Exploring Nepal
That View, Nepal, 2019
Entering Nepal
The trip to Nepal was another adventure. For some reason I had decided to save money and take the local bus to the border, instead of a bus that was very comfortable, had cushioned seats and air-conditioning. I jumped on the extreme opposite, a very uncomfortable bus with plank like seats, that I shared with three other people and you know it, NO air conditioning. My rational for this torture, was that I spent an extra month in India, therefore I had to shrimp on a few things. It was a long and uncomfortable ride to the border, but I eventually arrived in the early hours of the morning. I stamped out of India, crossed the border and stamped into Nepal.
I organised to go on another local bus to take me to Kathmandu, at this point I was a sucker for punishment. We set off on the magical journey. The drive was spectacular, filled with breath taking views. Views of mountains and long suspension bridges connecting two mountains. It was pure magic. I arrived when the sun had just gone down. I had to quickly figure out how to get to my homestay. I got a sim card, booked a motorbike taxi and found my way to Sanu’s place.
It’s always interesting arriving at a new place. I always tend to instinctively sense the energy first. It felt, homely, peaceful and good. I spent beautiful mornings and evenings listening to Sanu tell me about herself and her Buddhist teachings. She was currently in process of completing her thesis in the Buddhist practice called Mother’s Love. Sanu always seemed so content with her life. She never married, did not have kids, lived with her parents, studied and run the family business. At first I viewed her life, as a life not fully lived but the more time I spent with her, I felt that she had this sense of peace, calm and acceptance. I had always yearned for that.
Sanus’ Morning Buddhist Teachings
One of the Buddhist teachings that Sanu shared with me was about the dying man and his four wives.
The dying man was on his death bed, in fear of what will happen in the next life and not wanting to go there alone.
He starts by asking his first wife to accompany him to the next life but she refuses.
He gives it another go and moves onto his his second wife, and she says, “I know you loved me dearly but how can I go with you, if the first wife will not even go”.
He then asks the third wife and she says, “I can only go to graveyard with you but that is as far as I can go”.
Now he is only left with the fourth and last wife to ask. He’s very worried about asking her because he never treated well. The fear of going to the next life alone makes him ask her anyway. She surprisingly agrees and says, “I will follow you wherever you go”.
What is the meaning of this story? The first wife represents your body, which you cannot take with you after you die. The second wife represents all the material items that you own and hold onto dearly but also can’t take with you. The third wife is your family and friends that can only accompany you as far as the graveyard. Lastly the fourth wife is your consciousness, the good and the bad. Your karma that goes with you always. That story helped change my perspective on a few things. It opened my mind to what is really important.
Exploring Kathmandu with Sanus’ Family
Sanu asked me to accompany her mother to the temple. I said yes and so went on our journey to the temple, jumping on different busses. Her mother didn’t speak English so we walked in silence, communicated with a few hand and kind facial gestures. Spending this time with her mother taught me that yes, speaking the same language helps us to easily connect but energy is the base of all communication. You can sense someone’s energy and enjoy spending time with them without saying a word. Energy speaks before you open your mouth. It tells you about a person before they say anything. It helps to listen to it first. To me energy is the truth and it cannot be disguised.
On another morning, I went to the Golden Temple with Sanu’s father. I got a chance to see the transition of the young priest. The new boy priest who was less than twelve years old, would serve as a priest at the temple for a month. The transition was quite serene and respectful of what was happening.
The Boy Priest, Golden Temple, Kathmandu, 2019
The following day I went back to the temple and met a guide who offered me a free tour of Bungamati. Of course, nothing is for free, he constantly tried to hit on me the entire time. It became extremely tiring telling him I was not, at all interested. The tour itself was great. My favourite part was when we stumbled across a group of people who were weeding their rice paddies. They invited us to join and help, I was not good at weeding and they couldn’t stop laughing. Plus the fact that there were snakes didn’t help. I do however remember, just standing and looking around. I was surrounded by so much green and towering hills. I couldn’t believe I got to experience it. I couldn’t believe that this was my life at that moment. I was filled with so much gratitude. Our encounter ended by them offering us some food and rice wine. It was absolute bliss and of course I took the opportunity to capture a few pictures.
Big Smiles, Bungamati, 2019.
Green, Bungamati, 2019.
I travelled around Nepal to a few other places and spent a few days in Pokhara. There I met a group of people and decided to tag along on their mission on finding the longest suspension bridge in Nepal. It led us to a village called Dhawalagiri. When we got there it started pouring with rain and that is when I spotted two girls walking and smiling in the rain. It was a perfect moment, a perfect contrast. After spending some time in Pokhara I felt it was time to go back to Kathmandu.
In the Rain, Dhawalagiri,2019
Headed back to Kathmandu
I tried to stay in other parts of Kathmandu to experience what else it had to offer but Sanu’s Homestay was calling me back. This time I spent more time with Sanu. She took me to a monastery where we helped with food preparation and after that we took part in a prayer session that ended with all of us sharing a meal. She told me that her father had come here after he had gotten into an accident and the doctors had told him he would never walk again. He came to the monastery as his last hope. After some time, with help from the monks, he regained the ability to walk again. When I met him, he was strong and building houses with his bare hands. She told me more about her thesis in the Buddhist teaching called Mother’s Love. Which is the practice of how we should treat everyone with unconditional and unwavering love.
Surrounded, Kathmandu, 2019
Labels, Kathmandu, 2019
I arrived in Nepal still mourning India. It felt so different, Nepal was calmer and the people more reserved. I tried not to compare but it was hard. I did however learn some valuable lessons. I learnt what was really important in life, learnt how spirituality can change your view point and the most important lesson of all, was that we connect with people through our energy. Even though speaking the same language is the quickest tool in getting to know someone, it’s not our only option. Energy to me felt more true.
