A TRIP BY horseback through the movuntainons Tibetan countryside sounds romantic. But that romatice quickly fades if you're riding on a wooden saddle with just a carpet for pad- ding. “By the end of the first day I had rubbed off all the skin on my buttocks,"’ said Isaac Sobol. He and his wife Yeshe travelled through the high desert landscape of Tibet by jeep and horseback for six weeks, and recently gave a public slide show of their trip. A record 100 people showed up to take in the show. The couple travelled to Tibet in the autumn of 1994 with a Tibetan meditation teacher, Akong Rinpoche. They were the first western- ers ever to accompany him in Tibet, Rinpoche, who now lives in Scotland, fled Tibet in 1959, when the Dali Lama fled. The Chinese took over Tibet in the 1950s. Despite the move from his homeland, Rinpoche didn’t sever his ties with the region, and started a charity called Rokpa to provide ed- ucation and medical training to Tibetans living in im- poverished conditions. That way he hoped to give remote villages some access to medica] personnel. Sobol started the Canadian chapter of Rokpa in 1993. It’s headquariers are in New Aiyansh, where Sobol bases ISAAC SOBOL and his wife Yeshe purchased this tent during a trip they made to Tibet. The tent is similar to many they stopped in during their travels through east- ern Tibet with a lama named Akong Rinpoche. People would gather in these tents to receive blessings from Rinpache, his medical practice, The chapter currently is helping to put 50 young students through training in tradi- tional Tibetan medicine, at a cost of just $16,000 a year. The trip to Tibet was to check how the moncy was being spent, and if the pro- gram was working properly, said Sobol. At that time travel to Tibet was very restricted, A permit was granted only be- cause of the charity. The ‘‘schools’? where the Sludents were studying were actually monasteries, scat- tered throughout the Khan region in Eastern Tibet. Technology is very primi- tive in these monasteries, and many still used tradi- tional wooden blocks to do printing. “Its part of the way they maintain their traditions,’ said Sobol. As for the ‘roads’ connect- ing these monasteries, rough was a charitable way to de- scribe them, said Sobol. Most of the monasteries were only reachable by horseback, or by jeep on oc- casion, “The roads were terrible — unbelicvably bad with huge potholes and big iog- ging trucks,’’ said Sobol, And the accomodation was cqually bad. ‘‘Very basic and very brutal,’’ said Sobol, But the expericnce was worth the discomfort, he added. And they'll go back again when foreigners are once more allowed back into the region, Currently there is a ban. on travel in the arca, When the river keeps on rising | AT. THE: MARKET: LYNNE CHRISTIANSEN . IF YOU listen to the talk down at the market you can hear a lot of complaining. It’s too cold, it's too wet, winter was too long, spring was too late, and on and on the gardeners complain. Lately the topic of con- versation has been the water levels on the Skeena. It’s the old timers that dis- cuss it with the most seriousness, After all people who have watch the river for a long time, have seen the power of the river. One of the worst floods in our town’s memory was the flood in 1936. The Skeena tose six feet over the top of Ferry Island, A heavy snow pack, and a cold, late spring, combined with sudden warm weather in June, is a IF WOULD-BE campers think this weather is pretty wet, it's a good thing they weren't here in 1936, This photo shows Ferry island that year, under six feet of water due to a flooded Skeena River. recipe for a Skeena flood. In 1936, that’s what hap- pened. There were thunder storms as Well, The Bulkicy, Suska, Babine, and Morice were flooding and unloaded into the already flooding Skeena. It was devastating. Build- ings and live stock were scen washing down the river. Usk was hit very hard. The water hacked up at Kit- Sselas canyon and on the west side of the river five homes were washed away. Families who were flooded Avatlable at our Terrace Shopping Contre 635-7440 For the student in your life! “Remember Terrace Shopping Centre location and City Gentre Mall, Kitimat! ERWIN'S J Ew —€ tL LER S SINCE 1910 with a | PERSONALIZED school ring City Centre Mall Kitimat 632-3313 out moved up the hill side where the school and the Varner’s home were situated on a high bench. The Adams house had water in the sccond floor, It washed off its high founda- tion. Later a team of horses was used to pull the house back to ils foundation. There were other bad spring flood years — in 1948, 1964, 1972. Although our June weather feels more like September, we can be thankful that it is helping to keep the water levels down, Now that water levels have fallen, some of our lo- cal farmers can finally get down to business. The Bahrs finally ‘ploughed (their ficlds on June 13. Mr. Bahr Sr, says it won't take long to catch up once the weather warms up. Mr. Bahr says that when the Skeena and the Bulkley are flooding al the same time and then we have a full moon (which affects the run-off at the mouth of the Skeena) there is cause for concem, And this month we have a blue moon (two full moons in one month). ( CLEAR ) THE AIR & A Reduce air ada _ pollution aH from residential wood smoke anc auto emissions with fips from ihe Association BRITISH COLUMBIA LUNG ASSOCIATION Boy M009, Station D aveuver HAC, WO M2 ne pur arate RETR pabicaticth / Keys Keys Keys Keys Keys Keys - Keys Keys Keys Keys Keyskeys Keys. 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