Travels with Emma into the Himalayas

I have not been back long from our recent adventures into the Himalayas, with five wonderful ladies, all with a passion for travel and textiles… As I reflect on the experience, my heart rejoices with gratitude for such a joyful experience.

Ladakh is an incredible “shangri-La” mystical place high above the tree line, perched in the rocky deserts of the Himalayas.  Arriving by plane into an altogether different world, I never fail to feel the joy of returning to this land, and community.  The incredibly stunning beauty in this harsh rocky environment, with snow covered peaks, and mountains beyond comprehension. As you start to adjust your perspective, the geological formation, layers and shapes… and the colours… inspire creativity and spirituality.  The Ladakhi people, tribal and humble, Buddhism at its heart is the essence of this beautiful, kind generous community, who live simple peaceful lives.  With short summer seasons to grow crops and tend to tourism, the early winter months provide space for weddings and community gatherings before the deep cold winter sets in.   

'Being Together'

I have visited Ladakh many times over the years; back in my 30s I had the privilege of working on a farm volunteer project in a remote village, building relationships with the local people and supporting the local crafts where possible.  This experience shaped me in ways that still impact me today. Our first textile tour back in 1998 was to Ladakh; a spin, weave and dye workshop with the Women’s Alliance, that gave me the framework and understanding of what it is and inspires me to share with travellers when we visit places in India.  It is not merely about passive sightseeing, but to linger longer with local communities, learning from their inherent wisdom, engaging directly through participation in crafts.  A humbling experience, allowing vulnerability and learning, to shape the experience, the common language, “our hands”, to communicate mutual respect to those who love to make by hand.  It has been the core of my tours ever since.

Five independent spirited women travelled to Ladakh this September with me, bringing an energy of care, understanding and so much laughter as we finally understand in our later years that taking oneself so seriously is a no longer of value.  Our souls are nourished, healing takes place as we share life stories, funny stories and tearful stories… they pour out of us, in unexpected places, as our experience together holds joyful gravity. By stepping outside of our routines into an environment so extremely different from our normal, we have no choice but to bring humble grace into our shared experience, we learn so much from each other, and share our vulnerability with such love that we are bereft when it’s time to go our separate ways.  I give thanks to all of you who venture out with me, who accept the flow of travel, allowing things to unfold as they should in unexpected ways… It is those times we remember most… for me I am so very grateful for the acceptance of things not going quite to plan. Never will we forget our unexpected monastery sleep over, knitting squares for Peggy’s baby blanket to while away the afternoon, as the rain washed away roads, eating dinner by the light of our phones in-between erratic electricity, waking up in the morning with no idea what would happen next. Tsespal, our trusted guide and my close friend for the last 30 years knows better, there was another rough track road, higher up over the mountains we could take back, along with 2 stranded French ladies, who couldn’t be more grateful.  A memory we all cherish, an unexpected, exciting adventure, a great story to tell our friends and family… the simple joy of stepping into the unknown.

'On an adventure together'

For me the highlight of the trip was our visit to the nomadic tribes of Ladakh. Watching the Pashmina goats being herded across the mountains back down into camp as the evening light faded, was without doubt one of the most incredible things I have seen. 

Sheer pleasure bubbles up out of me when I sit with the nomadic ladies spinning wool. They are eager to improve my attempts at creating an even yarn, something they learnt as children from their mothers, an activity to them as natural as drinking tea.  You can see their amusement as my thread keeps breaking and I fail to even out the slubs.  They try on my bracelets and rings; I am unsure if I will ever get them back… but sure enough everything is eventually returned.  They take out my sock knitting and knit a few lines… and then they discover my little box of tapestry needles. Impressed with the quality, I offer the several I have as a gift.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough for each of the 20 ladies to have one each. Suddenly a pile of odd bits forms, a sweet wrapper, a stick, a spoon, a bit of thread, a stone and more… there is much discussion going on.  It’s a lottery system to share my gift of needles as fairly as possible, the winners tuck away their prize safely in their clothes.   I look around as my five intrepid ladies, just naturally joining in, creating gorgeous connections and embracing the simplicity of sitting together, sharing the humble art of creating a thread, in this extraordinary environment. I have no words to describe what I feel… but it says it all… the absolute joy of sharing my passion for travel & textiles… and why I offer theses adventures of a lifetime, while we still can.  

'Getting the slubs out..."

The nomadic tribes of Ladakh are shrinking, as the children go to schools and crave a different life to the harsh realities of their ancestral home.  Unfortunately, I have to agree, that it is better they find another path. These lands they roam are being sold off to corporations, for a huge solar power project which will disrupt their ancient way of life, and the harvesting of the precious pashmina fibre, until there is nothing left.  The Ladakhi people are fighting the government through peaceful protests and hunger strikes, monks, nuns and the youth join in… their leader Sonam Wangchuck has been detained indefinitely, as the land grabs continue.  There is no appreciation from the powerful, only greed.  My heart breaks, and I am not sure how much longer the nomads will remain. 

Even though the world feels very off kilter right now, there is also a slow burning, less noisy revolution going on, a part of that is crafting, more than just an action to a result, it is repetition… a rhythm… it flows… in the present moment.  It’s a purposeful mediation, maybe an intentional connection with the divine, if you so feel inclined, giving space to reflect one’s inner self, to find meaning and purpose in our hectic lives.  Will it be enough to stop the ruthlessness of capitalism, until all the good is gone? I’m not sure, but it certainly helps us feel more grounded, connecting with our hands.   It is very easy for me to romanticise the nomadic life, without doubt it is hard, but a part of me craves the simplicity.  Every time I visit this lovely community, I promise that one day I will return and spend a month with them… I ask Tsespal to translate my idea of introducing solar dyeing using natural local ingredients… the last time I was here there was 2 spinning wheels in desperate need of repair, no sign of them this time… a simple stick is less problematic. I ache to help, to introduce new ideas… and then I question why? I know for sure that if I did come and stay, they would teach me more about myself than I could ever teach them.