Namo Buddha Monastery

It has been awhile since I posted anything but it is difficult to load this blog in Nepal as the upload speed is very low - anyway here goes.....

I spent two glorious days up at Namo Buddha Monastery where the Himalayan Mountain Range stretches long across the horizon with its vast, snowy peaks visible when the mist settles in the early morning.

It takes two hours to get there along some paved roads but mainly the roads are full of holes, pits and crevices. It is amazing how the buses get along these roads let alone the motorcycles and scooters. The drive takes you up along the mountain roads to farmland that is unique to asia where it is cut along the hillside to crow rice and other crops.

The road to the monastery is filled with rocks and runs along the hillside - bit hairy but our driver was familiar with the route and was non-plussed and trucked along. Got to say Toyotas rule here as far as this rough terrain goes. I travelled up with a woman who was a journalist in Afghanistan living in California again and SB my longtime friend. Our driver was once an SMD school kid and now works for the school - he did an outstanding job.

On the first day at Namo Buddha I spent the afternoon watching the Lama Dance which was an amazing event that took hours to complete. I will try and post some pictures but the upload is slow. The event was magnificent with many amazing and beautiful costumes. The little monks also performed and were very splendid too. My favourite part was the Snow Lions where two monks were inside the costumes - really well done and Rocky the monastery dog (Tibetan dog) thought he had to defend the monastery and challenged the two big lions.

I spent the night in rather sparse conditions with a roommate that snored, bossed me around and talked in her sleep - but it was only for the night so I made up for lost sleep last night.

On Saturday I met up with a woman who takes tours into Tibet (she speaks it too) from Copenhagen who has been coming to these parts for many years. She is off to explore Himalayan plant fibres for the next two weeks. She took me to where the cave is where Buddha gave his life for a starving tiger and her cubs. This is a famous and spiritual site that is much honoured by Buddhists for the love and compassion showed by Buddha.

Simply - Prince Mahasatwo gave his life to the starving tiger and her cubs and a few hundred years later was reincarnate as Gautama Siddhattha Buddha and the tiger cubs became his disciples.

If you add Namo Buddha to your Facebook links you can read more about this amazing story and see what the monastery is doing. The Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche has built not only a monastery for his monks to study but also a hospital for the community and a secular school for the surrounding villages.

I was very priveledged to have the opportunity to sit in the shrine room and participate in the Pujas and wat breakfast with the monks and nuns and to also give a Khata the Rinpoche plus receive a Long Life Empowerment from his and his lamas. There were over 5000 people there for this event and the love and devotion that the Tibetan people showed for Rinpoche was quite amazing. His love emanated to them all and he gave everyone there that day the Empowerment. I was very lucky that I was with SB as we were given the first Empowerments and did not have to wait in the long line.

Yes I took lots of photos but unfortunately I can't upload many.

I hope to make it to Tara Abbey to visit the nuns this week sometime. Wish you all could come and experience such a beautiful place as Namo Buddha.....

The days are going by quickly...

I have been in Kathmandu over a week now and I am beginning to have a little sense of how to get around. Taxis are old and rickety and buses seem non existant but then I am a foreigner and have no perspective on this reality coming from the West.

I have been to the Stupa of Boudhanath several times and have managed to not get lost. The poor dogs, cows and other animals wander around in search of food and the piles of garbage left over from the Hindu festival of Desai still pile up on the streets.

On a lighter note there are lots of market stalls around the Stupa with many interesting Buddhist paraphanalia and other items. The tourists flock to this part of the city to see the Stupa and it is easy to hear voices from all over the world. Of course the big deal here is trekking and most people come to wander around the Himalayas and see the great views of these magnificent mountains.

On the political front the country seems to be in chaos with the temporary government still in place but talk of Maoist action again. The communists are a nasty bunch from stories I have heard and seem to have little or no regard for human life or any compassion for the people. Just like the army of the state they seem bent on power - the Nepalese don't have much of a chance unless a saner perspective comes to the fore. The war has not done much for the people and I see a "deadness" in the eyes of the people I pass in the streets.

The kids at SMD are delightful and they bring some hope to their families and to their culture. The school has done so much for these kids and they are obviously a happy, well-cared for community who take joy in their existence. I hope more and more kids can have the opportunity for a higher education and continue to get scholarships around the world.

If anyone reads this out there and has been contemplating supporting the kids here I can attest to the fact that your support would not go to waste. Earing merit yes and also providing opportunities for kids to go to school and have an education and - ohe yes - eat!

Catch you later!

THE STUPA AND ME

Spent the afternoon wandering on and around the giant Stupa and took many shots of not only this beautiful monument but also of all the small monuments all around the area.

I particularly liked the giant prayerwheeel at the entrance to the Stupa which can revolve at an outstanding rate of spin!

Having been suitably blessed I wandered amongst the stalls in search of special items I might be interested in purchasing. Bought a postcard to send to my mother showing the Kathmandu Valley with the Himalayan Mountains in the background.

Kathmandu

Visited the great Stupa yesterday and found my way around the area. Also went to Thrangu Rinpoche's monastery here which is just down the road.

Lots to do and see here plus I have heard we will go up north for a few days on a special trip with Shirley's friends. That will be fun tho I hear the roads are rough and it could take from 2 to 5 hours to get there.

There is also a trip to Tara Abbey planned to visit the nuns - I hear that they ride motorcylces up there - that I mus get a shot of!

Suffering from allergies but off to see the acupuncturist and get treatment.

ALso going for shiatsu on wed and maybe a massage too! Already had a foot massage for @ $7 so lots of pampering available.

Planning things to do with the kids and today is sunny and warm.

Sitting in Manchester Airport

Well - the big journey is about to begin and I am a little excited to be finally going to Kathmandu. It seems like this was a particularly difficult journey to initiate and some good lessons were learned along the path. It seems that is a consistent theme.

Its a funny place here as I sit and type this to see just how many people are drinking alcohol for breakfast. I have never seen this before. Almost everyone has a pint of beer before them - I of course needed my coffee but it seems that for the vast majority of travellers drinking starts early. Beer isn't cheap here either.....another British tradition I guess.

I have been super lucky with the weather on my journey so far and today was the first day apart from a little rain in Ghent. It has been positively balmy and of course one could say that goes with the traveller. (sp)

Will check in in when I and in Doha if there is free WIFI there.

Missing friends and family back home! Big kiss for Eli - little monkey boy and of course Seb and Nina who I hope is getting in lots of Yaya time.

Have a good hockey game Seb and be nice to your little brother - if you can!

Cinemas are just not what they once were...

Went to a cinema in Edge Lane today - saw "Marmaduke" with mum and bought a bag of popcorn - minute size and cost $7 C. No butter - they don't do that here - that's American apparently. Very salty popcorn and no butter.....

Mum seemed to enjoy the movie and that is a good thing.

It was a beautiful day here and for the beginning of October it feels good to not need a sweater or a coat. We drove back to the care home past some beautiful, tree-line streets and past such places as Lance Lane, Rathbone Road and Queen's Drive. There are parts of Liverpool that are truly magnificent and other parts that appear to be relics left over from the Second WW.

Off to the cemetary to find Dad's grave......

Nostalgic day in the Pool

After attempting to get Mum to get rid of some clothes ( 4 items) I ventured off in search of stuffed animals and other items to take to Nepal. I wandered around Allerton Road which is trying to be sophisticated and only serves to over-charge for poor copies of great euro food.

I wandered over to Penny Lane and did some banking and headed over to Picton Road where I used to traumatise myself over not being able to swim in the old Victorian pool we were forced to take classes many moons ago in my school daze.

It's a run down area and looks unloved and seedy these days. The old cinema where I saw Gone with The Wind years ago still stands but seems to be selling furniture - what a shame to see these old theatres left to rot.

I then ventured down to Smithdown Road and decided I was in need of a drink so I ventured forth to a pub called the Willows where my dad used to have a Sunday pint with his brother Ed. In all these past years I have never been inside and I was delighted to find a lovely old pub with an ancient clock over the bar. The bar maid was young and cheerful and I ended up chatting to a mother and daughter sitting next to me while I devoured my delicious pint of scrumpy.

Finished off the day with a good walk around Asda (big supermarket) and picked up some food for dinner. Drove back to D and Rs around Sefton Park in lovely sunshine.

Turned out to be a pretty groovy day.

Wales 2010

Wales

Spent two lovely days driving around North Wales and went to such exotic places as Betw y see Coed, Port Madog, Harlech and Llanberis to name just a few places.

SNowdonia National Park is huge and it was wonderful to just be on the moors with the sheep and not a soul for miles....great country air and silence.

Just the sheep and me and the heather....getting quite good at this driving on the left stuffQ