Tomorrow I am heading off on a Trek to the Johmson Trail. After a lot of pondering and talking to other travelors I decided to venture on my own for this. I know this will be a great adventure for me on many levels (dont worry i will be safe) so here is the update on what i have done in the past two weeks before my world gets flipped around again and opens up into something else magnificent!!!!!
Kathmandu is a wild city with cars of all colors and shapes and anywhere from 3 wheels to seven wheels. The utility trucks look more like gypsie mobiles with the words "be happy" painted on the back and you can expect to share a bus with goats and gasoline tanks. The air is incredibly polluted and the poorest of people still dress in dazzling sparkling colorful dresses and shaws. I have yet to buy a Nepalese dress but i think i am going to break down soon:) Around every corner, between shacks, and in the middle of intersections are hinude and buddhists shrines of all sizes. SOme look like little birdcages and others like fireplaces and others castles and palaces. Everybody prayes and does ceremonies all day. It is like little community gathering places in the sea of people. Children, old and young, beggers, crafts men and women, vendors, farmers, wanderers, and so forth make kathmandu the wild place that it is. Tibetans and Neplaese share the streets and everybody is trying to earn a little extra money from the tourists. Horns of all songs are constantly being tapped as there are no traffic lights or turn signals just traffic police and wondering buffalo to steer direction. And of course motorbikes and bicycles have a rythem of their own. The streets are used for bathing and toileting and the women are the hard workers carrying big baskets of bricks and stones and such for miles.
I saw lots of great sights in Kathmandu and beyond including the Monkey Temple which sits way up on a hill. A beautiful stupa with tons of prayer flags decorating it and statues and shrines and yea LOTS OF MONKEYS!!!!!! It was amazing. The funniest - yet sad - thing was a monkey picking up a plastic bottle and drinking out of it. I didnt get a photo:( It was a beautiful view of the city and the mountains and a trail into the jungle.
I left Thamel - crazy tourist area - to stay in Boudha. Boudha's tangible spirittual energy attracted me as each day i was grabbed my serendipitous moments, crossed paths with incredible important spiritually awakened beautiful people and students and survivors of the world. I started my days off at 5 am with practice and I did the Koran with the tibetan refugees. This was a ritual of walking around the stupa many times repeating mantras. It was so beautiful in the morning and evening - it is hard to describe. In the morning the stupa was blanketed with pigeons - a bird the represents peace for the tibetans and nepalese : They should visit the Jersey Shore! Prayer wheels were spun, offerings were made, candels where lit, incense was burned and hearts are open. I was here during the election and the whole world was praying for Obama. You could feel the power and the joy. I just came out of a singng bowl healing session when i was told the news of Obama: I cried with relief and joy. The world is breathing a little easier i noticed! The session was wonderful as she used singing bowls that were aligned with a certain vibration from each planet to open up my chakras and set me on a good energetic path: simply put. My body was humming all day...and many days after. There has been an ongoing theme of signing bowls and music in my life I am noticing and thinking about exploring it more. Wondering why it keeps coming up?!?!?!?
I started to feel a little sick and i was pointed into the direction of a tibetan herbal dr. It was great he listened to my pulse, looked at my tounge, checked my blood pressure and told me what foods to not eat and gave me 10 days of herbs! I felt right at home and of course thought of Akhil!!!!! And I am much better!
My other days in Boudha i was invited to have a meal with a llama and a rimpoche and monks. To be honest I am not sure who they were as far as significance and roles in the community but it was a great and rare oppertunity. One of the monks said to me "you are very lucky to be sitting with these men" and I said "We are all just human beings!" Words once again are hard to explain how wonderful this meal was, great affirming cnversation, wisdom shared, a blessing surrounding it, and confirmation that i have good kharma!!!!!! And according to my dinner company my Kharma will protect me and guide me in India! ...speaking of india after a long week process i got my visa!!!
Oh - see so much has happend _ speaking of Blessings I went to a gompa with some friends and recieved a blessings and a ceremony from the most joyful rimpoche ever: http://www.dharmaware.com/khyentserinpoche.html. It left a bright smile on my face and i had chills all over during the cermony. What a blessing!!!!
Some other great parts of Boudha of course were the people i met: all a breathe of fresh air - literally fresh air too after being in Thamel. Now more people wear green string on their wrists. It was hard to leave this gem of a place, the sweet little kitchen/resteraunt of Grandmom (aka. the double Dorje) and the 4 star guesthouse at the Thalem Monestary - but inspiring moving on....
next story: the busride to Pokkra.....many mountain passses and 3 breakdowns.....well worth the trip!
Thanks for reading. You are all with me and in my daily thoughts and prayers.....I miss you:)
