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It's been 10 days in Nepal and I absolutely love it here. We are currently living in the monastary which is placed a bit higher up in the valley. So we are away from the chaos of the tourist district of Thamel. We have replaced the constant flow of honking with nuns praying and singing. The monastary is giving us lots of down time to just relax and catch up on some reading and writing. It's great we figure once we get to India we won't have an opportunity like thi again for a little while. Sadly it is coming to a close too quickly.
When we got to the monastary we were very happy to find out that monastary food is much more then just beans and rice. Breakfast is a delicious soup with bread and tea, the only downside to it is that it is at 7 am. I am not a morning person but I am getting used to it. We can go back to bed after breakfast. Lunch is a feast, we are leaving stuffed and in need of a nap. With rice, flat bread, potatoes, spices, soup or yogaurt and a few different veggies. One sometimes being eggplant in a tandori sauce. Soooo good. Then supper is a bit lighter, just soup and tea. The monastary itself is absolutely gorgeous and the nuns are very friendly.
We have only taught at the monastary once, the nuns are very busy with exams we came at kind of a bad time. We have taught 3 (35 minute classes) at the public school just down the street. Tash is teaching grade 10s, Michelle grade 9s and I get the grade 8s who are amazing. Unfortunately we will only get one more class with them since we came during a week full of holidays so the school seems to be closed lots. It works out well since we get extra time to sightsee. I do wish we had more time with the kids though, I am enjoying teaching much more than I thought I would. I am sure these kids will remain in my memory forever. And all though we havent taught the monks much, the experience of staying here has been very good.
We ventured out to see Boudhanath which is one of the holiest sites in Kathmandu. One of the largest stupas in the world. It's surrounded by shops now and lots of rooftop cafes overlooking it. Amazing place, after, we walked down to Pashupatinath Temple, this is a large Hindu temple for Lord Shiva located on the bank of the Bagmati River. One local which spoke good english made friends with us and spent the afternoon showing us around and telling us about each area in this complex and told us lots about the Hindu religion. It was really good, he was very informative. He explained about the ritual for cremation which happens here and we did see a body being prepared and burned. It was alot to take in in one day but well worth it.
We spent one afternoon back at the Swayambhunath just to enjoy the view and sun. We wanted to catch up on our journals and just relax. This proved hard at first since the place we picked was met with swarm after swarm of monkeys running between and around us. Luckily they seemed calm and okay with us. One sat between Michelle and I and munched on some bananas he found. We seemed to be good friends until I decided to pull out a Ricolla and he looked at me and started trying to grab me. Still a bit scared from the last monkey I threw it down and the monkey ate my entire pack of Ricolla. After which he came to see if I had anymore food and was tugging at my skirt. Luckily no more hissing.
We are off this morning to do a day hike and stay in a guesthouse in the mountains just outside of Kathmandu called Nagarkot. Then one more day of teaching and some farewells to be said. Namaste.
- comments
Donna Hi Brit Glad you are getting a chance to truly appreciate the culture and the people. Sounds like these are impressions that will stay with you forever. Hope you are getting some great pictures. Love from Paul and Murphy as well as from me.
Kathy Ahaha, Britney... the monkey story made me laugh. So funny. Great job on the blog! Sounds like you're having an amazing time. I will have to try a beer float sometime... And I'm jealous of all the delicious sounding food. Be safe and enjoy! xo
Archie Sounds sooo peaceful... and going back to bed after breakfast seems like at great idea ^_^
Jack Thoroughly enjoyed the monkey story.. and how well you are all doing. Hope you have a safe trip to the guesthouse and back. Love from Dad
Nikki Hey Britt! This sounds like an amazing trip!! Even though your getting attacked by monkeys! (Tash's blog further described the first attack) You should probably avoid the monkeys.... but it sounds like you're seeing some beautiful scenery! Take a million pictures!I want to live vicariously through your adventures!!