In a previous post, you saw Sonam lighting incense at Abujee Lake. Tibetans believe that lakes are inhabited by protective deities. While sitting in camp one day, I asked if I could take a side trip to one of the smaller lakes nearby, and was promptly joined by Drolma, her grandmother, and a friend. The lake was about 30 minutes away, though we wandered through wood and thicket for over an hour. It's probably good that we couldn't communicate verbally; as I always say, you're only lost if you'd rather be somewhere else. Just when I was beginning to wonder about the navigational skills of our hosts, we burst from a patch of rhododendron right onto the shimmering lake shore.
Though there were no trails through the forests of rhododendron, there was some impressive scenery:
Once at the lake, Drolma endured a photo shoot led by her grandmother, who had dressed her in traditional garb for the trip. There were various ceremonial gestures, and this mysterious egg, whose meaning I never quite grasped. Perhaps it was just a snack; Drolma cracked and ate it on the way home.
Drolma navigates the azalea on our way back to camp.
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