Jangchub Choeling Gompa - Tibetan Buddhist Monastery visit

Today I ticked something off my '100 things to do before I die" list! A visit to the Buddhist monastery  Jangchub Choeling Gompa,  to hear the monks in their daily prayer, chanting. It ended up being myself and three of the girls from the trek who were still in town.

To get their you go to the Tibetan refugee camp, Tashi Palkhel, about 10 minutes north of Pokhara. I had chatted to many of the Tibetan women in Pokhara as they carry their backpacks of handmade jewellery around and try to sell it to you. One old lady told me what a good man the Dali Lama was, and how her mother had carried her on her back as a child from Tibet to Nepal. She thinks Nepal is a great country.

The refugee camp is bleak with its shanty style homes.

We were allowed to enter the Monastery and sit to the side while the monks undertook about 1.5 hours of their daily prayer. No photos until the ceremony was over. Their were about 100 monks, ranging from old ones to tiny kids of about 6, the youngest of which kept falling asleep!

It is very ornate, and lots of symbolic offerings and gestures that I didn't understand were made. Each young monk had a richly embossed three sided pencil case which contains the sutras that they memorise and chant. So when it is sat on the bench in front of them and opened its a holder for the paper they read, and then the third side is wrapped over at the end.

They chanted, blew the big deep horns, and beat on massive drums. The young teenage boy monks fidgeted and pulled faces at each other, just like any kids in church! Most moving was an only Tibetan man who came in during the ceremony, prayed and left an offering. It felt a little weird to be watching what is a very personal moment.

Afterwards they all headed outside

And grabbed a packet of chips

Normalising Nepal

My few days in Pokhara have allowed me to normalize some things that at the start seemed really strange.

Prayer flags everywhere

laundry drying on every rooftop

Nepali carpentry

Water buffulo wandering along the main street and in every field

View from my room

Holy men asking for alms

Paragliding, where you have a falcon and it finds the thermals for you

And the pretty boats of Phewa Lake

Spelling! Now the opportunities have been endless here, but I have resisted because its a bit rich for me to criticism when I don't speak any language but English. However this one was to good to not share. IM pretty sure " surprise craps" is what I had on the trek!!!

Marigolds in pots everywhere

Namaste instead of hello
Tibetan refugee women trying to sell you beads
byo toilet paper, and
hipster hippes who try so hard to look careless

Post trek recovery in Pokhara

Our first day post trek was the festival of Dashain, so many shops were shut. It rained heavily which just gave me an excuse to sleep, stretch, clean out packs, give my laundry in (600Ru which about $6 for my whole bag), oh and start to eat.

I didn't take many photos today as it felt wrong when this is a very significant religious festival. Everyone had large red Tikka's on their foreheads (about 2 inches across), and wore their finest clothes. They all gather as a family, around the oldest mother, and she gives them blessings. They then eat goat and other food, drink and generally be merry ( sounds like Christmas).The festival worships the goddess Durga for defeating the demon with 15 days of offerings and ritual animal sacrifice, drenching the goddess in blood ( and hence the red tikka). The first 9 days are the battle, and on the 10th day good triumphed over evil ( the festival celebrates truth, justice and virtue, prevailing over deception, injustice and wickedness).

Its interesting that this is the major Nepali festival for both Hindus and Buddhists, it celebrates a Goddess and they fear not pleasing her, yet Nepal is a deeply sexist country.

I did manage to find a massage place that was open, hurt so good! Massage Nepali style involves the usual, plus lots of abdominal and breast massaging as well.

Day 12- Deralie to Pokhara, the end!!

Well lucky its the last day cause the rats running in the roof were noisy, and i spent half the night banging on the window to shut them up. My room mate must have thought I was crazy!  My swedish doctor friend joined me and commented in her dry way that " most cows and sheep in Sweden have better accommodation than we had" ! You've gotta laugh!

Glad for the dawn, I got up really early and managed to catch the most fabulous sunrise. What a goodbye!!

One last day of taped feet! I have no blisters, just taped my feet on day zero and have added a few bits where it has worn or I got a bit tender. Have had a liner pair of socks and a thick wool outer pair. Will lose some toe nails for sure, but no blisters is amazing!

Saru, with Annapurana 4, which she has climbed, in the background.

Today was just a four hour stroll, even had some flat patches.  By lunch we were back at the van, and to the guest house.

Everywhere people were constructing massive swings as part of the Dashain celebrations

Best shower ever!!

Day 11 - Jhindu Danda to Deralie

Last night was a real treat because we had only 2 in a room, and our own bathroom!! now no hot water, but a toilet without an outside trip is pretty special!

Even Alaskans and Canadians want a photo with Moosie!

No coffee for me since I got sick, its hot water with mint, and sugar.

The view from the mess hall was fabulous, back up to Annapurna.

Started the day with a a very steep hour down to the river, and then crossed the biggest suspension bridge yet, about 100 m across and 350 m above the river. Yikes! No matter what you do, once you are past half way and walking up you get that weird wobble happening! Glad to be across.

We then entered what could only be described as paradise. I was amazed that we could see anything new, but this river flat with so many flowers and butterflies was like the garden of Eden. We climbed gently through beautiful rice terraces for most of the day.

This is my usual look. I had forgot to mention that on the second day when my red hat came out Saru, our guide, took me aside and told me that for Nepali women red underwear or hats are the sign of sexiness. So henceforth I was know as the sexy woman! ( well, can you blame them?). Even the village women serving us tea and lunch would comment!

We passed many places where the goats were being butchered for the festival. And also saw the construction of many high swings which seem to be part of the celebration, and look really cool!

It then ended with a bitching 1 hour climb up a rough track which left even the Nepalies breathless. Oh and now they tell us Deralie means high pass. We spent the night in a lodge which was very basic, perched on the pass.

And when I say basic I mean basic.It looks ok in this picture, and the view from my windows was great. But....

 I had put out my vitamins and medicine for the morning on top of a snap lock bag. When I returned to the room a movement caught my eye, but I didn't really pay attention, just sorted and packed my day pack for tomorrow  Then I went, oh oh, I had better check those tablets, and sure enough, somewhere in Nepal, there is a rat with good knees ( from the glucosamine he nibbled on), and no infection ( cause he had some antibiotic as well!). Yikes!!! I knew all the lodges were full so I just put all my gear into my big pack and a beanie on and hoped for the best.

And this is a shot of the toilet which is typical of all tea house toilets. Thank God I had practised squatting!

Day 10 - Bamboo to Jhinu Danda ( Hot Springs)

Slept like a log, tummy a bit better and a shower!

First two hours steep up then Nepali flat ( what we would call steep undulating) through the lovely forest to Sinuwa. A nice morning tea here then hugged the mountain side on a rough track in bright sunlight.

Its getting more populated here again so we get to walk through peoples lives. The cane basket is the chicken coop for naughty roosters.

That's our track snaking down the mountain

Steep descent to river then then another 3000 stairs up through Chomrung village. This bridge marks the end of the down and the start of the hour of stairmaster!!!

 Saw water buffulo up close ( really close as they just stand on the trail),

 
people sifting millet and beans,

millet harvesting, piles of wood like huts for winter,

and lots of pretty stone walls.

Its the main Hindu festival of the year in a few days, Deshain, which actually lasts for 15 days, but one day is the big one like our Christmas, with lots of food and visits to family. It celebrates the god Ram's victory over the demon. The celebratory food is goat meat, so all the farmers are bringing there herds down for sale. My sheep yard skills came in handy as I helped these guys get their goats to move on!

This village has some children whose mums put them out the front of the house to beg.

After lunch an incredibly steep goat track down to Jhinu Danda. Our tea house is at the bottom of this valley.

 I declined the hot springs as it was another 1.5 hr round trip, and enjoyed time on my own to sort my stuff and do some yoga.

That night we enjoyed what we have most nights, our porters and guides dancing and singing Nepalese folk songs, accompanied by their own playing of the two ended Nepali drum. It is magic to watch and hear, they are so joyous, and many of our group joined in ( not me though as this white girl cant dance!!!).

Day 9 - ABC to Bamboo

Minus 16C overnight, we pushed 3 beds together and slept four of us, as one girl did not have a proper sleeping bag. Woke to find my water bottle frozen on the floor beside the bed, 0C at dawn in the room.

It was as cold as it looks

Luckily I had no breathing problems overnight, as was up at 5am for the sunrise. Sublime.

Beautiful but treacherous walk down to MBC, bright day but ice on everything, thawing as we walked.  Past MBC and down to Bamboo today, it is so steep no wonder I struggled coming up! I feel better and have been able to eat a little.

Cotton grows wild

Many creek crossings on quirky bridges

Porters with heavy loads

And my favorite "hairy" bridge

The trail is loose scree, tree roots and rocks so concentration levels are high. 

Temples

Waterfalls, beautiful birches, misty mountain tops.

Tired legs

many rest stops

As we drop we enter deep cool forests, walking on leaf litter, moss covered trees.

Its hard to believe we have come so far

It was a long 7hr day of walking, and the hot shower at Bamboo was devine ( having had 3 nights of it being to cold to shower). And I ate momos for dinner instead of rice, yummo!