I think I may have mentioned months back that I would be thinking of going on a trip on my own, just as hubby did with his friends to Everest Base Camp. Well, I actually booked it last Autumn for this spring. It came round pretty quick, I tell you!
I broke up from school on the 28th and was on my way to Kathmandu the night of the 29th. I had booked five days in a monastery and three days in the city. I was back in Oman on the night of the 7th and back in school on the 8th! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't stopped as I did spend a lot of time walking, reading, sitting and thinking!
I wrote a travel diary of sorts...my intention was to transfer it on to the blog. I will do but in a condensed version I think. And it may be a bit disjointed but I'll include some pictures to make up for it! A lot of the musings in the diary are rather contemplative and philosophical, I think I might spare you those. Although good conversation topics I'm sure, I think I need to make head and tail of them first. Maybe they could be a blog post alone.
I met a lovely lady from TAISM on the way out as we were avoiding the bunfight for the bus to the plane! She was meeting a friend and heading to Chitwan National Park in the south-west.
I was sat on the wrong side of the plane to see the Himalayas on landing but nevertheless got a super view of the city. It looked very textured and almost like a model village! On the drive through after being collected the city struck me as being smelly, dirty, polluted, busy but oh, so vibrant and colourful! I loved it already.
We arrived at the monastery after several detours and dubious road manoeuvres. It was behind a large iron gate that opened up into this bustling courtyard. Not what I expected at all. However, it was set up in the 70s to introduce Buddhism to the westerners and so it was already appearing very open and accepting. Little did I know I would be sitting drinking masala tea with the monks discussing Oman in the football!
I had a wander round after a nap and went for tea in the dining room. I was early so waited around at the entrance. whilst I was waiting a couple introduced themselves to me. I must have looked a bit dazed! Aussie Bob has a guesthouse in Cambodia and Chris was his friend who had gone there to stay for a couple of weeks and ended up staying five months!
I spent a lot of time with them during my stay at Kopan and it was really quite refreshing to talk openly and discuss beliefs, philosophies, thoughts and ideas.
The food was amazing! So simple and plentiful. I was veggie for the whole trip and loved it, I never felt hungry. Breakfast was a sweet porridge with Nepali bread and masala tea. Lunch was the main meal (which I didn't discover until a few days in as I just assumed the last meal would be the biggest!) I had missed out on so much! We had rice, a dal bhaat of sorts each day, absolutely gorgeous. This was accompanied by a couple of vegetable dishes and potatoes and bread. Oh, and masala tea! Dinner was usually a noodle soup of sorts with bread, butter, jam or the homemade peanut butter. Oh, and masala tea...!
It was a great experience and was what I had hoped it was. I switched off from school, I thought lots of my family but knew they were ok...so I had the time and mental freedom to slow down.
After the stillness of the monastery I went to stay in the city for three nights. Aussie Lew took me to see the hearing clinic he had set up and also the Prisoners Association of Nepal - this was the home that had been set up for children of prisoners in Nepal. A reality check if ever there was one on this trip. Since I have been back I have been desperate to simplify my life and those of my children. A little education was required for my son when he piped up that he had only two presents from me. I calmly told him about the children and I think he took it on board. As much as any boy approaching his 6th birthday could do. It was a lesson to me if anything and I will continue to remember this children's home to give me a wake-up call very now and then.
The next entry will just be mostly photos from the rest of the trip. Hope you enjoy them. It was a really special few days for me.
I broke up from school on the 28th and was on my way to Kathmandu the night of the 29th. I had booked five days in a monastery and three days in the city. I was back in Oman on the night of the 7th and back in school on the 8th! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't stopped as I did spend a lot of time walking, reading, sitting and thinking!
I wrote a travel diary of sorts...my intention was to transfer it on to the blog. I will do but in a condensed version I think. And it may be a bit disjointed but I'll include some pictures to make up for it! A lot of the musings in the diary are rather contemplative and philosophical, I think I might spare you those. Although good conversation topics I'm sure, I think I need to make head and tail of them first. Maybe they could be a blog post alone.
I met a lovely lady from TAISM on the way out as we were avoiding the bunfight for the bus to the plane! She was meeting a friend and heading to Chitwan National Park in the south-west.
I was sat on the wrong side of the plane to see the Himalayas on landing but nevertheless got a super view of the city. It looked very textured and almost like a model village! On the drive through after being collected the city struck me as being smelly, dirty, polluted, busy but oh, so vibrant and colourful! I loved it already.
We arrived at the monastery after several detours and dubious road manoeuvres. It was behind a large iron gate that opened up into this bustling courtyard. Not what I expected at all. However, it was set up in the 70s to introduce Buddhism to the westerners and so it was already appearing very open and accepting. Little did I know I would be sitting drinking masala tea with the monks discussing Oman in the football!
I had a wander round after a nap and went for tea in the dining room. I was early so waited around at the entrance. whilst I was waiting a couple introduced themselves to me. I must have looked a bit dazed! Aussie Bob has a guesthouse in Cambodia and Chris was his friend who had gone there to stay for a couple of weeks and ended up staying five months!
I spent a lot of time with them during my stay at Kopan and it was really quite refreshing to talk openly and discuss beliefs, philosophies, thoughts and ideas.
The food was amazing! So simple and plentiful. I was veggie for the whole trip and loved it, I never felt hungry. Breakfast was a sweet porridge with Nepali bread and masala tea. Lunch was the main meal (which I didn't discover until a few days in as I just assumed the last meal would be the biggest!) I had missed out on so much! We had rice, a dal bhaat of sorts each day, absolutely gorgeous. This was accompanied by a couple of vegetable dishes and potatoes and bread. Oh, and masala tea! Dinner was usually a noodle soup of sorts with bread, butter, jam or the homemade peanut butter. Oh, and masala tea...!
It was a great experience and was what I had hoped it was. I switched off from school, I thought lots of my family but knew they were ok...so I had the time and mental freedom to slow down.
After the stillness of the monastery I went to stay in the city for three nights. Aussie Lew took me to see the hearing clinic he had set up and also the Prisoners Association of Nepal - this was the home that had been set up for children of prisoners in Nepal. A reality check if ever there was one on this trip. Since I have been back I have been desperate to simplify my life and those of my children. A little education was required for my son when he piped up that he had only two presents from me. I calmly told him about the children and I think he took it on board. As much as any boy approaching his 6th birthday could do. It was a lesson to me if anything and I will continue to remember this children's home to give me a wake-up call very now and then.
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| Indira, the heroine behind this association. The little boy had only been in two days and wouldn't let her out of his sight. |
