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Published: January 19th 2008
maya devi temple
the Birth place of the lord buddhaKAT- back @ katmandu, after d trek, we stuff ourselves silly, slept late, woke up late n of coz, engage in "Retail Theraphy" . Glad to b down from the mountains! Had a proper shower in days too(proper, meaning , having a shower in an enclosed room)! Since there's a few days before my mates dump me to fly home, we visited a few unesco sites in KAT valley, "monkey " temple, Baktapur n Bouda.
Bouda is worth a mention among these 3 sites... Acclaimed to be the largest stupa in the world after tat stupa in burma, its site is imposing n grand(real cool looking). The origins of this stupa is sketchy, however , it is revered by tibetian buddhists. everyday, there will b hundreds if not thousands of tibetians doing a "kora" round this stupa.(when the chinese invaded tibet, most tibetians refugees ended up in nepal, n there is a large community of tibetian refugees residing here)yeah , n i spotted many "westerners" buddhists n monks doing the kora with prayer beads! In anicase, d day when we were there, it coincide witha religious festival n boy! it was so "party mood" . A nearby monastry kindly invited
my hands
my swollen, frozen hands, notice the swell, n the bruises at the fingertips, took this on "tat airplane" after d trek, the bandage on my thumb is to prevent mu thumbnails from "detaching" us to sit in for a short "prayer session". quite an experience, tell myself, i would definitely be back here after ive visited POKARA ,LUMBINI n CHITWAN.
Since, my work at home office dun require my presence, ive decided to stay back n chill out till probably new years eve. yes, no morning meetings, no deadlines, no wondering when its going to be friday.. hee.. Was deciding to do another short trek at another part of nepal however, the costs for tat short trek deterred me.. Umhhh.. remember a canadian traveller ive bumped into suggested me to visit POKARA, n try some activitities like paragliding!( Not many places around the world offered paragliding) I recalled reading in LP tat POK is a nice little town built around a crystal clear lake with snow capped mountains all around. Cool place to chillout, i thought, in anicase, need to do some annual business planning for the new year n with such a view, i probably will b able to do some proper "homework".. hee.. got myself a greenline bus tkt to POK n will b leaving @ d same day as the rest of my mates...
POK - Reached POK after
closed up
my thumb... a bumpy 7 over hour bus ride. Bumped into many other solo travellers on the bus. Met a Fullbright, who major in anthropology n he has been living with a small ethnic tribe up in some mountains for over a year! imagine giving up a comfortable life back home to live in a 3rd world state for over a year! n he is only in his teens... Visions of clear blue skies with majestic annapurna range of mountains reflected in the crystal clear lake didnt greet me upon arrival.. Instead, it was hazy, real hazy , (look at pic), oh, doesnt matter, at least i got a nice room with a balcony tat faces directly to the lake. Pokhara is absolutely different from thamel.. roads r wide, not much traffic which means no pollution n no constant horning by motorists. Yeah , peaceful town by lake, kindda like small swiss town by a lake minus the cathedral n castle.. Gd place to sip wine by the fireplace, facing d lake.. =D.. Enquired about paragliding, but since it was real hazy, the operator suggested to me to come tomorrow instead, "views could b better without tat haze".. the next few days,
some cafe
this coffee joint in thamel served real good coffee(hand grinded coffee beans), checkout the decor n the hanging lamps, real cool rite.. but stupid me.. never take down their address n name of tis cafe d haze wont go away, so i did d usual visitation in POK, world peace pagoda, sarangkot to catch sunrise(hazy, c nothing too) visited the tibet refugee camp n rented a boat to row around the lake. Chillout with a couple of solo travellers over beer too... enquired about their next destination, everywhere but lumbini!(my next stop) great! LUMBINI wont b overcrowded with tourists then!
About lumbini, birthplace of lord buddha, world heritage unesco site. wat prompted me to visit this place was because of its heritage, its serenity(considering a world sacred site of a major religion, it is not overly crowded compared to other sacred sites like the, vatican, mecca...) n best of all, its next to Chitwan (safari, national park).Also , i timed my visit to this holy ground on a full moon nite(lotsa of festivities on a full moon)n it happened to coincide with christmas eve!! How cool can u get.. visit a sacred ground of a religion on the eve of another religion sacred day..(u get it)
Went to book a bus tkt to lumbini, the bus operator was surprised why i wanted to go lumbini.. Operator -" Y u wanna go lumbini?'' Me -"
great eyes of the bouda
the eyes .. of the great stupa, bouda Y not?" operator- "coz it does not attract a lot of foreign backpackers other than indian visitors" Me " well, tat would b good , no touristy disneyland theme park then!" Got a 300rp bus tkt n the operator told me it would b a kindda of local bus.. m cool with tat.. except instead of a estimated 5hrs, it took 10 hrs!
THE JOURNEY- like any 3rd world public transportation, the ride comes with "free hardcore massage seats" hee.. met other foreign backpackers n locals too.. Real interesting characters on board too!! met koreans, canadians, swiss, japanese, abc(american born chinese), mainland chinese, americans, jap.. mini UN.. the journey was most eventful, halfway thru, they transferred us to a much smaller public bus, n demanded another 20rupees fr each passenger as they have to make a big detour due some demonstrations on the highway! of coz we refused to give in. Add to tat, all of us (backpackers) had confusion as to where to alight to get to lumbini, Saunali bus station or Baiwari bus station.. haha.. managed to reach my destination n found my place to stay, great, reached here in the middle of the nite, n its full
Chillout time!!!
After d trek, back at kat, Chill out.. moon, christmas eve, n ive been advised not to visit lumbini n the surrounding monastries now, as there r many demonstrations along the road!!(my hotel is abt 3kms from the lumbini gate,3kms in nepal is considered walking distance, hee) Wats more ive to get back to kat tomorrow for an earlier flight as all other flights after tat r all fully overbooked till 1st wk of the new year. my agent advised me tat my best chance is to get a waiting list on 27th.. urgh, no chance for chitwan n m left with 1 nite in lumbini!! haha.. decided than to get smart, book myself a flight out tomorrow late aftern, so i would save abt 8hrs road trip back to kat n had the whole morning n early aftern in LUMBINI.. how grave tat decision was....
CONVERSATION W SOLO TRAVELLERS - Guess tat any solo travellers like myself would always b more open n friendly to other travellers too. met quite a number on the road, n d interesting thing is always tat we get to share more info with each other, eg, those hardcore travellers who r on d road 4 more than a few months,
SmokeOut time!!!
After d trek, back at kat, Smoke out too.. like where u stay, HOW MUCH it costs per nite, etc.. of coz , by buddying up with one another, travelling n accomadation costs r lower, add to tat u can get crazy companionship too!!This is so important esp if u r travelling in a place not frequent by backpackers. Typical questions one asks each other r like, " where u from?", "where u r heading?", " how long uve been travelling?" ... VERSUS questions back @ my hometown, " had yr lunchdinner?" " Hows Business?" "wat sort of work u do?", "done yr ChristmasCNY SHOPPING?".. haha.. one typical question tat ive observed tat eluded most travellers or i would say, until the 10th or so question is this...." Geezz, Wats yr name?".. guess to most travellers , yr name or wat u do for a living doesnt really matter as we r only friends for tat moment in a particular place probably for a short moment of time n after tat its seperate ways for most of us..
BACK TO LUMBINI- In any case, lumbini was cool, Not wanting to miss any action, i got up real early to walk to lumbini to catch sunrise.. n it was... FOGGY
PIGGYOUT time!!!
After d trek, back at kat, of coz PIGOUT!!! we were so famished, kind of reminds me of the "hungry ghosts fest" where we were just released from d gates of hell n would eat like no tmr.. hahha AGAIN!!! (like POK) haha.. but it makes for real cool pics with tat fog n sunrise. Like wat ive guessed, this is a real serene place no overcrowding of pilgrims compared to most other sacred sites. Lumbini park grounds r real big, the centre of the attraction, is the birthplace of lord buddha, n surrounding this site r archeaological sites .. further up, there r many monastries built by many different countries tat incorporates their respestive architecture.. along d way, saw some other travellers n how surprised they looked when i wish them "merry Christmas!"(guess they were away too long n they lost all sense of time...)Read in LP tat theres a lumbini museum at the other end but due to time constraint of catching the flight bk to kat, had no choice but to skip tat(will b bk some day)
TAT CURSED FLIGHT - okie dokie, so me, thought i m most smart to book a flight back to kat instead of wasting probably 8 hrs travelling time on the road.. reached the "airport" an hour earlier b4 d flight at 445pm, "gosh, this is smaller than d lukla airstrip" . for readers who r familiar with lukla airstrip,
bouda
real cool this airport in comparison would make lukla airport an international airport, mother of all hubs! 2 flights per day at this airport, nimber of passengers in the airport, mayb .. less than my fingers n i m d only foreigner! haha.. THE BAD NEWS, 10 mins b4 departure, the airport annouced tat it is closed! YES!Airport is closed= flights r cancelled!. seems to b d work of d fog again.. wats d lesson? , NEVER, NEVER take shortcuts! haha, sky now is turning real dark n to add to d excitement... the lights went off!! (electricity or power cuts r common) BEST CHRISTMAS party i had in a long time. hee.. @ this point in time, all d local passengers started screaming to d air ticketing counter for refund, to cut a long story short, i got my refund n i got an overnite ride back to kat in a private taxi.. , certain taxi touts were harrasing me to patronise them to get a ride bk to kat, but i insisted on making my own private transportation with d help of my guide bk in kat,haha.. one of them even threatened me tat if i dun hop into thier
cab, later after 7 , they would go home n i would be sleeping in the streets.. hee.. replied to them most cordially tat ive not had d luxury of sleeping in the streets b4 in nepal n i would really thank them if i had such an opportunity.. haha.. they cant do anything to me..
TAT OVERNITE RIDE N A CRAZY DUTCH - Lesson #1 , over here, if yr journey on a 4 wheel is going to b more than 5 hrs, make sure tat goddam puny fuel tank has got enough petrol to drive back to kat!! my kind guide arrange a private transport to pick me up at the airport to kat. problem is.. 15 mins into d ride, the driver told me he do not have enough petrol for the ride back to kat!! OMG, more adventures , yeah.. its already past 9 @ nite.. keke.. okie cut story short, i never pay xtra, hop into another smaller cab(seems routine now!)... thought to myself , peace at last!! no more excitement, need sleep, hav not been sleeping well since tat bus ride.. all was well till @ one of the 24hrs nite "truckstop", guess
wat? , i bump into another traveller!(@ this point, eversince i depart lumbini, m the only sole foreign traveller, as most pple would head into india after lumbini)Y i coined him a crazy dutch u find out real soon...
IMPRESSIONS OF SPORE - Its strange tat once u r in another country tat the impressions u had of your own home seems to differ from tat of other travellers. its like i used to think of the weather in the western region of canada is similar to tat of toronto(ie as gloomy), until ive talked to canadians n realised tat its not so( realised its on the same coast as california, lotsa sunshine n warmth). in anicase, travellers impression about spore range from d most complimentary, to the most outrageously hilarious.. for eg, a complimentary comment.... THE OTHER TRAVELLER(TOT) -"hey dude!, where u from?..." ME- from Spore! TOT -" Spore! WOW! Real clean n green! Heard u guys dun litter at all.. "ME - "Thk u 4 tat most wonderful compliment.. u must visit the public residential area one day, it will b a REAL EYE OPENER"(hee..) Eg of an outrageous "compliment.. TOT - "hi dude, where u from?"
hotel @ pok
got myself a nice room with balcony facing d lake.. but foggy thruout my stay .. ME - "SPORE! u heard abt it" TOT-" U fr Spore? ... OMG,of coz, i ve heard abt it.. u guys got cane just for chewing gum... "ME -" Huh?"... OR ... TOT - "U fr spore , tats cool, when u guys reverting back to d mainland ?"(aka.. china) ME - "WTFish...
TAT CRAZY DUTCH - okie, as i was saying, bump into this dutch travelling to god knows fr where to where at the truckstop. had beer n had a most interesting conversation over supper at abt 1 in d morning..usual stuff, where u from , how long u on the road... ME-" u fr amsterdam , cool place, nothing is illegal in holland, harsh , drugs , euthanasia, prostitution, in my country ,d opposite happens, everytg is illegal!".. CRAZY DUTCH - "yes, u can order "coke" or grass from trendy cafes there, hell , u can even get it here in kat, hell, ive some now, u wanna try?".. ME - "of coz i would love too but ive to politely turn u down, in my country, if m caught, my "license" to stay on planet earth would b permanently n instantly be terminated.." CRAZY
lake @ pokhara
real foggy too.. but still cool to chillout DUTCH - Geezzz... , aniway , teach me some chinese, how u say "u r beautiful"? ME - "ohh. haha.. "u r beautiful in chinese.. keke.. okay, repeat aft me, WO AI NI.."CRAZY DUTCH(CD) - "WO AIDS NI ?", ME -" no my dear friend , its AI not AIDS, its tat wat u think of all d time , repeat , WO AI NI.." CD- "WO AI NEE" ME- "yeap, keke.. tats cool, remember it means "u r beautiful!", WO AI NI!! CD- "now, i teach u to say in dutch, u r beautiful, but in our culture, u must look in tat pretty girls eyes n say it with passion!!! "ik hod van u!" ME - "tats EZ, "ik houd van u" , gotta to go, GOOD LUCK with tat chinese language !! "CD-" thks n no, its GOOD LUCK to u with tat dutch... haha.. "
Back in kat @ abt 4 in the morning, real steam up, nothing more adventure happens, but i felt home , stepping back into thamel, kat(tats scary, better hurry home, aka spore). got a confirmation flight tkt bk home d next following day. Went bouda again the next day n had
boats @ jetty
note d boat on bottom right.. yeah .. sinking... an interesting encounter with a tibetian at a cafe. Saw me purchased a tibetian flag n enquire where i was from. Now, i koe enough of the chinese occupation of n prosecution of tibet n their pple n culture tat they r wary of chinese. told him where i was from, told him y i bought a tibetian flag n how i felt strongly against any occupation n persecution of any culture. He relaxed then, we had tibetian tea, n he shared with me many , many things which i cant disclosed here in a public domain.(might endanger his folks bk in tibet, yeah.. real serious stuff) But d best thing was he shared with me many other unspoilt beautiful places in tibet not touched by tourists yet. He left me some names of places in tibet n assured me its still accessible in a 4 wheel Drive. Thanked him 4 d contact n learned a lot about d plight of tibet refugees thru him. .. Funny thing is though , coz of the chinese occupation n presecution of its people n its culture that tibetian buddhism n its customs r spread well beyond its borders and even into d
on boat
got myself this boat n starting rowing.. first stop.. world peace pagoda, the other side west by these refugees..
Back in thamel,bump into 2 dutch girls , n it was thru them tat i knew the real meaning of "ik hod van u!" .Real embarrassing to detail the conversation.. but was cursing n swearing at tat CD.. haha .. hope he gets "lucky" with his chinese too!!! .. real fun now thinking about it.. hee....
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