking to have fun with snow, skiing and cool weather. So there were thousands of tourists in cars, taxis, bus and bikes. At the Pass, we saw hang-gliding and skiing stations and plenty of food stalls and souvenir shops, like a chaotically organized ski resort.
Big jam at the Rohtang Pass.
This gigantic ice wall along the road through Rohtang Pass was a frozen river 'cut open' by road maintenance.
In Manali, we were back to the modern living of busy crowd of tourists and shoppers.
Tasty Punjabi tandoori chicken for a change but price was also too high for a change...
3 Jul 2011: Manali to Delhi
We took the 4pm overnight coach to Delhi. We arrived in Delhi at 9am on 4 Jul and took the metro to Swati's home.