Day 77 - Chitwan and Lumbini, Nepal

Day 77 – Hers.

We had a good night’s sleep in the cool jungle air – snug under our mosquito net – packed and then breakfasted with the rest of our group, ready for the next part of our adventure – and our last full day in Nepal.

We all stowed our luggage on the bus and set off (less than half an hour late – a record for this group....but then there are 18 of us, including two lovely Colombian girls who seem to operate on the South American ‘manana’ principle – either that, or their clocks are slow) and set off on the 4 + hour drive from Chitwan to Lumbini.

We stopped at a very rustic little cafe for a tea break – Sam, the young Kiwi, approved ‘This is more authentic,’ he said before tucking into a huge plate of dal baht. -  He and Caroline, the marathon runner from Texas, had apparently done a 20 km run before breakfast., so he was hungry....)  Those of us who had been a bit less active had coffee or tea – and we set off again, arriving at our new jungle lodges at around 2:00.  Tonight’s lodgings are actually in the jungle – about 2 km from Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha and a pilgrimage site for Buddhists from all over the world.  Every national Buddhist organisation wants a monastery here – and the Nepali government has granted leases within a huge complex around the original Maya Devi temple site.

We lunched at the lodge and changed for our visit to the German monastery and sacred garden.  I decided -  as it was probably my last real opportunity – to wear my kulwa and sulta.  Needless to say, it caused comment – but also initiated a very interesting conversation with the lodge manager who turns out to be a devout Buddhist who feels it is his duty to conserve the environment around the holy area of Lumbini.  He spoke with us for some time about Nepal’s strengths and problems – and about the Buddhist ‘Middle Way’ approach of positive thinking, meditation and living in the moment.  It struck quite a chord – it’s very similar to Rob’s idea of ‘film moments’. 

The German monastery was beautiful – golden statues in the garden tell the story of the Buddha’s life.  Our guide, Bimal, not actually a Buddhist himself – but quite a scholar on all aspects of Nepali culture – explained each statue and encouraged us to walk around each section – always clockwise -  spinning the prayer wheels twice for longevity and good luck.  Inside the monastery are amazingly fine, detailed paintings from floor to ceiling – and the whole monastery is reflected in one of the many reflecting pools.  It was glorious in the dusty evening light.

From there we walked, with several hundred pilgrims (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Nepali), dozens of monks and few other Western tourists to the Maya Devi temple and sacred garden.

 

Day 77 – His

This is holy land. The birthplace of Buddha and marked by the remains of a temple and a single footprint said to be Buddha’s first step. In common with other holy shrines there is an air around this one that encourages everybody to be silent and respectful. We walked slowly around the gardens or sat by the pool Buddha’s mother bathed in and watched the monks sitting beneath huge Bodhi tree decorated with candles and prayer flags. You are only allowed into the garden barefoot which was no real problem as the paths and gardens are kept scrupulously clean – as one would expect.

One of the Australian girls was most contemplative – I had a feeling that she was ready to convert there and then if only there had been a holy man in attendance she would have become a nun I am sure. As I said there is an air about the place and it seemed to touch everyone. After a short bus ride back to our hotel we took up a collection for our guide and bus driver and had a short speech of thanks. Normally on these tours we have a last night dinner with the guide and go off to some fancy restaurant but as we are in the middle of nowhere in a lodge in the jungle we had to make do with what the lodge had to offer, which - although tasty - was limited. Still it was a fun evening and as we have to get up at 6 in the morning for a 9 hour drive across the border and down to Varanasi – our first stop in India – most people went off to bed despite the vague interest in a game called ‘Beer Pong’. I have no idea what this is but it seems to involve a lot of drinking – so was a popular suggestion amongst some of our group members. Ah well, I am sure they will get to play it sometime in the next few weeks.