Lahaul and Spiti district

Yosemite National Park

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If the weather in the Himalayas in summer is anything like the weather in Yosemite National Park in spring, then I think I’ll be all right with what to wear for trekking to monasteries. What hiking it’s been here in California with sun, vistas, rainbows, waterfalls, and snow! Exhilarating.

Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park
Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park

Of course, altitude figures as a large difference. The scale of even the highest of Yosemite’s mountains pales in comparison to the Himalayas. Yet a taste of such grandeur truly makes me look forward to being present in Spiti, Lahaul, and Ladakh. Below is a view of Yosemite Falls, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls.

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Falls, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls, Yosemite National Park

Himalayas / hi-MAAL-yah

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Learn something new every day. The correct pronunciation for Himalaya is “hi-MAAL-yah.”

Mountains and the Indus River Valley as seen from Alchi Monastery circumambulatory, Himalayas.
Mountains and the Indus River Valley as seen from Alchi Monastery circumambulatory, Himalayas.

I look forward to going there later this year to conduct research as an artist, made possible by a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar award. Excited and honored! Truly grateful for this opportunity! I will be researching murals of Indo-Tibetan monasteries in Lahaul, Spiti, and Ladakh districts, with a focus on mandalas as a blueprint for understanding the nature of mind and reality.

So while my departure is still months away, I’ve already begun traveling in my mind as I await further details from Fulbright.