Lumbini is the birthplace of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha, the man who gained enlightment under Bodhi tree and became Buddha. Extensive research has proven this to accurate and Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini marks exact spot that Queen Maya Devi of Kapilavastu gave birth to her son and who later became Buddha. Now only ruined foundations housed in a modern building there is a simple plaque marking the exact spot where the queen stagger to following bathing in the nearby pool. We only had a short time in Lumbini arriving late in the day after another long bus journey we swapped over [View Full Entry]

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Chitwan National Park was created in 1973 but has been protected since 19th century by becoming a hunting reserve of Nepali. Strangely the fact it was actually a hunting reserve may acted to protect it from habitant loss. In 1950s when King Mahendra heard only 100 rhinos and 20 tigers remained in the area and removed the peasants. The Park consists of Forest, Marshes and grassland and is home many wildlife species including the horned Indian Rhino, tigers and leopards. But sadly much has been lost under Maoist struggles as conflicts have prevented the protection of this valuable region. [View Full Entry]

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Back to Kathmandu for the start of my group trip overland to Delhi - it is going to be strange traveling with a group and to a schedule. Arrived back in Kathmandu after the usual bumpy bus journey from Pokhara and was just in time of the first meeting. Our team leader, Chandra, was there to welcome us all with a necklace of orange marigolds. With the introductions completed and overall a really nice group we headed for a group meal at the famous Kathmandu Guest House in central Thamel. The time was spent getting to know each other and trying [View Full Entry]

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With only one day left in Pokhara before returning to Kathmandu and with the only place still left that I really wanted to visit locally was the Bahari Temple on a small island in the middle of Phewa Tal, I set out after filling up on a lunch at my favourite little Italian restaurant. I thought it would a be lovely quiet place to spend my last day in Pokhara, how better than to be sat in a small island in the middle of the lake contemplating the last few days trekking and the lovely time spent in Pokhara. Little did [View Full Entry]

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I read somewhere not sure where now that many Westerners turn to Buddhism after trekking in the Himalayas because the vastness of the mountain ranges gives the trekkers some sense of vastness of there own minds. As I had already done the Buddhist Meditation retreat I maybe had an idea of the expanse that is our mind but nothing really prepared me for the landscape that encountered whilst doing the Jomson Trek. Doing a trek like this really challenges you on both a physical and mental level but let me first start by giving you a better idea of the kind [View Full Entry]

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They say one the memorable experiences of traveling is the local transport systems well the 8 hour bus journey to Pokhara was an experience - highlight countryside and making it in once piece, lowlight the suspension system (or lack of). Ricardo and I left the quiet sanctuary of Kopan Monastery to bounce and bump our way up through the tooting mayhem of Nepal’s roads to Pokhara. Much of the journey was painful experience from the physical comfort point of view and spent readjusting our sitting position to relieve number and tender parts. Ours was the 300 Nepal Rupee Tourist Bus and [View Full Entry]

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Well after spending 10 days on the meditation course at Kopan Monastery and been isolated from the noise and chaos then it was time to step outside the sanctuary of peace (or relative quiet if you ignore the 5am chants and bells from the monks!). The first excursion was to Patan's Durbar Square, just south of Kathmandu on the other side of the sacred Bagmati River. Patan it is often known and sign posted by its Sankskrit name, Lalitpur which was a touch confusing when the taxi driver dropped us off. Patan's Durbar Square is crowded with temples, and has a [View Full Entry]

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Happy Birthday to Me! Whilst at Kopan I celebrated by birthday. A present from my parents was a morning Mountain Flight around Everest. And wow what a memorable birthday! Waking up early to catch the morning flight was not difficult because I had hardly slept for excitment. I was kept company for the flight two friends made at the Monastery - Cornel and Ricardo. We took an early morning taxi to the domestic airport and boarded a small plane (me slightly nervously as at this point I remembered I don't like actually getting into small aircraft but knowing I was going [View Full Entry]

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Well no didn't run off to become a Nun (or with a Monk come to that) despite staying 19 days instead of the original 10 days at Kopan Monastery. Kopan Monastery sits on a hill just North of Bodhnath and was founded by Lam Thubten Yeshe in the 1970’s. The location offers some great views over Bodhnath and Kathmandu with some of the most awesome sunrises and sunsets but it also more importantly is a major centre Tibetan Buddhism and offers 10 day and one month courses covering Meditation and Buddhist Teachings. After spending 19 days in this tranquil location I [View Full Entry]

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Well arrived in Nepal and was greeted by a zillion taxi drivers and Hotel Touts (ok slight exaggeration - maybe it was only a million) and they were all vying for my custom as I left the airport. They even followed me in a long procession to the ATM and continued to hassle me there. Slightly daunted I beat a hasty retreat back inside the airport and followed Lonely Planet Guides advice of pre-paid taxi. Less hassle though I still seemed to gain a tout who was determined to show me a commission paying hotel as well as sort my trekking [View Full Entry]

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