Into the unknown, a 3000 Km trek (part 2)
In the second installment of her "Into the Unknown" series, Brooke Brodack pieces together her memories of visiting Key Monastery during her 3,000 kilometer trek from Jaipur to Manali, India. With all her original footage held hostage by a former travel companion, Brooke relies on her "amazing memory" to reconstruct the journey, and starting with Key Monastery proves to be the catalyst that unlocks destinations from Nani Tal to the great pine forests to the deserts of Gyu and Rotong Pass.
Key Monastery sits as an oasis in what is aptly called the cold desert of the Himalayas. Brooke arrived on foot, cold, tired, and hungry, with the biting wind as a constant companion. Despite her fears that the monks might not feed her, they brought biscuits and provisions within minutes. She arrived just in time for lunch, joining child monks in a dark room for a completely silent meal of black beans and rice before continuing her journey.
The video is a meditation on memory itself, on how the act of walking rather than driving through the world allows a person to take in every blade of grass and every detail. Brooke expresses profound gratitude for both Buddhism and the monastery that sustained her physically and spiritually during one of the most challenging legs of her trek.
Key Topics
- Key Monastery in the Himalayan cold desert
- Arriving cold and hungry after trekking on foot
- Silent meal of black beans and rice with child monks
- Reconstructing stolen footage through memory
- Destinations unlocked: Nani Tal, pine forests, Gyu, Rotong Pass
- Gratitude for Buddhist hospitality on the trek
Notable Moments
- 00:00 - Opening with images of the Himalayas
- 00:34 - Key Monastery as saving grace for reconstructing the journey
- 01:03 - Memories returning: Nani Tal, pine forests, Gyu, Rotong Pass
- 01:45 - Key Monastery described as "an oasis in the harsh and biting cold desert"
- 03:01 - Monks bringing biscuits and provisions within minutes
- 03:21 - Arriving just in time for lunch
- 03:40 - Silent meal of black beans and rice with child monks