Footsteps of a Pilgrim - Circling Around Mt. Kailash - World's Holiest Mountain (Part 2)
Episode 15
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Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode13 Episode 14
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Tibetan Buddhists believe that if you have completed the circling of Mount Kailash 12 times, you will be free from suffering during the process of reincarnation into your next life.
If you have completed the circling 108 times, you will achieve instant nirvana and become an "enlightened" being like the Buddha.
......................................................................................................
PART 2: DESTRUCTION
(Continued from Part 1)
When the first morning ray arrived at Darchen, we had already left the village. Looking south, Naimonanyi continued to shift towards the left - we were further and further away from Darchen.
Surprisingly we were not the only people on the road, despite a very early start. We were joined by a large number of Tibetan pilgrims at 6:30 am. It was just the beginning of the trek, everyone walked very slowly to warm up. However, I knew that these Tibetans beside me would return to Darchen by the same evening, whereas our group were trying the very best to complete the outer kora in two days. There were 7 of us, our guide, our driver Tenzin, and the two porters we hired. Very unfortunately Val from our group was not able to come with us. She opted for staying at the hotel and would wait for us to come back. Before we left, she handed her camera to our guide, asked him to take some good pictures along the kora for her.
I overheard a couple of Han trekkers and their Tibetan guides discussing about the vertical slash on Mount Kailash's south face. One of the guides told them that the markings on the south face resembled a perfect Swastika, meaning that the power of Mount Kailash was eternal. Rumors suggested that Adolf Hitler once sent over a team of Germans to Tibet looking for the origin of the so called “Aryan Race” (The Seven Years In Tibet guy?).
When he mentioned “the power of Mount Kailash”, I was reminded the time I saw Mount Kailash, and the weird experiences I had while I was on the route to the inner kora.
So the mysterious power did exist.
After a couple of miles of walk, we reached a prayer flag pole. There was a big dog bathing in the morning sun right on the prayer flags near a cliff. It drew the attention of everyone who passed by. Our guide warned us not to approach the dog, because we were very close to the world’s highest and one of the holiest Sky Burial Sites. In Tibet, because regular burial was literally impossible due to the fact that most of the grounds were comprised of permafrost, several “burying” methods were created to prevent the spread of disease from dead bodies. In a Sky Burial, a master, who is normally not a Buddhist (for obvious reasons), will prepare the body in accordance with Sky Burial traditions. Then a fire will be set to attract vultures living in the region. Vultures, who are in habit of eating carcasses, will fly to the body and consume the body until the flesh is all gone. Tibetans believe that the spirit of a human being has already left the body after death, therefore the dead body is merely a shell with very little meaning. However, dead human bodies can provide food to all living beings on a resource-scarce plateau like Tibet. Offering one’s dead body to vultures can be a practice of generosity and compassion, which are key values of Buddhism.
“The wild dogs near the Sky Burial Sites are very aggressive. We must be very careful” Our guide said. “The dogs often attack human beings as they, just like the vultures, had consumed human bodies. They know the taste of human flesh. Yesterday while in Darchen, I heard that someone was brutally attacked by a group of dogs during the trek and is now seriously injured. There are some cases that the wild dogs even killed pilgrims.”
I looked around, there were no sign of any food. Even for us the only food we could get were instant noodles sold by local Tibetans. There were no other things available due to the region’s remoteness and harsh climate.
What else would you expect those masterless wild dogs to eat for survival?
We descended a hill, a scene I had seen so many times on the internet before coming to Tibet – a scene that was featured on National Geographics “Top 10 Treks in the world” and in many tour brochures was right in front of me.
The Valley of Gods
I’m still not sure who gave this place such name. It definitely doesn’t sound like the it was given by Hindus or Buddhists. If not them, then who?
I guess it wasn’t that important to me, at least while I was there. The valley was simply stunning which no words could describe. On each side of the valley, towering walls of mountains didn’t allow the morning light to reach part of valley floor even when we could literally see the sun up there. The top of Mount Kailash was a different story – it shined like a giant lightbulb that illuminated the surrounding area, like a beacon in the sea of darkness.
We continued to march in the Valley of Gods. In front of a high butte there was a tall prayer flag pole, probably the largest I had ever seen in Tibet. Our guide told us that it was called the Tarboche. Every year during Saga Dawa – the Buddha’s birthday, a new Tarboche would be erected. The Saga Dawa took place about two weeks before our visit, so we were almost able to witness a huge celebration in the Mount Kailash area.
“That butte over there is the highest Sky Burial Site in the world”. Our guide told us.
Suddenly we heard the sound of barking dogs. The pilgrims in front of us stopped, trying to find out what caused such disturbance. Some of the people we encountered recommended us not to approach the Sky Burial Site. We then reconvened our trek. Moments later people in front of us stopped again, we were able to see what was happening:
A pack of wild dogs were chasing after one lone wild dog, in an attempt to kill it. Let me assure you, these were dogs of different colors and built, not wolves. The pack chased the lone dog all the way down from the butte to the pilgrimage route we were walking on. From there, more than half of the dogs returned to the butte, and another two or three continued to chase after the lone dog.
I would normally associate dogs with friendly pets many of us kept at home. However, in the wilderness, where dogs must find their own food and shelter in order to survive, many of them returned to their untamed animal state. This was especially true in Tibet, where even humans had problems finding their own foods. In the past, I often saw dogs "fighting" each other at a backyard or in a park as something light-hearted. The scene I just witnessed was no where near light-hearted: dogs fighting each to death for food, and more disturbingly that food could be human corpses on the Sky Burial Site.
Further we went, I began to lag behind our group as I was the only one busily taking pictures. Whenever I caught up with my group, they were already waiting there and rested up. That means I never really had any chance to rest. Eventually I had completely lost the sights of my group in the front. Very fortunately I knew that there was only one pilgrimage route around Mount Kailash. If I followed other pilgrims, I wouldn't be lost.
I came into this journey well prepared: I was wearing an expensive water-proof jacket, a pair of gloves, high-grade sunscreen, a military balaclava, and carried a light weight hiking pole.
The wind was strong. The sun was hot. However, when I looked around the pilgrims beside me, I didn't see any of the things I had. They were all wearing just plain traditional Tibetan clothing with none of the protections me or my group mates brought over from so called "developed countries". Besides, some of the pilgrims were in the process of prostrating through the whole kora. Yet these pilgrims seemed to be very happy about what they already had. I had never seen so many people having such beautiful and sincere smiles anywhere else - definitely not in some of the wealthiest cities in the world. Gore -Tex Pro technology might help someone like me to keep dry in a storm, but it was faith and determination that guided the pilgrims to conquer the strongest storms on the pilgrimage route. I didn't think my Gore-Tex Pro jacket could offer any of these types of guidance and determinations.
At one time I passed the Choku Monastery which was located on the cliff on my left hand side. I was planning to visit the monastery, but eventually chose not to go as I was way behind my group mates. Some of the pilgrims who walked alongside me had passed me, whereas some others decided to take a rest. I became all alone walking on the road many saw as the path of redemption. Shortly after, I felt I was being followed.
I looked back, the wild dog who was chased by the pack earlier was right behind me. Unsure of its intention, I stopped, hoping it will walk pass me. However, whenever I stopped, the dog stopped as well. Whenever I continued to walk, the dog quickly followed me. If I stayed for a long period of time, it would rest and only to follow me again when I attempted to sneak away. I noticed that somewhere not far from us, there were three dogs stalking us. I began to realize that the dog behind me was trying to seek protection from me.
I slowed down my steps, hoping more pilgrims would catch up with me and the dog. Later on, a couple of pilgrims who were taking a meal break along the path appeared in front of us. So I joined them for a short bit. The dog, too, sat right beside us. The three assassins were wandering around in the beginning, then ran away towards the opposite direction. They had chased the lone dog for at least 10 kilometers.
I resumed the trek, but the dog followed. Soon we passed by a magnificent formation of rocks called King Gesar’s horseshoe. King Gesar is the mythical ruler of Tibet in the ancient time. You could easily tell that even the Tibetans were amazed by these rock formations that they would name them after Tibet’s mythical king.
Right after King Gesar’s horseshoe, there were a couple of tents there. Outside one of the tents I saw our group mates Peter and Francis, the father and son from Australia. Because there were more people in this area, the lone dog no longer followed me and was drawn to other people who were resting there. I entered the tent, and all of my group mates were there. The only food available for purchase was instant noodle – something I hated from the bottom of my heart. Without any choice, I bought one but unable to finish, even after over 20 kilometers of walk. I ordered a bottle of butter tea, and drank the whole bottle for lunch instead.
Rose, Niail, and Ross from our group told us that they would like to complete the kora in one day. Our guide told them that if they would like to do so, they must hurry up so they could reach Darchen by evening. After the trio left, we stayed in the tent for another one hour or so, knowing that we were not far away from where we supposed to stay for the night.
As we reconvened, I began to feel very weak – my heart was pumping really fast and my legs seemed to lose half of its strength. I began to lag behind again. This time my group mates decided that they were not going to let me disappear from their sights like last time. However, our guide was nowhere to be found. Then we spotted him on the kora way ahead of us.
He was walking like he didn’t have a whole group behind him.
We could literally see the change of Mount Kailash’s faces. In the beginning of the journey we saw the iconic south face, then during the lunch stop we were right underneath the west face of the mountain. One bit at a time, we began to see the north face of Kailash, which was famous for its lotus shape.
As we got closer and closer to the north face of Mount Kailash, I began to encounter Hindu pilgrims. Many of them appeared to be very depressed, and were heading counter-clockwise of the holy kora, or which was called “Parikrama” in Hindi. Then I learned that these were the pilgrims who were unable to complete the kora/parikrama due to high altitude sickness taken place at Drolma La Pass, the highest point of the pilgrimage at 18,500 feet / 5,630 meters above sea level. I knew that Hindus, just like the Buddhists, were supposed to do any sorts of pilgrimage in a clockwise fashion. I also heard that walking counter clock wise were often associated with bad luck and would only do so while attending funerals.
The further I walked, the more Hindu pilgrims I encountered heading back to Darchen counter-clock wise on the kora. I panicked and felt even worse. I thought if these faithful Hindus who came all the way from India to worship the religion’s holiest mountain couldn’t make it, would I, a mere tourist, be able to reach Drolma La Pass the next day?
I felt worse and worse. I began to have headaches and my stomachs were turning. There was a voice telling me that I might not make it to Drolma La Pass the next day. I just remember that I was walking like a hollow shell, with no recollection of anything else happening around me. The next moment I remembered seeing was the giant monolithic face of Mount Kailash’s north face and the Dirapuk Monastery, where we were supposed to stay for the night.
At the monastery, we were assigned into different rooms in a newly built guesthouse. Soon we went to the monastery itself. Its interior was very dark yet well decorated. Finally in one of the meditation caves I found our guide and driver, who were taking pictures in there (for most of the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, no photos were allowed…..I guess they must knew the monks there very well). On the terrace of the monastery, my group mates claimed that they saw Rose, Niail, and Ross on the kora far in distance. I tried to look for them too, but I found something else that was very familiar instead – the lone dog I encountered earlier.
Around the same time, I started to feel very sick. I decided probably it was time for me to take a rest in my room. Time passed by, but I didn’t feel any better – in fact, I felt even weaker. Mount Kailash was right outside of my window. The giant, dark, monolith emitted the same power I sensed the day before. I began to feel depressed and anxious again, in addition to the physical sickness I already had. Through the window, I saw a large number of Hindu pilgrims going counter-clockwise on the kora. Every year there would be about 50 Hindu pilgrims dying on the Kailash Parikrama due to high altitude sickness.
By that time, I barely had any power to rise up from the bed. I felt hopeless and being trapped, not just on the bed or in that monastery. I felt being trapped in the middle of nowhere – the kind of place where had no running water or electricity. The nearest town was 30 kilometers by walk, and the nearest modern hospital was more than 1,000 kilometers away.
The question to me at that moment wasn’t even whether I could complete the kora anymore. I never had such feeling that was so close to death than anything I had experienced in my life. Fear rose from the bottom of my heart, and I began to think about death itself.
Then pictures of my family suddenly appeared on my mind. Only recently I got the chance to reunite with many of them. Everyone was waiting for me to return home safely. I thought of my father and my mother, whose only child was struggling physically and psychologically deep in one of the most remote places on earth. I imagined how sad my family, especially my parents would be if I die, and how much tear there would be attempting to wash the grief that would never go away.
I give up, I’m turning back. I’m not leaving my family sad forever for my own ego of completing a pilgrimage that meant absolutely nothing to me religiously.
That is, if I will still be alive the next day.
During dinner time, I felt slightly better. I slowly moved to the eatery of the guesthouse to meet up with my group mates. I planned to tell them my decision. When I entered, Aurelie, Cheryl, Peter, and Francis were already there, together with one of our porters. I sat down, and told everyone that I decided not to complete the kora and would return to Darchen the next day.
Everyone told me that we would complete the kora together as one team.
Cheryl said: "We are already half way here. It makes no sense to head back now. If you have the energy to head back, you'll have the energy to complete the trek. Why did you and I come here in the first place? To circle around Mount Kailash! We have already made it this far. So believe in what we just said: you'll make it! But you'll also need to believe in yourself!"
I still wasn't sure. There was only one type of food available - instant noodle. However despite that I hadn't eaten much on that day, my poor appetite and my hatred for instant noodle convinced me that I wasn't going to eat the bowl right in front of me. I felt very depressed again - if I couldn't even eat any food, how would I even be able to recuperate the energy I needed for the next day?
Then Cheryl told me:
"There were a lot of people waiting for you to go home. This is the only thing you can get energy from. If you don't eat it, you are not going to go through this. You are not eating this bowl of noodle for yourself. Think about people who look forward seeing you after this trip. You are eating this noodle for them."
"Val had always wanted to complete the Kailash kora for her whole life. She couldn't even be with us. Please eat it for her. I'm sure she wanted you to be well and complete the kora", said Aurelie.
I forced myself to take one bite of the noodles, it was disgusting. But I did it for Val.
Then Cheryl said, "now think about your uncle. He told you everything about Tibet. If you can't complete the kora, he'll be disappointed. You should eat for him!"
I forced myself to take another bite, disgusting as usual. But it was for my uncle
"Who else is on your mind"? The two ladies asked.
"my parents".
"You should eat the noodle for them"
I took a bite, it was still disgusting.
"Who else?"
"My cousin".
"Go ahead" .
I took a bite, it was absolutely disgusting.
..........
"Who else?"
"Justin Trudeau".
" What are you looking at? Go ahead and eat!"
"Who else?"
"Justin Bieber".
"Go ahead, eat the noodle for Justin Bieber".
............
Somehow, I finished that bowl of instant noodle.
"You will be just fine. I don't think there will be any problems for you tomorrow. Trust me, I've seen so many trekkers, you will make it", said our porter.
We began to chat, the porter told us that he was from Kangding in Kham (Western Sichuan). He had been a porter living on $30.00 a day of commission for over 20 years. He had three daughters, one of them was my age.
"You should marry one of his daughters" Cheryl joked, then turned to the porter, "How many times have you circled Mount Kailash then?"
"Over a thousand times".
"Does it mean that you have achieved Nirvana already!?"
The porter just smiled and didn't answer. But I could tell that he was proud of what he had accomplished.
Then we asked the 10 year old little guy who was running the shop for his parents while they were cleaning and serving everyone in the guesthouse. "How many times have you circled Mount Kailash?"
"About 9 times"
"You are 10, and have circled the holy mountain for 9 times! How many times have you done this year alone?"
"3"
"No wonder"
Upon learning that I could speak Chinese, the little guy chased after me trying to practice Chinese with me. Indeed, the tourist industry had poured money into Tibet. Many of the parents had encouraged their children to learn Chinese so the whole family could benefit economically.
The porter suggested that I should purchase some Red Bulls from the shop. He told me that Red Bulls were very effective against high altitude sickness. Even many first time Tibetans drank them on their very first attempt to cross Drolma La Pass. That explained why every single guest tents around the kora had them available for purchase. Cheryl gave me some of the prescription anti-altitude sickness tablets she bought in Hong Kong without having any actual prescriptions (money talks), and asked me to take them after reading the instruction written on the package.
Because our guide told us that we needed to depart by 5:00 am the next morning, we had to go to sleep although the sun was still high. I looked through the window, Mount Kailash's giant body appeared more intimidating in the light of a sinking sun. Its dark face emitted the familiar yet mysterious power that got my heart pumping very fast.
I suddenly felt very ill again. My stomach was turning, my head was spinning, and I couldn't even get up from my bed.
In struggle, I opened up the package and took one of the tablets Cheryl gave to me. After feeling better, I went to sleep, not knowing what would happen the next day.
That is, if I could even wake up the next day.
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The setting of the Sky Burial Site resembled a perfect amphitheater. In the middle, the Sky Burial Master was preparing the lifeless body of the Elder. The two sons were weeping for the loss of their beloved father. Beside them, He was sitting there with the Elder's white robes on his hands, not saying a word.
He looked around, the vultures had already gathered on the cliff right above them. The vultures stood right above the humans like the audience at a Colosseum. They were waiting for the first blood to be drawn down there.
After the preparation and the ceremony, the Master sent his signal for the vultures.
All of sudden darkness, which was the same color as the vultures' feathers covered the sky. The hungry birds speared down to the body of the Elder, devouring everything in their sights. They knew it was never easy to find food in where they live, so they needed to appreciate the Sky Burial Master's gesture very fast.
The two sons could no longer bear to watch that scene anymore. They cried even harder, and ran away from the something they could barely recognize - the body of their father.
He left the Elder's white robe on the ground, then stood up and left.
(To be Continued in Part 3)
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7
Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode13 Episode 14
Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18
If you have completed the circling 108 times, you will achieve instant nirvana and become an "enlightened" being like the Buddha.
......................................................................................................
PART 2: DESTRUCTION
(Continued from Part 1)
When the first morning ray arrived at Darchen, we had already left the village. Looking south, Naimonanyi continued to shift towards the left - we were further and further away from Darchen.
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| Naimonanyi (Gurla Mandhata) |
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| Early morning on the kora |
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| Early morning on the kora |
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| Naimonanyi (Gurla Mandhata) |
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| A small ramp on the kora route |
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| Mani piles |
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| Naimonanyi (Gurla Mandhata) |
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| A prayer flag pole and Naimonanyi |
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| A wild dog doing sun bathing on prayer flags |
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| Somewhere along the kora. The creek below might be the source of a mighty river in the subcontinent |
What else would you expect those masterless wild dogs to eat for survival?
We descended a hill, a scene I had seen so many times on the internet before coming to Tibet – a scene that was featured on National Geographics “Top 10 Treks in the world” and in many tour brochures was right in front of me.
The Valley of Gods
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| Valley of Gods |
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| Mount Kailash from the kora |
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| Prayer flags and Mount Kailash |
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| The Valley of Gods |
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| Mount Kailash and a horse |
“That butte over there is the highest Sky Burial Site in the world”. Our guide told us.
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| Mount Kailash, Tarboche, and the Sky Burial Site |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Pilgrims on the kora |
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| Mount Kailash in the morning |
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| Choku Monastery |
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| Pilgrims on the kora |
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| Pilgrims on the kora |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Pilgrims on the kora in the Valley of Gods |
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| Landscapes along the kora |
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| Mount Kailash in the morning sun |
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| Part of the "stone wall" that surrounded Mount Kailash |
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| On the other side of the kora route |
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| The "wall" that guarded Mount Kailash off the pilgrimage route |
The wind was strong. The sun was hot. However, when I looked around the pilgrims beside me, I didn't see any of the things I had. They were all wearing just plain traditional Tibetan clothing with none of the protections me or my group mates brought over from so called "developed countries". Besides, some of the pilgrims were in the process of prostrating through the whole kora. Yet these pilgrims seemed to be very happy about what they already had. I had never seen so many people having such beautiful and sincere smiles anywhere else - definitely not in some of the wealthiest cities in the world. Gore -Tex Pro technology might help someone like me to keep dry in a storm, but it was faith and determination that guided the pilgrims to conquer the strongest storms on the pilgrimage route. I didn't think my Gore-Tex Pro jacket could offer any of these types of guidance and determinations.
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| Two pilgrims on the kora |
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| Two meditating pilgrim |
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| A pilgrim doing the prostration |
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| Choku Monastery on a cliff |
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| The Valley of Gods |
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| The stone wall of Kailash |
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| The other side of the Valley of Gods |
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| The three "assassins" |
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| The lone dog that followed me |
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| Sun filtering through the might stone wall that surrounded Mount Kailash |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| The lone wild dog resting beside us |
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| Frozen waterfall and rocky hills |
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| Looking back on the kora |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| Mount Kaiash's west face and King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| Mount Kailash's west face from the tents |
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| King Gesar's horseshoe from the tents |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| West face of Kailash and King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| Mount Kailash's west face and King Gesar's horseshoe |
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| Frozen stream along the kora |
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| Frozen river and mountains along the kora |
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| Mount Kailash |
He was walking like he didn’t have a whole group behind him.
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| Looking back on the kora |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| Northwestern face of Mount Kailash |
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| Northwestern face of Mount Kailash |
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| North face of Mount Kailash |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Hindu pilgrims heading back to Darchen |
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| A Hindu pilgrim heading back to Darchen |
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| A frozen creek |
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| Scenery on the kora |
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| Towering mountains along the kora |
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| A prayer pole and mountains around Mount Kailash |
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| Dirapuk Monastery |
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| Frozen stream and mountains |
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| Dirapuk Monastery |
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| Dirapuk Monastery |
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| North face of Mount Kailash |
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| North face of Mount Kailash |
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| Mount Kailash and the Shishapangma Hotel |
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| The north face of Mount Kailash |
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| Mount Kailash |
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| Mount Kailash in the afternoon from the monastery |
That is, if I will still be alive the next day.
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| Stupas near Dirapuk Monastery |
Everyone told me that we would complete the kora together as one team.
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| Stupas and the Dirapuk Monastery |
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| Stupas and Mount Kailash |
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| Stupas and Mount Kailash |
"There were a lot of people waiting for you to go home. This is the only thing you can get energy from. If you don't eat it, you are not going to go through this. You are not eating this bowl of noodle for yourself. Think about people who look forward seeing you after this trip. You are eating this noodle for them."
"Val had always wanted to complete the Kailash kora for her whole life. She couldn't even be with us. Please eat it for her. I'm sure she wanted you to be well and complete the kora", said Aurelie.
I forced myself to take one bite of the noodles, it was disgusting. But I did it for Val.
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| Mount Kailash in the afternoon |
I forced myself to take another bite, disgusting as usual. But it was for my uncle
"Who else is on your mind"? The two ladies asked.
"my parents".
"You should eat the noodle for them"
I took a bite, it was still disgusting.
"Who else?"
"My cousin".
"Go ahead" .
I took a bite, it was absolutely disgusting.
..........
"Who else?"
"Justin Trudeau".
" What are you looking at? Go ahead and eat!"
"Who else?"
"Justin Bieber".
"Go ahead, eat the noodle for Justin Bieber".
............
Somehow, I finished that bowl of instant noodle.
"You will be just fine. I don't think there will be any problems for you tomorrow. Trust me, I've seen so many trekkers, you will make it", said our porter.
 |
| Mount Kailash |
"You should marry one of his daughters" Cheryl joked, then turned to the porter, "How many times have you circled Mount Kailash then?"
"Over a thousand times".
"Does it mean that you have achieved Nirvana already!?"
The porter just smiled and didn't answer. But I could tell that he was proud of what he had accomplished.
 |
| Mount Kailash |
"About 9 times"
"You are 10, and have circled the holy mountain for 9 times! How many times have you done this year alone?"
"3"
"No wonder"
Upon learning that I could speak Chinese, the little guy chased after me trying to practice Chinese with me. Indeed, the tourist industry had poured money into Tibet. Many of the parents had encouraged their children to learn Chinese so the whole family could benefit economically.
The porter suggested that I should purchase some Red Bulls from the shop. He told me that Red Bulls were very effective against high altitude sickness. Even many first time Tibetans drank them on their very first attempt to cross Drolma La Pass. That explained why every single guest tents around the kora had them available for purchase. Cheryl gave me some of the prescription anti-altitude sickness tablets she bought in Hong Kong without having any actual prescriptions (money talks), and asked me to take them after reading the instruction written on the package.
 |
| Mount Kailash from my room |
I suddenly felt very ill again. My stomach was turning, my head was spinning, and I couldn't even get up from my bed.
In struggle, I opened up the package and took one of the tablets Cheryl gave to me. After feeling better, I went to sleep, not knowing what would happen the next day.
That is, if I could even wake up the next day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The setting of the Sky Burial Site resembled a perfect amphitheater. In the middle, the Sky Burial Master was preparing the lifeless body of the Elder. The two sons were weeping for the loss of their beloved father. Beside them, He was sitting there with the Elder's white robes on his hands, not saying a word.
He looked around, the vultures had already gathered on the cliff right above them. The vultures stood right above the humans like the audience at a Colosseum. They were waiting for the first blood to be drawn down there.
After the preparation and the ceremony, the Master sent his signal for the vultures.
All of sudden darkness, which was the same color as the vultures' feathers covered the sky. The hungry birds speared down to the body of the Elder, devouring everything in their sights. They knew it was never easy to find food in where they live, so they needed to appreciate the Sky Burial Master's gesture very fast.
The two sons could no longer bear to watch that scene anymore. They cried even harder, and ran away from the something they could barely recognize - the body of their father.
He left the Elder's white robe on the ground, then stood up and left.
(To be Continued in Part 3)
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