There is a pic, but my Mac isn't letting me cut&paste it here.
Nepal's 'Kung fu nuns' return to India on annual cycle yatra, this time to Ladakh

TNN | Jul 15, 2016, 08.00 PM IST

Nepal’s ‘kung fu nuns’ on their annual cycle yatra.

DEHRADUN: Armed with a will to show the world that women are no less in any field and a wish to spread awareness about the environmental conservation, Nepal's 'kung fu nuns' returned to India on their annual cycle yatra, this time to Ladakh through the borders of the Uttarakhand state on Thursday. The cycle yatra aimed at combating gender stereotypes and to promote collaborative action for the environment entered India through Banbassa checkpoint near the border area of Uttarakhand and was led by the Gyalwang Drukpa, of the Ladakh based Drukpa Order.
It is learned that 300 monks and nuns bicycled into India at the Banbassa checkpoint (Uttarakhand) and few will be joining in coming days as a part of their 2,500km journey to Hemis Monastery in Ladakh. "The Drukpa Order, which has come to be known for its insistence on gender equality and celebration of diversity regularly organises such events to highlight issues of global significance. The Cycle Yatra commenced from Kathmandu on July 3 from one of the monasteries of the Drukpa lineage and has become an annual feature of Order's efforts to promote awareness about the environmental crises in the region and inspire collaborative action to resolve it" said Jigme Yeshe Lhamo, a nun, a "Kung-Fu" nun part of the cycle yatra.
Adding to which, the 27-year-old nun said, "We have previously held 7 pad-yatras and this is the fourth cycle yatra for the same cause. I joined the order when I was 16 and have been to 2 cycle yatras before. This is held annually to spread word about the causes we support like breaking gender stereotypes and spreading awareness about environment conservation. People lovingly call us as the Kung Fu nuns and we love being addressed like that. We all know martial art-kung fu and as part of the cycle yatra we keep interacting with village women on our way about women empowerment" These bravehearts armed with trekking cycles/bikes and 2 trucks carrying their luggage, tents, food items travel at least 60-70km in the daytime before staying for the night in either open fields, monasteries, temples or schools. "We might reach Haridwar and later Dehradun in may be next 3-4 days or a week's time. We don't get disheartened or tired when we think about the motive of our journey despite the strain. In fact, we will culminate our journey at a very auspicious time of the Naropa festival which is held every 12 years and also is called the Himalayan Kumbh Mela, which makes it all the more special" said Lhamo.
The two month long Yatra traverses through some of the most arduous routes in the Himalayan region and the journey nevertheless is undertaken amidst adverse conditions. From the quake-hit regions in Nepal, to the monsoon hit towns in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Pathankot, Srinagar, Sonmargand Kargil (J&K)-The Yatra will culminate at Hemis Monastery, 45 kilometres from Leh where it is scheduled to arrive, prior to Naropa 2016 - a grand spiritual festival that is held once in every 12 years, celebrating the 1000th birth anniversary of the Indian Saint Naropa, patron of the Drukpa Lineage, which the participating nuns and monks say make it very special. "The Himalayas have been the home of the Drukpa Lineage for over 1000 years now.
Recently, the region has faced several environmental disasters that caused unwanted and unprecedented loss of life and upset the natural ecosystem. Our aim through this journey is to inspire people to be one with nature instead of being in a constant state of war with it. The Himalayas and the earth were formed millions of years before we were and it is our duty to respect them," said the Gyalwang Drukpa - the 12threincarnation of the head of the Drukpa Order. In the entire 2-month cycle expedition, the message of respecting women and environment conservation will be spread by all possible means.