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Looking for some
meaningful interaction when you travel? Are you part of the growing
percentage of travelers who are seeking to rise above life’s
complacencies? To seek out travel destinations where we, if only for brief
periods of time, can assist our fellow man while acquiring a new perspective
on our own lives?
The Peace Corp and
Greenpeace are notable examples of volunteer programs that have legs. Dating
as far back as the early 1960s, the Peace Corp’s involvement in countries
like Nepal is a model that has been emulated by activists groups worldwide. However, short of
signing up for an annual stint in these venerable organizations, there are
non-profit tour operators that are dedicated to similar goals with less
investment of time. For those of us, who want to get involved, this can be
accomplished on a 14-day sojourn to Ladakh, India.
Himalaya mountain range near Ladakh (R. Callari)
Volunteer Vacations in Ladakh
Companies like
Global Eco-Spiritual Tours, based in
Delray Beach, Florida, is a small tour operator who appeals to travelers who
want to donate their vacation time to volunteerism.
GESTO offers their travel partners the environmental landscape of Ladakh as
a backdrop where they can combine participation in low-impact, ecological
projects while immersed in the spiritual nature of an ancient Buddhist
community. Actually a unique combination a ying and yang, these tours are
conducted during the summer months of June till August.
Appealing to all types and age ranges, the make-up of a GESTO tour group
attracts students, travel writers, photographers, and seniors.
First impressions of the locals are lasting. Ladakhis are a truly hardy lot
of self-sufficient people whose agrarian lifestyle has sustained them for
hundreds of years. On a typical day, it is not uncommon to witness entire
families harvesting their fields with a yak and ploughshares.
Tour participants are shown how low-impact ecological involvement is
contingent upon this sustainable lifestyle, where they can enhance a process
that is already in place. Reinforced by Buddhism, one learns that one does
not find peace of mind in simply observing a plant as an inanimate object.
One finds peace of mind in the process of planting. The former is fleeting,
expendable; the latter is a long-term life commitment.
A Delicate Balance
The ecology of Ladakh is
delicate. Some talk of it as the “desert in the sky” where greedy mountains
deprive the land of rain and global warming has depleted the glacier
run-offs with each passing year.
To counter these diminishing
water supplies, tour groups tap natural spring beds located in the Himalayan
foothills and bottle the run-off for villagers living in outlying rural
areas. Volunteers learn how to engage in water purification to filter out
microorganisms, and by the end of the exercise, participants have a new
appreciation of the precious commodity that we too often take for granite.
Many tour operators also
provide aid for townspeople in remote locales. Some mountainous communities
may be home to only 15 families. GESTO conducts donation ceremonies where
they seek out a needy member of a community that could benefit from solar
panels and night lanterns. Around a campfire where Chang or barley
beer is served, tour members along with Gobas, or town leaders
officiate at these special events where donations are presented to the
selected villagers.
Travelers can also
learn how to identify endangered species. Mountain trek sightings
might uncover a herd of Ibex, an indigenous mountainous creature that
resembles an antelope but are actually members of the goat family. Their
magnificent crown of horns distinguishes them, measuring up to 147 centimeters.
Planting at Matho Monastery (R.Callari)
Wild yak can also be
viewed running freely on the precipices of jagged cliffs. When trekking the
Himalayans, tour members can report their findings to the Wildlife Preserve
authorities, before completing a trek. Since ‘trust’ is essential element
of this culture’s makeup, these government offices will take one’s word for
one’s sightings, and use the information to support local programs.
The Jammu and Kashmir
Department of Wildlife Protection recently instituted a pilot program to aid
villagers in constructing wire and metal bar protected windows on indoor
livestock pens to prevent access by snow leopards. Volunteer sightings have
helped in extending the area coverage for this program.
Planting saplings of
willow trees at one of the needy gompas or monasteries is an
important volunteer function since many of these establishments lack
sufficient funds to establish their own orchards. Once full-grown, these
plantings provide cooling shade, filtration of air pollutants and pollens,
wind buffering and soil improvement.
Ladakhis are able to
live and flourish in this stark and unforgiving environment. They have
prospered to a high level of co-existence and spiritual enlightenment for
thousands of years. Here, frugality retains its original meaning of
'fruitfulness', getting more out of little. This allows Ladakhis to recycle
everything and attain almost complete self-reliance.
Trip Options
Tour dates for the next Ladakh volunteer trip
are August 2nd through 13th, 2005 with ten members per group.
Members are expected to participate in low impact, sustainable development
projects while immersed in the spiritual nature of this ancient Buddhist
region.
GESTO is offering a new
activity for the 2005 tour—a river raft ride.
By establishing the new tree plant area along the Indus River, GESTO was
able to add the river raft ride in the morning before the tree planting. This
popular tourist activity in the Ladakh region will allow tour members to
view beautiful monasteries
and identify endangered species while rafting down the Indus to our tree
plant area.
The donation cost for the Ladakh trip is $2,500 per tour member, excluding
round
trip airfare into India. A discount of 30 percent off the normal tour
fee is available to all student volunteers, professional writers, and
photographers.
To
get to Ladakh, you'll fly first to Delhi and then to Leh on either Indian
Airlines or Jet-Airways. The main
overland approach in Ladakh is from the Kashmir Valley via the 434 kilometer Srinagar-Leh road, which remains open for traffic from early June
through November. The journey between Leh and Manali takes 19 hours or two days by bus or Gypsy
taxis. A recommended hotel in Ladakh is the Hotel Highland Stok, an eco-friendly hotel located 30 minutes outside of Leh, and at the end
of the Stok-Kangri mountain passes trail.
You can reach the hotel via email at
tangduhl@yahoo.com.co.in.
Volunteerism, in turn
is the icing on the proverbial cake. It is beneficial to the giver and the
recipient. And the giver and the recipient in this case include the
volunteer. Visitors learn how to obtain more out of little by having the
fortunate opportunity to interact with this impressive culture. During a
visit to Ladakh, India, those that are truly effected by the experience are
those who return home with a clearer perspective on volunteerism.
Volunteering while on
vacation isn’t all its cracked up to be. It’s better!
Ron Callari is
a American freelance journalist and editorial cartoonist who spends the bulk
of his time writing articles pertaining to travel, op-ed, and humor. His
published printed work includes articles in the USA Today, The
World and I, B&B, the Journal for Innkeepers, Yesterday/Today
in New Jersey, and New Jersey Living. His online published credits
include articles in SCOOP, Careermag.com, iAgora,
newtraveler.com, and FolksOnline. He is also the Editor
for Lodging.com’s Hospitality Newsletter. You can reach Ron
via email or his
website.
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