Photos on a roll

Just a couple of other photos while the cyberspace god is smiling. The one above is of a sweet young woman who invited us to her house when she met us out walking. We had to cross this Iron beam to get to her place, can't believe I did it, even if it was hardly any drop.
And the photo to the left is of the Ani working on little prayer offerings. They are wrapping yarn around prayers that have been wound tightly around a small stick. The prayers are used to put in and on or around statues. I helped, and it was a lot of fun. There was music, Hindi, and lots of trash food like chips and things, it was fun.

As any good Buddhist knows...Things Change

Today Betty and Fredrik left for Lukla and the trek to Everest. I remain in Kathmandu. My sinus infection just keeps getting worse, my left ear is pretty well blocked and I didn't want to chance the flight. I was pretty prepared to have to stay at a village while the others kept on, but, I am not prepared to pop an ear drum on a flight, so...here I stay. Not sure what I will do now, take a day to just try and rest and let the antibiotics work is on the agenda, and then, maybe off to Pohkara or some such thing. We will see. So...things change, and I am trying to roll with these punches.  Oh, by the way, it seems I got a picture loaded. This is my Gumba! And This is me actually teaching, imagine that. We would do the Hokey Pokey at the end of every class, and that was a big hit! This is the view from the class room of the sun coming up. Ain't it beautiful!

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Last day in Kathmandu

Today should be our last in Kathmandu before leaving for the trek. My flu had gotten quite a bit worse since the last update and yesterday I took myself off to the clinic for a check up. It was an interesting experience. Betty came with me to make sure I could hear what the doctor actually said. The clinic itself, was beautiful, clean and modern, almost no wait, and the doctor was a lovely Nepali woman who had trained and done residency in Boston for 12 years. I would take that clinic over any hospital I have been to in NY boy it was nice. At the end of the day, it turns out I have a sinus infection, not such great news, but not such bad news either. I am now on antibiotics and should start to feel better in a day or two. My strength seems to have been a bit compromised by the fever and cold, but I will still start the trek and if I have to, I will stay behind at a local village, to me that could be almost as much fun as going to base camp anyway. 

Oh yes, Fredrik arrived on Friday, the day we came down from the Gumba and he looks great and is getting excited for the trek as well. We have been shopping our way around Kathmandu, buying hats and socks and warm undergarments, and jackets. They have a lot of this kind of thing done very cheaply here. Knockoffs of major brands, or some that have just fallen off trucks it seems. There is a trekking store every few meters and that is kind of fun. We have, even I have, gotten pretty good at bargaining. I sharpened my skills in Bodh Gaya, and have applied them here. I tend to over pay the Rickshaw guys though. I mean after all they are carrying me and Betty around and they are not big folks! So If I spend an extra dollar on that, it is a dollar well spent in my book. 

I am going to try to load up some pictures again, hope it works this time. 

This could be the last post before we leave tomorrow morning, so...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Down from the Gumba

We left the Gumba yesterday, that would be Betty and I, came down to Kathmandu, checked into our hotel and then returned to the Ani for a picnic lunch with all the nuns. We had momo on the grass. That would be dim sum any place else. We put on music, tried for American music to have the Ani dance to that...but...that didn't work, I don't really have dance music, so...on came the Hindi music and then the girls were dancing...now...where did they learn that? It was great except for the flu I was experiencing, and Betty was catching. That is a drag but...we carry on. Here are some pictures of the Gumba and my Ani.  Well, the pictures won't upload,  well I managed one.

I started my english classes once we were back at the Gumba from India, and that was really fun. I had three classes a day, one at 7:00 am between teh morning pujas. One at 4:00 and another at 5:00. As they usually started late and the 5:00 went into dinner time, we often held that class in one of the girls rooms. It was an advanced class and the emphasis was on speaking. I am not sure I could have gone on for a full month with out some better idea of what to do, however, the lessons in teaching I was supposed to receive at the start never materialized. But...it was fun and I am very glad I was able to have that experience, and that I was able to get to know some of these really wonderful young people.

Oh...and by the way, Merry Christmas!

Yoga in Kathmandu

I tried to load several pictures yesterday, but it took too long and I was anxious for my Thai food, and that bed was calling! Just to Clarify Billy, there were no bunks on this bus...they were regular bus seats, unless of course they were sort of broken as was mine. And considering I was sitting right behind the driver it was a long trip for me, I had to help drive around all those switchbacks getting through the mountains surrounding Kathmandu after all. Those of you who have had the pleasure of my driving for you as you were behind the wheel, know of what I speak!

Here are some of the pictures I took with my new camera, with which I am well pleased. And also pictures of Betty and I with our new friend and yoga instructor. We had an interesting private, only because we were the only two who showed up, yoga class this morning. The pranayama was a little tough with my lovely head cold and cough, but...it seemed to help.

Hope you like the pictures as much as I like taking them.

What they are: The Temple pictures are from some random Temple we happened upon, and the strangest looking Buddha I have ever seen.

Back in Nepal

After another 26 hour bus trip, which included waiting, sitting on the bus for 2 1/2 hours at our final stop until it got light enough to unload the bags and find taxi's...(can you imagine that anywhere in the US?) I am back in Nepal...YES!

I met up with Betty and we had a really nice day together in Kathmandu. One of the highlights of which was replacing my lost camera. I will upload just a few pictures I took this afternoon, just to give the blog some color, and then...I am off for Thai food and...a BEER!

Detail

To answer a request from brother Billy, I am gonna go into a little more detail about Boud Gaya and this adventure. I apologize in advance for 1) being long winded, I still have not learned the art of brevity, and 2)to those people who love to travel and stay in India. My perceptions are my own and it is perhaps my lack of vision and imagination that brings me to experience India in the way that I do. I certainly mean no disrespect.

Okay with that...

At the Gompa. It is a dust bowl, but then to me that seems endemic of the entire town. A squat complex of cinder block or brick buildings probably 6 or so set around a large enough to drive a couple of buses into courtyard. The ground is all dirt. The buildings are yellow, where they are not smeared with dirt and grime. Our room is on the 3rd floor. A large room, the size of two good sized star of the sea classrooms, is lit by only one working flourescent bar light on one side of the room only. We have placed small futton mattresses, although they really don't feel like they have any padding, against the walls on either side, mattress aside mattress, heads against the wall, with a middle path for walking. I sleep in the corner on the entrance side of the room, the older ani sleep on this side, the younger ones are across the isle, or so it seems. There are 20 mattresses lined up, but I think we are only 15 in this room. There are three rooms of us.

The bathroom is next door. It has a long sink when you enter with 5 faucets looking like outdoor faucets to which you would attach a hose. One long tray drains them all down a hole in one end, that hold is just that, a hole. There is a corresponding hole in the floor under the sink, but no connecting pipe so water just drips, and inevitably, falls all over the floor. This sink is used to brush teeth, wash dishes, wash clothes, feet, faces etc. As a result there are remnants of rice and noodles, toothpaste and laundry soap pretty much anytime you come in. The floor is filthy because it is wet, and when you enter from the dust trap outside into the wet tile floor, well, it gets muddy.

One of the things I learned early, because I didn't have to keep a schedule, if I waited until all the ani were gone to prayers and then a bit, the cleaning lady would come and spray the floor down and wipe it with her twig broom, that is when I would go and have my shower, use the toilet, brush my teeth.

The toilets are squat holes, as expected, not particularly clean with all these women using them. And...it turns out that the ani can be really piggy, leaving paper and trash everywhere.

The showers actually have shower heads, although I think that is for decoration as I have been unable to get water out of them. Instead there is a faucet that sits about hip high. So...on goes the cold water, and I squat under that faucet to wash my hair an the rest of me, desperately trying not to get any water in my mouth.

Then...off to the Temple. The road is full of rickshaws either moving ot the temple or asking you if you want a ride, or auto rickshaws loaded with at least 6 ani or monks or both. I think we had 10 in one once, that included me standing on the back grate holding onto the roof!

You can walk, it isn't far, it is squeamy though. Rank water sits by the roadside and who can tell where the cars and rickshaws are gonna go...so...mostly I opt for some ride. On the way to the big temple though, is an absolutely beautiful sight, it is the Thai Buddha temple halfway between our gompa and the big temple. It is stunning, the grounds are beautiful and the temple itself really is a serene oasis in this chaotic place.

As you approach the big temple there are small stalls along the road selling all kinds of things from shawls, to prayerbeads, to images of Buddha and Tibetan crafts. Then come the kids selling face masks, cd's, flowers for offerings, prayer beads, post cards, you name it. They are in your face as soon as you mount the outside steps. Then in the complex itself, before you enter the temple, are more stalls selling more...stuff, and outside stalls as well. Then come the beggars, small girls with babies on their hips, deformed boys crawling on the ground, little kids. They may have no education, but they all know how to say hello madame, which htey repeat and repeat with their hands out as you try to walk through. If you give to one, you are in trouble, the group magnifies, even if you get your wallet out for any reason you are immediately engulfed. And I should mention the dogs. There are dogs, oh yeah and goats everywhere. Not too many cows but some. The dogs all seem to have varying degrees of mange, and look awful, they eat from the myriad of trash heaps leading to town, and will sit waiting for any scrap you may want to toss of anything you happen to be eating.

Then the temple, you have to fight through the sellers of items to actually get to the entrance, and then you are in. The temple itself is quite old. Not sure how old, seems it was added to over and over again, and it is impressive. Still one is bothered by the obvious litter. I must say though, that I see people cleaning all the time, there are just so many visitors. And maybe that is a good thing. It is a very approachable place. The buildings are not really to go into like a big temple or church, they really just house a statue of the Buddha, or different structures house different statues. Most of the ground near the Bodie tree itself, a 5th or 6th generation supposedly of the original tree, it is walled off, only recently I understand, because of pressure on the tree's roots. There are grounds that are covered by tents and lots of small structures, little monuments, or rises that one can sit on, not sure what they are for, but sitting on is probably it. Some of the grounds are planted around some of the sturctures with roses and chrysanthemums and those little gold flowers all over India, loosing the name at the moment, sorry.

In many of the open spaces at the temple level, they have prostration areas. Chock full of small wooden platforms, about the width of a small bed set up on two bricks in the front and like half a brick in the back, so that they slope upward. The platforms are polished smooth by the work of the people doing the prostrations. Usually they place a pad underneath where their bodies will hit, and another for their head. They use pads under their hands that slide them forward so that they can land on their knees then belly and then put their forehead down with their arms outstretched, and then they pull themselves back to standing and do it again. Over and over, it is quite wild to see.

Because of our ceremony, the place was packed to the gills with people sitting everywhere they could. on platforms under some tents set up for the occasion and just anywhere.

To enter the immediate temple area, where we sat for the prayers you have to go down a flight of stairs. All shoes must be removed before you head down. If you don't go down, there are two grassy areas where you can sit and still hear the prayers. When the Lama was speaking though, there were two chanting groups going at the same time so it was a cacaphony of different prayers in different asian languages. Kinda fun and kinda skitzo at the same time.

Outside of the temple proper is a magnificent meditation garden. No one is in there. I found out that it costs 100 rupees if you want to go in and meditate. I could pay 20 rupees backsheesh though and get a tour, which I did. It was really beautiful.

I forgot to mention my favorite place. Also in the area surrounding the temple is a little tea shop, outdoors, with three beautiful, dirty, but beautiful young boys working. Everyday I went and had a tea, or a puree or a lassie, or sometimes all three there, it was a good thing.

Out back, through the main entrance and the swarm of beggars is a road with a row of restaurants. These are all tented structures with hanging lights serving mostly Tibetan, Bhutanese, or some form of asian inspired food. Mostly I have gone with the Ani and we have momo, either steamed or fried, or noodles of some sort. The food can be dull or tasty depending on the place, I have been too frightened to look in the kitchen of any of them, but...I have not gotten sick yet, so...that is good.

And that is my detail of Boud Gaya. It is warm, about 78 degrees and humid, I am gonna get out from this small dark internet place and try to enjoy the last day. Now that all the hubub of the Karmapa Lama prayers is over, it is more peaceful and less...aggressive. So...out I go. Leaving tonight back to Nepal!

Cheers

Closing Prayers

In a beautiful ending ceremony, marking the last puja of the week, rice and flowers were distributed and then thrown into the air. Ceremonial white silk scarves were tossed into the Bodhie Tree, it was a beautiful ceremony, everyone laughing everyone smiling. Nice way to end a long period of prayer.

Tomorrow is a free day and Tuesday we head back to Nepal. I will be glad to be in the hills again, in the cooler, (somewhat) cleaner air.

ta ta for now

In Silence

A number of Buddhists practice periods of silence to deepen their concentration, remove distractions, that sort of thing. I am practicing silence today too, not for the reasons cited above though, but because my cold has gone to my throat and I can hardly speak a word, so...I am in silence.

I have also resorted to wearing a surgicle face mask as I walk around. This cold makes it hard to breathe and the air here is really foul so...on with the mask. I feel a little funny, but if it makes my cold get better or breathing easier, I am all for it. I would say that roughly a third of the people here are wearing masks, so...it is not as strange as it may seem.

We did meet the Karmapa Lama the other day. It really was something. This man is young, only 26, and very handsome. But mostly he has that soft demeanor, that humbleness that is so disarming in a person commanding so much respect. I presented him with a ceremonial shawl, which he then blesses and gives back to you, he then said "hello, how are you?", in perfect english, I was so stunned I could hardly reply. Luckily my voice was still working that day.

Aside from that, the visit here is getting a little long. Yesterday I decided to do Koram while the ani prayed. I figured I would do 30 revolutions, sounded good, one of the ani had done that the other day, so...I thought I would follow suit. Well, it took 3 hours to complete. I was whipped by the end! And the whole time chanting, very softly, om mani padme hum, it was a long day, but also interesting. There were two old people, a man and a woman, who were there the entire time I was. And these people were OLD. The man walked with a serious stoop and a cane, in what looked to me like a short kimono, the woman, they were not together, was in traditional Tibetan dress, she was unusually tall and walked with her hands fingering her prayer beads behind her back, long braid coiled on her head. It was really inspiring to watch these two just continue to walk and walk and chant.

And that is all for now,

Namaste

Mosquito Follow Up

So last night I slept slathered in mosquito creme and surrounded by burning coils of mosquito repellent reminiscent of the old days in Kahuku. But the key word there is SLEPT. I feel a whole lot better, and lots less grouchy today. I did awaken with a black eye though, think a well placed mosquito bite from the other day hit a good vessel or something. Of course there is no mirror, so...I have no idea what it really looks like. But, I will take the word of the Ani.

So just to give an idea of what life is like traveling with the ani. Most rise at 4:30, a little later than at home, make their way to the Big Temple and begin their circumambulations, or Koram. They expect to make 108 complete circles by the time they leave. As it is a rather large complex it takes longer than one might think. The Karmapa Lama arrives about 7:00 and prayers begin shortly thereafter. I usually hang back in the room with a few of the others, take Tibetan tea (water, butter and salt) around 6:30 from a mass food line in the courtyard, along with a piece of bread. Then head up to the Gompa. The prayers last pretty steadily until 11:00 and then they return to the monastery for lunch, unually rice and some sort of curried vegetables, not too spicy, the ani add the spice themselves, and you should see their use of hot red pepper, just looking at it makes me sweat.

After lunch prayers start again around 1:00 and last until 5:30 or so with a short break around 3:00.

Dinner back at the dust bowl around 6:00. Dinner is the worst of the meals, last night I managed to get a couple of ani to go out to dinner with me for momo. Its not hard to get them to go, but the head ani wants them all back at the monastery so we had to get permission. I told them I needed their help and that worked with the big nun, what a pain. There are a lot of fruit sellers around so I am getting some vitamins, oranges and bananas, anything I can peel.

We all get back to the room by 7:30 or so and then it is a talk fest until they go to sleep between 8:00 and 10:00. Its amazing that people who see each other all day still have so much to talk about in the evening. Oh well, good for them.

Today we will go visit with the Karmapa Lama in person, all the Ani, I get to go too. That will be interesting. The Karmapa Lama is the head of another Tibetan Buddhist sect, like the Dalai Lama is head of his sect (and the government in exile). It is very special to be able to meet the Karmapa in person. I am looking forward to it.

Oh and just to clarify...it ain't me doing the prostrations!

And that is all from Bohd Gaya today!

Mosquito Food

Any of you remember that old mosquito spray add, where the guy puts his arm in a glass case full of mosquitos? Well, that is me, except it is not just my arm, it is my arm, and my face and my neck! The only good thing is that they don't seem to be terribly itchy, please let that continue to be the case!

There is no mirror in the monastery where we are staying, that would be "knuckly" is what the nuns call it. Not sure but think that translates roughly as vain. Anyway, at the temple yesterday I went to the bathroom (clean and relatively smell free, upkeep paid for by a group in Thailand, thank you, thank you, thank you)and while rinsing my hand I happened to glance up at the mirror, a small poxed face stared back at me. It really was amazing. Last night I almost screamed as I couldn't sleep for the constant buzz, and now I am getting totally skeeved by thinking that these mosquitoes are bred in the stinking, fetid, standing water that lines the roads, oh that is a nice image. Strait from the stink swamp to my face!

Today I found some mosquito creme and I hope it will work, other wise I am likely to get grouchy, or to just try to get out of here, of this I can't take 6 more nights.

Other than that...it is still interesting, a bit boring as I can't really understand anything, all that is said is said in Tibetan (almost). Today there was one discussion in english, but as there are three other groups around all chanting and a whole bunch of people doing prostrations,yes that means going down on your knees and then flat on the ground face down before getting up and doing it again, I couldn't really hear anything. Three of our ani will stay behind and do prostrations for a month after we leave. Damn!

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to come to India, I gotta figure something out. ta ta for now.

Bodh Gaya, India

Okay, I could have sworn I posted a comment on Thanksgiving day, but no matter. It is now Monday and I am in Bodh Gaya, India, the place where Lord Buddha reached enlightenment. It is a pretty knarley place all together. The temple area is lovely and the meditation garden is lovely, but the rest of the place, well, it is India.

I had a wild time getting here. An almost full day at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu started it off. Then one of the nuns invited me to her house to spend the night as we would be leaving from Kathmandu the next day, so...I did that. We also went to another nun's family's house to meet her for tea and had dinner with an ex nun, all very interesting. The next day, the day after thanksgiving in the US, we had our own version of Thanksgiving in Kathmandu. The ani (nun) with whom I am staying, Sara, has a number of cousins who are monks and she wouldn't see them for a long time because once she comes back from India they will all go, so...we had them over for food. I can't say breakfast or lunch, because it is just food and it starts being served early and just keeps coming.

I made scrambled eggs in the morning, after shopping with Sara for the meal, the boys ate that, after they had their noodle soup, then we had cracker buiscuts while were making momo, known in our area as dim sum. We cooked potatoes and made the dough and cut carrots and onions and then made, what seemed like hundreds of momo, which were instantly devoured. It was a trip and lots of fun. The boys are all monks, and yet still boys probaby early 20's or so.

Once we finished all that we had to rush to catch the bus to Boud Gaya, or so I thought. Actually we rushed to sit at the open bus station and wait, and wait, and then wait, and finally wait some more, until, at 5:45 we left. It was a 24 hour bus ride. And I mean ride. The roads in Nepal are bad, the roads in India, at least in this area, practically non existent.

We finally arrived at what could be an old catholic school. It is some sort of monastery but, it is all pale yellow cinder block and dust! I am sleeping in a room with probably 20 ani of all ages, pallets on the floor, not sure which is harder, the floor or the pallets. Mosquitoes are everywhere unless they are crowded out by the dust. Nevertheless, I am having a good time. The bus ride, while, incredibly long and boring, was such a trip. The ani all bring different food and pass it all around, the chatting almost never stopped, it is fun.

I lost my camera the first night here. Was really stupid and left it in a cab, well in a tri-wheeled cab loaded with about 12 ani hanging out of doors and the back and sitting on laps, so...it was pretty funny, but, bummer about the camera, just cause I would like you to see this place. One of the Ani has lent me her camera for while we are here, isn't that sweet? I am getting to know more of the ani, they are openning up now, I think it helps that I was on the bus and peeing in ditches along the side of the road with them, not to mention sleeping in the same room.

Yesterday we decorated the temple all afternoon, in between various eating opportunities, these girls like to eat, and that was great. We waited for their big Rimpoche to arrive, lined on the street with white scarves and bows. There was a children's school from Sikkim down the road waiting as well, they were really cute. They were singing and dancing and were all lined up and the head guy would shout attention and they would all jump to it.

Okay, I am getting tired, I have a wicked cold at the moment, going to go out and sit in the meditative garden. The ani have puja all morning and then this afternoon there is a talk that will be in english. But...I can't sit through the prayers in Tibetan.

Okay li 'dat, welcome to December. I am in short sleeves and slippers! thats it from Bohd Gaya, at least for today.

At the nunnery

I have now been at the nunnery for 5 nights and am settling into a routine. It is beautiful up here on the side of a mountain an hour from Kathmandu. The ani (nuns) are really lovely, not many of them speak English, and most of those that do are too shy to say anything, but...I manage to get around. I have only held two classes so far. The first day I was here it was the day off, Saturday, then many of the Ani were away doing puja (prayers) in town so they wanted to wait until everyone was back.

The days are both long and short. The ani arise at 4:00 with the ringing of a gong. Puja in the temple below my room, I actually have my own room with a bathroom and...amazingly enough, hot water!, puja starts at 5:00. There is chanting and ringing of bells, blowing of big long horns and banging of drums. I often attend the morning puja, but...I get there a bit late. The power is very intermitent here and usually the lights turn off in the evening. The latest I have stayed up was until 9:00 after watching two movies with the Ani in the evening. An american movie August Rush, that was right up my expectations for the ani, and then a Korean movie, about a girl detective with swearing and fighting and killing? Not really bloody but still, not exactly my thought of what the nuns would watch, but they loved it, and I am not sure they understood the swearing, which at times was quite explicit.

I walk in the mornings. Have been exploring this valley and the villages walking paths that literally cross through peoples front porches. Everyone I meet is incredibly nice. Many of the children speak english as it is compulsory in school so they follow me and ask questions. Yesterday one young man, probably 10 years old told me that I walked very nicely and that I was a nice girl. How cute is that?

The Ani are terrific. They are, after all just young women. They all look younger than they are, some are quite young, 9, 11, but most are in their middle to early 20's. The other day they invited me to wrap prayer offerings with them. Small little tightly wrapped prayers that we would with yarn, all the girls sitting in a room, someone turned on their phone, they all have mobile phones, or most of them do, and there was Indian music, the phones they get mostly from China are like little boom boxes, really good and relatively loud sound.

That afternoon they asked me if I wanted to ride a bike. A bike? I thought, the roads are crap, dirt with big rocks and it is a serious downhill from here. But we walked around the back of the Monastery and one of the helper guys, a really nice young man who is mute and deaf, brought out a bike. The ani were learning to ride on the grassy, rocky, rutted but flat area in back. It was hysterical, all these young Ani with shaved heads hiking up their robes and trying out the bike. Wild!

It gets quite cold up here, there is no heat in any rooms, the Ani have only their robes when they do puja, and they must just freeze. The kitchen, which has a big wood stove, is where every one gathers at breakfast at 6:30 (if not delivered to them in the temple as they do puja), and then late breakfast ? at 8:00 and tea at 10:00 and lunch at 12:00 and then some other tea at 3:00 and then dinner at 5:30...getting the picture? If I thought I would loose weight here because there wouldn't be a lot of food I was mistaken. Also they want to treat me so they fill my plate. I have actually had to put back some rice at dinner, can you imagine me turning down rice? Anyway the food is quite tasty, filling and not terribly nutritious I imagine yet highly caloric, what a wonderful combination. Lots of rice, dahl, but somehow tastier, thinner and less hot than Indian dahl, potatoes with some hot chillies, and noodles, lots of packaged ramen. The other night my dinner was white rice, potatoes, some dahl a bit of something green like bitter mellon maybe? and some tibetan tea. Tibetan tea is milk and water and butter and salt...mmmm doesn't that sound good? It is hot though, and it is wet, and I will drink it.

And...oh yes, we are going to India. Can you beleive it? The nuns are going to a special puja in Buda Gaya, I am not sure how to spell it, it is where Lord Budda attained enlightenment. All will go, or almost all, it will be two days on a bus to get there and two days back, we will be there for 7 days and they will be doing puja from 4:30 am to 4:00 pm every day. I am of two minds about it. I really am not keen about returning to India, but...this will be such an experience, and a gathering of thousands of buddhists from all over nuns and monks and several well known Rimpoche's. I will sleep together will all the nuns in the same room and be free to wander around all day. I think I gotta go.

And speaking of which, I am using an exceptionally old computer at the monastery and a dial up connection with 32 kbs this could take all day to send, so...until next time...
Namaste

Korean Food

Just a short update from an internet cafe, so no pictures. First day with VIN sightseeing, gorgeous, and Nepali lessons. I learned to say many things that I have already forgotten. Then off with a fellow volunteer to meet her friend who owns a Thanka shop. Here it comes again; breathtaking thankas of incredible mandalas. We invited her to come to dinner with us and she took us to a rooftop Korean restaurant that could have been in New York. Food was great, for all you Hawaiians, had some fried kim chee and rice...oh I am a happy girl. And now, back to the hotel, more language tomorrow, I have even more I need to forget, and then the visit to another monastery where they are installing a new Lama. That should be very interesting! All is good here, Betty went off to her monastery, Friday I go to mine. Incredible!

Psychic

I just got back from meeting with the volunteer organization. Seems there was a little issue with another volunteer, and they want to change my post from the Osel Ling Monastery, where I was to teach young monks, to a monastery they call Manang, it is not in Manang, the name is just to long to say. And that monastery has a nunnery attached, so...I will be teaching the adult nuns...uh oh...me and NUNS!!!!! Sister Mary Tarsisius must be rolling! I don't know why I chose Nun of that for the name of the blog...but, perhaps I was a bit psychic?!

It will all be very interesting, I will be the first person to teach there, and I will be on my own...ai yi yi, an even greater adventure, no doubt!

Flying In

I am going to apologize upfront for what may soon seem like an appalling lack of vocabulary and the severe overuse of the word breathtaking. After being here less than a day and most of that being at night, I have a sense that, despite alternate adjectives that might seem workable, really only breathtaking will do.

That first breathtaking moment came when, having finished my nth? movie of the long flight, no sleeping on crowded planes for me, I raised my window shade as we approached Kathmandu. I don't think I took another full breath until after our wheels touched down. 

From my window, (sit on the left side of the plane as you arrive in Kathmandu from the west) sticking up through the clouds and still shockingly high and present (that would be the mountains not me) the Himalayas displayed their peaks. The late afternoon sun lit up the crowns, that alone was breathtaking, but even more they just kept unfolding and unfolding and unfolding, huge peak and high valley followed by the next huge peak and then the next. Only one other couple sitting directly behind me seemed as stunned as was I. Why everyone didn't just rush to our side of the plane to see the mountains I don't understand, but most everyone else seemed decidedly nonplussed.

And then, it got better. Much closer peaks surrounding Kathmandu began to break through the cloud cover, and then we passed a low ridge which seemed to magically stall the clouds. They just stopped like traffic at a train crossing, and the Kathmandu Valley emerged in full sunlight. Terraced ridges on the outskirts with Monasteries perched on top...I mean really, it was like the picture books, who knew?

No wonder people thought this place was the home of gods or Shagri La, or any of the other legends that one can think of about Nepal. 

The rest of the day, including the 2 hour wait in line at customs is a blur, but that vision of the mountains, I can't wait to see them up close!

The Monastery

And...here is the Monastery in which I will be teaching. Did I mention it is at the top of 4oo steps?

First Steps

Bags are fully packed, and mostly delivered to the City where I will pick them up after taking the bus in tomorrow. Ele was warned of the impending trip as she came with me to take Betty to the airport to begin her part of the journey. She doesn't look so happy but I know she will be well taken care of.

Preparations

Packing for the monastery, and then a group trek. Getting in all those last indulgences before departure. There will be no sex, no drugs, no rock'n roll, well except for the ambian, all those things prescribed by the naturopath, and...my iPod, complete with the solar recharger...I really know how to rough it don't I?  

Getting Ready

Gathering my bags and things, and more things for my trip to Nepal. Clearly there needs to be some culling of items for my trip. Need to be a bit more compact...pack a little bit lighter, maybe more like Betty.