LADAKH TRIP Day 6 & 7

HELLO! :D

 After many weeks of preparation, it was finally time for us to perform our traditional dances!

All decked out in traditional "REGALIA" I :D

All decked out in traditional "REGALIA" II :D

All decked out in traditional "REGALIA" III :D

 It was a heart-stopping performance, particular so for those in the Chinese dance; of which the music stopped abruptly mid-way one of their more complicated moves. Nonetheless, they cooly froze in their position; before the music played and the rest of the dance proceeded. :D Our audience especially liked the European dance, of which not only awed them with the complexity of their choreography, but also with the cloud of dust rising dramatically beneath their feet as they danced, much like dry ice would in most concerts!!!

The Lamdon students put up a great performance as well, with traditional dances from both the girls and the boys' dormitories; traditional songs sung by talented teachers and students alike and even an upbeat hiphop-ish dance routine to the song "Baby" by Justin Bieber!!!

Traditional dance by the boy's hostel!

Traditional dance by the girl's hostel!

Traditional singing :)

A lovely duet! :)

Hip-hop, Lamdon style!

The great finale! :D

 We bid the students a tearful farewell as we left Lamdon school after our last official visit. Despite that, we were still in high spirits because we were about to experience the HOMESTAY next!!!

 Our trip to our Homestay at Likir took us two hours by car, and included a scenic view of the illustrious Indus river; partially frozen. It was an awe-inspiring experience, as the Indus river had always been something we see only in Geography textbooks!

The Indus River I :)

The Indus River II

The bridge that reconnects civilization! :)

Gorgeous view!

 Taking for granted the hotel staffs' mastery of the English language, most of us were forced to put our skill at charades to the test as we had trouble with communication!! :( The homes were all very quaint, all made by the families staying in them, and held a certain charm concrete HDBs never possessed. :O

Traditional silverware!

Beto, family cow! :)

The stove/radiator/heater! :)

 Whilst most of us had VEGETARIAN mok mok (with some groups even preparing said dumplings), one of our homestay groups lucked out and managed to score a family who liked eating meat and had MUTTON ones instead.  As you can probably guess, it caused a little friendly resentment in some of the meat-deprived members. :D

LADAKHI bread. :)

Caroline and one of the homeowners! :)

Adorable kiddie in our homestay! :)

We did a lot of things we would never ever get the chance to do in Singapore, make chapatis from scratch, feed hungry cows even take chewing gum (an opportunity we exploited thoroughly)! :)

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, and cutting wood we go! :)

Chewing gummmm!!! :)

Helping out in the kitchen! :)

Mok mok, traditional style! :)

The cow we fed. :D

Beto and family! :)

We even went to visit the local monastery, of which purportedly contained a huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy, according to Buddhism. Our Singaporean ignorance was such that when someone told us it was a two hour walk; we thought they were joking. They weren't. The distance was entirely worth it though; as the scenery was gorgeous, very much unalike what we have been accustomed to in Singapore.

Cimbing up to the monastery!

The Goddess of Mercy! :)

 The entire idea of self-sustainability in Likir was especially prevalent. We see our homestay owners harboring a huge farm before their homes, ready for planting come spring. They owned their own cows, made their own milk and butter. In terms of fuel; petrol or other forms of hydrocarbon was hardly used. Instead, dried animal droppings and firewood was used to heat up their stoves; which incidentally was the only form of heating in most houses. The firewood was cut and collected by the villagers themselves, regardless of their age. Our homestay owner was fit enough to carry two long pieces of firewood (the length of spars) up and down rocky hills when most of us could barely manage one. Said man was pushing sixty, at the very least. :O

On another note, it was COLD COLD COLD in Likir! We could see mist from our breath in our own rooms, and we bundled up heavily; with many many layers of clothing even as we slept in an attempt to ward off the cold. It was definitely an experience to be remembered!

See you next time!