In the beginning

I was searching for volunteer teaching opportunities (preferably one that did not charge me a squillion dollars for the privilege) when I came across the opportunity to work with young adult Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala.  A bit more googling informed me that Dharamsala is the home of the Tibetan government in exile and the home of the Dalai Lama in exile.  Plus the school seems to have Himalayan views to die for.    I've lived in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, so why not the western.  Sounded ideal.

Some negotiation was needed with the times so that I could be back in Sydney in time for the World Gifted Conference, for which I had submitted an abstract.  But all was finally sorted.

No time for exploratory travel after the teaching post, but I could take a couple of weeks before.  Travel in India has never been high on my bucket list - it rated, for me, somewhere in the vicinity of Afghanistan and Syria - but somehow Ladakha swung into my radar - perhaps after a conversation with someone about Mustang in Nepal - which my good friend Mr Google suggested that might be a bit too energetic for me.  Anyway, Ladakha appealed, travel inquiries were made (including one tour that was tracking the Snow Leopard....) and my tour duly booked, without Snow Leopards.

Flight bookings online were difficult as I wanted several days in Sydney on the return, so I used a travel agent, who, as she was dealing with the travel insurance for me, informed me that it was "100 days of travel"  - so that seemed like a good title for a story.

I am 12 days away from leaving, packing up myself and the house (which is being rented for 3 months) and generally trying to fit in everything that needs to be done.  But the 100 days is going to be awesome.

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