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Published: December 3rd 2008
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Hahaha
Is it really funny or sad that we cannot start our day without fresh pomgranate juice? We knew, from reading about it and speaking with other tourist, that Bodnath was going to be special and it most certainly did not let us down.
We left Kathmandu, by taxi, and it only took about 25 minutes (and $3.25) to reach the small village of Bodnath. As soon as we arrived in town we could see the famous GIGANTIC Bodnath stupa towering over the buildings that were blocking it from the main street. Incredible.
We were let out at the entrance to the stupa, grabbed our backpacks and turned around to see the giant stupa in front of us. Our jaws dropped. We had seen enormous structures of faith before but this one was so different and absolutely gorgeous.
It was MASSIVE, gleaming white (too bright to look at in the midday sunlight) and commanded our full attention.
Once we got over the initial shock of being face to face with such a powerfully spiritual monument we headed towards finding a hotel. Not long after we started walking we were found by a young Indian boy named Robby (a typical Indian name?). He wanted desperately to shine Guillaumes sandals. After firmly telling him NO that we didn’t infact need
Great view
Gompas and gitch his service he still insisted on walking with us to our hotel. He stuck with us all the way to the hotel, to the reception and even followed us up the stairs and right into our room. We actually had to say goodbye and close the door in his face because he just kept asking to shine our shoes. We knew that he needed the money but what do we do? We REALLY didn’t want or need his service at all. It was not and will not be the last time that we will be confronted by an intelligent person desperately trying to bring some money home.
Our room, on the other hand, was great. We fell in love instantly (it doesn’t take much). Comfortable, cheap and with a full view of two gompas (monastaries) behind the hotel. And from the rooftop we got our first glimpse of a Himalayan snowy peak!
The town of Bodnath is so unique. It’s full of colourful and smiley monks who were exiled from Tibet. The sight of the maroon robed monks walking through the town mixed with the sounds of the drums, gongs and cymbals coming from the nearby gompas all topped off
with the smell of incense shops all around makes for a most exotic and interesting place to visit.
We walked around the stupa, clockwise, a few times then ducked into a small Tibetan restaurant for some lunch. Guillaume played it cool with a plate of “buff momo’s” (popular Tibetan dish of essentially buffalo stuffed perogies or dumplings...but they can stuff virtually anything in them,we’ve seen it all on the menus). And I went for a comforting bowl of “veg. Thugpa” (thick, vegetarian noodle soup). Ahhh....soul soothing.
After sneaking out the backdoor of the restaurant, trying to avoid Robby, who was waiting for us to emerge so he could pester us some more, we did some more sneaking. We snuk ourselves right into a large organized tour group who was getting into a gompa that was supposed to be closed. Yes, the group was Dutch, speaking in Dutch, but I’m not sure that they even noticed we were there and we were gone before they could even say “patatje”
The early evening is really the most spectacular time in Bodnath, when all the monks and local villagers come out to walk around the stupa and pray in the glow of the
Blessed be
Guillaume being blessed by a buddhist monk...DONT DRINK THE TEA!!! setting sun. There are prayer wheels turning, prayer beads in hand and prayer flags blowing in the breeze. It’s an incredible time to, again, get up on one of those expensive rooftop restaurants, order a cold beer, and watch all of the action below.
It’s truly mesmerizing to watch the people walk around and around and around. And of course, the glowing white stupa, standing tall and wide amidst it all, with huge Buddah eyes watching out from the very top.
It was a very special thing to be experience, as with waking up at 4am to the sound of the gong being struck with every prayer from the monks living at the gompa next door. The music from the monastery begins in the early morning hours but it really doesn’t matter. Once you wake up to the sound of the music so full of love and devotion that it just sends you right back into blissfull sleep.
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