Blogs from Lumbini, Nepal, Asia

Sad to leave Chitwan, but we had a leisurely start and only four hours to Lumbini, the birth place of Budha. On the way we stopped at a new Hindu temple, where they had a holy game of Snakes and Arrows, which it said would lead to enlightenment - looked familiar to me, maybe kids games are better than I thought. lumbini seemed an odd place, very rural, with hotels doted about and not a lot else. We went to the shrine, they have built a small building over some old ruins, and a glass cover over the very stone his mother gave birth on. Outside is the holy tree where his mother was standing when she gave birth to a very mature child, who walked 5 steps immediately and five lotus plants shot up from ... read more

So would you believe I actually had a good sleep?! I only had to call Molly Brown once for snoring as I was dozing off, but other than that I was undisturbed, and felt good for it. I met everyone for breakfast at 0715 and it seemed everyone's spirits had lifted and a good nights sleep had done everyone the world of good. I had porridge and honey for breakfast which was lovely, and just a nice change from eating something fatty and oily. It was a shame we only had one night at the hotel, especially given that it was so nice and had a swimming pool. They were cleaning it in the morning though so weren't able to use it then either. Never mind, we were venturing to somewhere even more relaxing: Lumbini. This ... read more

Lumbini, anno 623 prima di Cristo. Una donna in attesa di partorire e' in viaggio verso casa quando, all'improvviso e nel bel mezzo della via, aggrappandosi al ramo di un vicino albero da alla luce un bambino che, nel corso di una vita ricca di peripezie e colpi di scena, sara' destinato a diventare il Buddha, l'illuminato, da cui prendera' vita una comunita' di discepoli che andra' col tempo a costituire una delle piu' importanti religioni del mondo. E' con questa premessa che il Mercante si reca in pellegrinaggio a Lumbini, per trascorrervi in pace e meditazione il nostro santo Natale. Trovo accoglienza presso il grande tempio coreano dove, tra una stragrande maggioranza di devoti orientali, mi viene assegnata una camera nel vicino ostello per pellegrini; cominciano cosi' tre giorni di duro raccoglimento spirituale alternato a ... read more

Wir sind in dem schön klingenden Lumbini :D in Nepal. Die Reise war einigermaßen entspannt und hat ca. 17 stunden gedauert. Das klingt viel, aber in Indien vergeht sowas sehr schnell... Mit dem Zug sind wir von Delhi nach Goraktok, von da mit nem bus an eine Grenzstadt und dann rüber nach Nepal. Das mit dem Nepal Visum war ganz lustig...wir liefen an der langen Schlange von LKWs vorbei, die auf den Grenzübergang warteten. Ca. 20m vor der Grenze winkte uns dann plötzlich ein random dude zur Seite und in das "Immigration Office". Das sah alles eher ziemlich unoffiziell aus und Sascha und ich dachten schon, dass ein sehr findiger Inder das alles aufgestellt hat, um dann irgendwie abzukassieren. Am Ende war es dann doch das offizielle Grenzbüro auf indischer Seite und wir beide bekamen den ... read more

01/10 to 02/10: Lumbini This place is a pilgrimage for Buddhist. Birth place of Siddhartha Gautama better known as the Buddha, this is a peaceful site. The Maya Devi Temple marks the exact pot where the Buddha was given birth but no pics are allowed. Around is a Bodhi Tree decorated with prayer flags pying homage to the Lord Buddha. The entire zone has designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange in 1978 and it is a work in progress as Unesco want Lumbini to be the World Peace Center. Therefore a lot of Monasteries from different countries are been build. All over the garden, one can find inspiring and philosophical sentences from the Dalai Lama.... read more