Afternoon-time (the other day) Sherap and I returned from a 'flash visit' to Helambu, the mountainous region in which his mother was born and grew up.

We drove on Monday evening for 4 hours, half of it on broken mountain roads and arrived at 10pm at a small village of Quel. After chatting with the lodge-keeper we were served dal baat* and given beds in a simple room outside and upstairs

The next day we rose at 5am to start a 3 hour trek up a steep path to Sherap’s aunt’s house.

There we had tea and aloo and then started off again with a growing crowd of villagers to climb the last 2 hours - up an equally steep path, to the site of a beautiful golden statue, The Guru Rinpoche Padam Siddi Hung.

The statue of the Guru had been financed by the Dell Corporation and the work of building the 6m high statue had been carried out in India. Nobody knew from where exactly the statue had come, though Dharamsala’s School of Tibet Arts at Norbulinka is a possible source of such fine work.

It was the start of a 5 day pooja lead by a Rinpoche of the Drugpa sect of Buddhism to bless, cleanse and empower the Guru Rinpoche. At the top we were offered orange squash, “Jus” and tea (of the salty variety) and snacks of aloo and chura, potato  and beaten rice.

After an hour or so the faint drumming of a helicopter could be heard. Scanning the landing site as he approached, the pilot brought his shiny white machine gently down to land on a tiny patch of ground close to the Guru Rinpoche statue.

700 or 800 people were asked politely not to ‘mob the Rinpoche’ as he climbed down from the helicopter and up the steps to the golden statue. There was electricity in the air; these were simple villagers in awe of the Rinpoche.

Soon the Rinpoche began his prayers and almost in unison, the crowd joined in with the Rinpoche’s mantra. Bells, symbols, horns and conche shells added to the rhythmic chanting.

After some time the people ceased their accompaniment and listened to the pooja as it progressed. Later pausing for a break, the kitchen staff who had been working ceaselessly fed the huge crowd rice and dal. A team of helpers who all wore local dress quickly distributed the food as the villagers sat patiently.

When the pooja ended for the day, the Rinpoche who had studied the Dharma in Sikkim and Bouda in Kathmandu, received the locals for a blessing. Standing in an fairly orderly line the villagers - from all over the Helambu region, slowly climbed the steps, each with several kattas** in hand waiting their turn to receive the Rinpoche’s blessing – the kattas getting blessed at the same time.

Sherap took his place in the line and returned with a huge grin. “It was so nice to be up there with the Rinpoche, I felt so peaceful.”

When all had been blessed and had settled down again in the large makeshift tent, rice and dal was again served to a crowd that felt more like a big family picnic party.

It was past 5pm and with the clouds turning grey it was time to head back down the mountain and return home. Sherap and I had become separated, but it didn’t matter most people seemed to know who I was and welcomed me to walk back down with them.

On the way up I hadn’t realised that so many of the people I’d been walking with were relatives of Sherap’s, uncles and aunts and so many cousins, all ‘brothers and sisters’ in this mountain Buddhist community.

Sherap’s family had become my family too as we walked back down the steep path, the sun setting over distant mountain ranges.