Now You See It , Now You Don’t or Vice Versa

The multi-storied temple rises against the Himals, creating a contrast of hues to outdo a Crayola Box. Tibetan colors and symbols adorn the windows. Level one is being used for puja (prayer service) even while the fine artwork continues. Murals are filling the walls with many artists coming from great distances to complete the work. The temple will celebrate its grand opening blessing during Losar 2012.

This guest quarters to the left had only one story when I was here in 2009-2010. In the future the multi-storied building will house the Shedra (college) students on one side and the guests on the other.

Taking a few steps back, the true picture of industry is revealed. Lama Kunga-la had 9 crews working here last week. Nearly all the work is done manually –even the carting of stones and bricks. Women climb the stairs and ladders, every day, with baskets swung over their shoulders, a support band resting on their foreheads. Piles of stone and debris litter the area. Diggings occur here, there and everywhere. The good news is, power cuts occur much less frequently than in 2009-2010, for the very few power tools.

 Morning time often brings surprises, such as this one which occurred on the path I usually take to go down to the main monastery building. 

However the glory and majesty of our hilltop setting remains unchanged.

Look Down, Look Up

Hailing a cab we head out to Swayambhunath, one of world’s most glorious, ancient, enigmatic and the holiest of Buddhist Chaityas. (a shrine that includes a stupa)

Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, is a soaring compound which according to legend rose spontaneously out of the lake that was in the Kathmandu Valley. There are two ways to approach the temple: the steep stone pilgrim stairway constructed in the 1600's with approximately 365 steps, mobbed by troops of rhesus macaques, or the bus park near the top of the hill.

Look Down

Look Up

"This perfectly proportioned monument seems to hint of some celestial perfection with its gleaming gilded spire and white washed dome. "

 All four sides display the eyes of Buddha. Ek, the Nepali number for one appears as the squiggle below the eyes, signifying unity. Between the eyebrows the circular protuberance is the third eye symbolizing the insight of Buddha.

Look Up Some More

Look Way Up

Now Look Down

And Around

And finally not to forget the true residents of the Monkey Temple. The only primates with a broader geographic distribution than rhesus macaques are humans. The Hindus regard these monkeys as holy. 

PS - these holy monkeys can bite! 

Meanwhile, down the street...

Heading out toward Thamel we start another day of exploration. Along the way we pass,

The National School of Sciences

 Uniformed Students

Interesting Structures

Dinner Perhaps?

Men Stuffing Mattresses

(much softer looking than the hard-a#@ ones at the monastery)

Garland Maker

Arches

Small Stupas


after meandering along for quite a while we see a sign Neelgiri School, so we start up a path off the beaten track to find this institution. After many twists and turns up a narrow, bumpy stone track we arrive.

And don't we just end up knocking at the gate, meeting the principal, receiving a tour and making a pledge to come back and teach a lesson tomorrow! Educators unite!

Splitting the Tariff

Since we are a duo, rather than a solo we qualify for a hotel upgrade! Welcome to the Hotel Shanker, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, a short walk from the chaotic roadway, the hotel provides western comforts including breakfast buffet, replete with omelet table and the be all end all - AIR CONDITIONING. The old palace offers well kept grounds and interesting views. 

Yeah, this was one view, directly out of our room window,  that gave us trouble. Upon further observation this foot belonged to the kid white washing the building. It also served as his only stabilizer. Check out the long shot to see just how high up he was - we were on the fourth floor. If you look closely you can see the bamboo like scaffolding.

Kathmandu Roam

Kathmandu, as the gateway to Nepal Tourism, is the nerve centre of the country’s economy. With the most advanced infrastructure among urban areas in Nepal, Kathmandu's economy is tourism centric accounting for 3.8% of the GDP in 1995–96 had declined since then due to political unrest but has picked up again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathmandu

Our first roam to find a restaurant for dinner in Thamel, the tourist area of Kathmandu.

City sites? Infrastructure? Not to worry about going to the gym, navigating the "sidewalks" was a workout: physically, visually, and logistically. Yeah, but fun too. 
Conferred with German Honeymooners on the street and got a recommendation for Thamel House Restaurant - dinner, show and tip - 600 Nepali Rupees, (hereafter known as NR) approximately $8 American.

 

Delhi Airport

Arriving at 8:15 at night, our 14.5 hour flight was smooth and uneventful. Although the Delhi International Airport terminal is only 1 year old, if one is traveling into and out of Delhi on different carriers, there is no baggage transfer service. So to the luggage carousels we went, through immigration and then a walk about for several  hours. Sat some, ate some, and rested some. Two AM India time, 12:30PM body clock time, we purchased 2 hours of luxury sit-down in a lounge with WiFi, peace & quiet and a relaxing cup of tea.

Sitting in Lounge

 Sleeping in Lounge

Napping in Lounge

Coming Around Again

Nepalmonastery1 is continuing - yep part 2 is commencing even as I tick off every item needed for this tour. 
Departure is set for October 10th, Monday, with a direct flight from Newark to New Delhi where after hanging out overnight in the NEW airport we will continue on to Kathmandu for a three night stay. 
A one hour flight on Buddah Air (recently sighted for improperly calibrated scales), will set us down in Pokhara. Two nights in Lakeside, the tourist area of Pokhara, with time to purchase supplies in Mahandrepul, we will arrive on Monday at the Monastery to begin teaching. (From the monastery Lakeside is one walk/bus to HariChawk, then a 20 minute taxi ride.

Lake Phewa

Espresso and Cappuccino Shop, Lakeside

So that "we" up there refers to my traveling companion, Renee, another educator with that "open schedule". It's going to be a first for me,  not having to carry all that luggage into the squat! :-) Oh happy day!

Renee's Favorite Pastime

Renee has been diligently preparing a science curriculum with hands on activities, while I have been sorting and selecting materials to introduce to the Shedra monks, while modeling for them the aspects of an organized lesson plan. As the college monks move toward graduation, they will begin to be the teachers of the younger students. Presently the monastery hires teachers from outside the monastery and the teaching is textbook/rote/testing style. Renee and I hope to open some doors/minds revealing to the monks other approaches to sharing information.
I met with Lama Pema, oops, now Kenpo Pema and he acknowledged that even he himself is a "rambling" teacher. (My adjective, not his) For those of you unfamiliar with Kenpo Pema Wangdak, he is the co-founder and supporter of the Monastery, Recipient of the 2009 Ellis Island Medal of Honor (http://www.pr.com/press-release/151102), teacher and guide of the Sakya sect of Buddhism, residing in NYC. 

Kenpo Pema's Talk on Enthusiasm 
I find him to be a very comfortable, easy to listen to, interesting teacher. 

                                                             



I have been writing, emailing, sending books and magazines to the monks. This past Christmas I was flooded with joyful messages and photos from the monastery.

But in person is way better.