Without doubt Tibet showed me sights I will never forget. Of course the main contribution is the Himilayas. The snow top mountains were one thing, but the vast desert and deep blue lakes were something else.

Lhasa and as a city was surrounded by mountains. The buildings were no more than four stories high, the older city was beautiful and had been there for hundreds of years. Most of the houses were built with courtyards and families would do the socialising, washing, cooking etc. in the middle. Very community focused. Even the newer chinese constructions were kept low rising. Surrounding the inner/old city of Lhasa was alot of new constructions, offices, apartments and theme parks? Apparently Chinese government try to encourage more chinese citizens to move to Tibet.  One incentive that they had was the opportunity to have more than one child if you moved to Tibet, however this has recently gone up to two accross China now. Another incentive is employment so there seemed alot of new offices and factories around and new apartment blocks. It felt stifling to me but theres nothing locals can do but accept the situation and keep strong to thier buddhist faith.

We left Lhasa and headed to Gyantse.  Although our tour was extremly structured we were directed to some amazing spots. Each organised spot was a great photo opportunity, but due to regular tourist visits each spot had the same souvenir stalls, strange dogs with hair cuts as if they were lions and young girls doing coordinated dances. Of course they charged you for everything, taking pictures and even toilet breaks which was just a hole in some concrete which alot of people seemed to have missed?! Too be fair to them though, tourism is a business afterall and some people will pay.

Our itinerary stated we would see Yamadroke lake en route, but none of were prepared for the beauty just sat around the corner. It was probably one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. Simply breathtaking.

Just seeing this view made me make decisions within my life. I never though just  seeing such beauty would influence life choices but it did. Inspirational I suppose, it was just so magical, thoughts came to me which felt right. Amazing. I think the blue of the water was a big factor of it’s beauty, that and the sheer size of the water mass with the snow tops in the background.

We then went down besides the lake I sat for about 30 mins. I did more contemplation and washed some of the souvenirs in the water. The lake is holy and many Tibetans complete pilgramages to the water. If felt right to bless things for my loved ones in the clear blue water. It just seemed special to me.

We went on to see a resevouir along our route which seemed equally blue for something man made. As always there were hundreds of prayer flags drapped accross anything higher than 6ft which I just love. 

The next thing I need to share with you is the white peaks of the Himilayas (which I’ve found out is just the nepalese for mountain, unsure which was named first?!).

Each of the views were lierally postcard beauty. 

At this point, we were heading towards Everest base camp (EBC). We were getting higher and higher and the tempurature was dropping. I ended up having to buy new clothes just to keep me from shivering everyday. To be honest I didn’t mind, I didn’t want the cold to distract me from where I was and the experience I was having.

We reached Ronbuk about 7pm, just before sunset. Here was our guest lodge which was nothing more than dorms without heating. It was -10 in the sunlight so pretty damn cold at night. Some of the group suffered from the altitude (5,200mtrs) and had really bad colds but our moods were high as we could see the top of the world infront of us. There is also the highest monastery in the world up there but only 7 monks are live there in such conditions. Winter was comming so we missed the 100 or so tents that house the usual climbers and tourists but we managed to all find beds and kept many layers on while we  slept.

The next morning we walk to walk the final stretch to EBC. It felt like a cheat being driven pretty much the whole way but frankly I don’t care. What an amazing view. It really is the most amazing mountain in the world.

We all stood taking as many pictures as we could. Taking as much advantage of our opportunity as we could. We had all made it and it was worth every moment of each of our lives to be there. Simply amazing.

We then started our desent. All of us on the biggest buzz. 

As we drove towards the border we encountered some more amazing sights. Firstly we saw hundreds of Tibetans drive cattle along the countryside. This image I think looks quite eerie but we all filled our cameras with the images.

We drove for a few hours until our road seems to cut straight through the middle of the high passes. We were all taken back by seeing even more beauty. I’ll let the images explain.

The last night was perfect. We went out and ate some of the best chinese food any of us had eaten then headed to a local bar/club finishing the night with a dance off with some of the locals. Of course we were all tired, hadn’t washed for a few days but nothing  really mattered all that much. We all just felt really lucky to the experiences.

The last few hours to the border brought us waterfalls and lush valleys. We needed to wait to go through the border for a short while and took some more images. 

As we waited to cross over, we watched the chinese militants and police take formal pictures on the peace bridge, making it seem not so peaceful and we got our visa’s taken off us. No proof we were ever in Tibet.It was like they were making the final point they were in control. Bringing us back to the reality of thier oppresion to one of he most beautiful countries in the world. 

Tibet was over but some new friendships had begun. Unfortunately my bag was stollen that night with some valuables. My new friends however did everything they could to support me and I felt loved. An amazing experience with some amazing new friends. 7 days I will never forget.

Much Love, C.

Monastery’s were a big part of our trip which I totally loved. I felt extremely lucky to have attended the Kopan course as it gave me great insight to Buddhism and had a fair idea about what we were being shown. Of course everyone knows Tibet for it’s Monks (Dalai Lama especially) so in my opinion it was right that this was our main focus for sight seeing. Perhaps 2 monasterys a day was a little much though.

I’m not going to go into of each palace or monastery in detail, mainly beacuse I would have to google the specifics and I want to share what I found struck a cord with me.

Potala Palace is the image above. This is where the Dalai Lama should reside. No pictures were aloud to be taken inside but we saw where the his old quarters were, where he meditated, where he recieved guests, everything. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th, and inside the palace all of the previous Dalai Lama’s (except 6) bodies were kept inside Stupa’s. Each of them had seperate rooms dedicated to them it seemed and statues were gold plated with millions of pounds worth of gold. Quite something

Before we entered Tibet we had strict instructions not to mention the Dalai Lama as it is forbidden. We also had to make sure  we had no paraphernalia about him, particularly any books. I had to take off my Kindle App (prematurely I think) as I had some of his publications on there. It all just seemed like guilty behaviour if you ask me. Dalai Lama isn’t even aloud to come to Nepal as they don’t want to sour relationships with China. It’s just crazy.

Back to some of the beautiful buildings.

We were asked not to take picture but we could pay if we wanted to. A few of us took the chance and I did get caught. £2. So I really didn’t mind.

Kharma had it though that most of the images I took became blurry. Ha!

One Monastery we were able to watch some live debating between Monks. This was amazing. The tourists (me being one of them) absolutely lapped it up!

Of course we couldn’t tell what they were debating but it was great to watch. One Monk would stand up, ask questions about Buddhist philosophy and clap his hands together for the other one or two monks to answer. It’s a way of testing knowledge and understanding of the texts. I didn’t get to see this is Kopan as the Monks were attending inter-monastery debating competitions which I think is just awesome!

I think what I loved the most is the modernity of them all. We saw in Kopan that most of the senior monks had iphones but I loved watching them just hang out, take pictures and just being human. I don’t know what I thought they were it felt nice to be able to relate I suppose.

There was over 10,000 monastery’s in Tibet before the ‘Cultural Revolution’ now there are only 700. There is a restriction on how many people can become monks or nuns. Such opression seems inhuman to me. You could see why Monks burning themselves in protest is such an iconic image and something noone on this earth should be ignorant to in my humble opinion.

Tibet was an amazing experience with alot of information and photo’s to share so I’ve decided to split my blog into 3 parts;

– Culture & People

– Monastery’s

– Landscape

To start with I want to talk about the beautiful people of Tibet.

I’m certain you are all fully aware of the current Chinese occpation of Tibet, or what was  refered to us as the cultural revolution.

In 1959 China invaded Tibet and the Dalai Lama who is the leader of Tibet fled to India and China claimed Tibet. Currently 60% of Tibetan citizans are actually chinese the rest have fled as refugee’s all of the world . Understanding this, residing Tibetans are some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.

I travelled accross Tibet from Lhasa through to Everest base camp and accross the border. The main towns are strange. The buildings and people are heavy with culture and history yet there is this influx of new chinese buildings and trade it seems somewhat tainted. The tibetans have lost there  country  and religious leader and all passports have been taken away from them, yet I have never seen such huge and genuine smiles.   I believe there is alot to be said for finding inner peace.

As Tibet is the highest country (or Chinese region if we want to be PC) it’s really cold. The average height is 4,900 meters (16,000 feet). To compare, Ben Nevis is 1,344 meters high! The traditional clothes are beautiful and everyone puts colour and semi-precious stones such as amber in their hair, men and women. What was lovely is that the locals seems just as fascinated in us tourists as we were in them. At one point they were taking pictures of us!

Some of my favourite images of this trip are of the people. They were inspiring. There is no way I will ever be able to relate to the hardship they have gone through. I honestly don’t think Tibet will ever be a free country. The land has too much minerals that China want and I doubt any country will go to war with China. It’s a very sad situation indeed and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to interact with these brave and resiliant people. Many tried to converse with all of us in my group. It just shows the strength human beings have. Truly inspirational.

I also want to note about the dedication they have to thier buddhist faith. All monastery’s and palaces we visted had flocks of people praying and making offerings. Lhasa is particular was amazing. The center of the city has a Jokhang Temple which was built in 642 AD which seems to be huge buddhist pilgrimage site. Hundreds of people walking around it (clockwise) praying with thier beads and people prostrating (a type of praying clasping your hands at certain points then droping to the floor)  in front of and around it. I did a circuit myself with some beads using the mantras I had learnt from Kopan. It was lovely beacuse a lady recognised what I was doing and we just grinned at each other the whole way round.

The dedication seemed magical to me and there was such a positive vibe, Ill never forget it. It just screamed so much about the human race from all perspectives. Very humbling indeed.

What an experience.

Much Love, C.

Sat on a hill top just East of Kathmandu is Kopan Monastery. As soon as you walk through the gates it has a message drawn out on the tarmac, Welcome Home. I found a strange sensation of calmness yet excitement with what was in store for me. Potentially feelings I was projecting or perhaps the energy the place was radiating. I felt immediately at ease. Which was really nice.

I booked into my room and was lucky to be in one of the new buildings with a good sized room, great view of the valley, fully functioning and modern bathroom and a lovely thick mattress which I have missed. I shared my room with Orna which was easy to remember because it sounded like one of my favourite friends name :). Orna is from Israel and has a son roughly my age. She has been practicing Buddhism techniques such as meditation and following the philosophy for a number of years so it was nice to know I was with someone who could help me if needed. I felt immediately at ease with her which was great, it’s always a big fear when your sharing a room with someone. I was thankful.

As the grounds got busier with students arriving everyone naturally started to mingle. There were some strict rules set out. Mainly about getting rid of any distractions from the outside world i.e. phones, email, iPads etc. This was to make sure you completely immersed yourself into what they were trying to teach you and focus on what you were supposed to. Your inner self. I must admit, it was hard not having any contact from home. I haven’t missed the likes of Facebook and spam emails but I have missed being in contact with the people I care about. But it was right that I did this on my own.

To begin with the group was about 160 strong. We all sat in the Gompa and were given the course outline. It was strict. No talking at night or in the morning were the biggest ones for me. The timetable was heavy with guided meditation, teachings and discussion groups but everyone seemed excited and generally on great form. As I started to get to know people most of us were in very similar situations. Starting new chapters in our lives reflecting on chapters that had closed which actually felt comforting.

I loved it and I could probably write a 3000 word essay on it. But I won’t. I’m also not going to tell you what I have discovered about myself or how I will integrate what I have learnt into my life. I will however give you some highlights. 

Meditation. It’s hard but I’ve managed some moments of real clarity, love and compassion. What I liked about it the most is that you can only do your best at it and you dedicate you positive energy to people you feel you should. 

Attending the full moon Puja. We were able to attend a like a prayer service in the main hall Listening to the monks reciting Mantra’s were incredible. The sound just vibrates through you. It’s immense. 

The Light Ceremony. This was right in the middle of our last few days of full silence. The whole group lit candles in the Stupa garden. It was beautiful. No one could talk yet it felt so communal. It was truly an amazing experience.

Lastly but of by no means the least;

The People. I’ve met some amazing people here. It helps that on the main we are all on similar paths and comforting to share the experience with people you trust. 

A good friend I have found here shared a quote that I think I will often refer to and really sums up what I have taken from this course.

“It’s not about finding yourself, it’s about finding a way to create yourself

What an experience. I just loved it.

Next stop, Tibet ☺️

Much love, C.

The last few days have been tough. The trekking was much harder than I ever thought it would be however the views of the Annapurna mountain tops made it completely worth it. 

The trek was over 4 days. The first day was pretty mild, I had no problems trundelling up the hills looking at some amazing views. There were waterfalls to die for all along the trek, the snow tops create streams that fall for what seem miles. 

We stayed in the cutest guest house. It was approx £2 a night with hot water and reasonable food. I felt the cold for the first time in weeks and loved being able to wrap up. More to the point I was actually able to use the thermals I’d be lugging around with me!

 The second day we walked up a famous set of steps. There was 4000 of the ruddy things. But that was only one set. There was at least double that afterwards. It was intense. The worst thing was knowing that we would have to walk the same back down. It was a round circuit but nonetheless it was not encouraging.

When we got to the top it was worth it. The town was buzzing. Probably about 400 people around the placee all staying overnight to get up to watch the sunrise at Poon Hill. I also found my new favourite beverage, Rum Hot Chocolate. It was delicious and helped me drift off for the early rise.

 4.30 starts never seem normal. But it was worth it. It felt as if I was part of some kind of Mecca. We all walked up a steep incline which took a the good part of what seemed like an hour. I had piled on the layers as it was pretty cold but had to take them off one by one due to getting very warm with all the steps.

It was worrth it.

It was like a comunitty up there. Everyone had made it and most of us knew it was a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone was offering to take pictures of each other, patiently waiting to get the best shot. There were people holding sentimental flags and tears of joy were dotted around us. A truly wonderful experience and a definately highlight of my trip.

They also served hot drinks. No rum for me this morning, but I may of accidently put the cup in my bag for a keepsake. If I ever return, I promise I’ll take it back ;0)

The next 11 hours were hard. Managed to get back down after probably being one of the last ones there. (It was so magical it was hard to say goodbye). It was a really long day. 14 hours in total and it was up & down the whole way. What was nice is that all the lovely people I talked to and met on top of the hill we met en route which really helped keep up morale. 

The day took it’s toll on me though and made me very aware of how un-fit I am. I was struggling to walk. We didn’t quite make it to the villiage intented but it was getting dark. I was in bed by 8pm. 

The next morning I woke to this site.

Simply breathtaking. 

It was a long way down from this point. A two hour journey took what seemed to be four. My legs had completly seized up and I was really struggling. I did however make it (of  coarse). At the bottom we got a jeep to take us back due to it being a huge festival in Nepal. 

It  was truly an amazing experience. One that I’ll never forget.

My next adventure is much more personal and private. I am booked into a buddhist monastrey for a 10 retreat. I feel both nervous and excited but it’s something I know will be very important to me.

I’ll see you on the other side!!

Much Love to you all,

C.xx

Hey folks hope everyone is well? Just thought I’d give you an update on some unplanned days over my side of the globe.

Thursday daytime was relaxing, the following sums it up.

The afternoon/evening however, was one of those when the deadly 3 things going wrong hits you!

1- I went to the Gurkha museum which was amazing but forgot my sd card in my camera so couldn’t take pictures of the amazing stories. The fact I paid extra to bring my camera in made it even more annoying.

2- as monsoon season quite obviously hasn’t entirely finished yet, the heavens opened here. I think because we are higher altitude here, rain has less breaking distance so it’s insainly heavy. On the way to the rafting pre-meet,  I got out of a taxi and the small river (newly formed that hour from overflowing drains. ) swept my flip flop away from my foot. Gutted. I looked up and saw it just wash away. I had my iPad in my bag and didn’t want it to get wet so I hesitated a moment, gave it to my rafting guide then tried to run across the road to get it, but it was too late. It was drifting down the street like a boat on a river. 😦

I went to the rafting meeting sopping wet and to be honest, struggling with the ol’ delly belly wasn’t keen on the whole plan, especially having to camp with strangers in the rain. And It’s like Jurassic park rain, it really is.

3- Once I bought new foot wear, I eventually got back to my hotel. I walked in my room and noticed a puddle on the floor. I immidiately realised I had left my window wide open. everything soaked. Sheets, floor, clothes I’d washed ready for the trip. Of coarse the hotel staff dried it up gave me new sheets etc. but by this time I had had enough.

Decided to cancel the rafting trip. I could defer it back to later in my trip, and to be perfectly honest I had just had enough.

My extra days to chill were exactly what i needed.

Friday I made it my mission to just start talking to people and start making friends. Loved the  small talk, was a great confidence buider and was able to talk more about my travelling plans with other people with valid points.

Saturday was great met 3 randoms in a coffee shop. We decided to share a taxi to a lake down the road called Bagnas Tal It was lovely;

We then found this little organic coffee farm at the top of this hill. It was amazing. In the middle of nowhere this little guest house with coffee shop using coffee they harvest. The coffee was the best I’ve ever tasted. Just immense. They have volunteers helping them harvest which starts in the middle of October, so if I’m at a loose end I might go back.

Today I’m doing whatever I want, then my trekking adventure begins. Two weeks in. Feel like I’ve been here a month. I know it will fly by so I’m loving as much as I possibly can. Missing familiarities of home, but comforting to know they are there for me when I get back.

Hoppefully next posts will be of some big mountains, weather permitting 🙂

Much Love, C.

For me, pokhara is what I expected Nepal to be like and when something meets your expectations there’s always a sense of relief and comfort. It’s the closest town to the Anapura sanctuary (Himilayan trekking mecca) so filled with tourists and traevlers alike. There’s a great buz around the place from either people looking forward to a great adventure of feeling elated that they have achieved something great.

There has been mist and rain a lot since I arrived (which to be honest is a pleasant relief from the sun) so havn’t been able to see the mountains in the distance but it’s still pretty special by the lake.

Today I explored some of the sights. A waterfall which was suprisingly central and a cave right next to it. The water is flowing very well which looks geat but is making me a little concerned about the big rafting trip I have in two days.  

The cave was  underwhelming when you got down there nad had a hindu shrine where we wern’t aloud to take pictures of. There was also a sign saying “Cow Shed” with a small tunnel network leading to a cow statue. There is so much love for them here! I thought the stairwell was nice though.

Next on the agenda was seeing the world peace stupa, which is a huge buddhist temple on a hill that llooks over the lake. A taxi was taken for the most of the trip up, and then plenty of steps to get to the top. It was however closed due to a land slide. This in itself is fine, however no one, not even the taxi driver thought to mention it was shut. Thankfully there was a cafe to order a cold beverage full of sugar and  it was certainly a conversation piece amoungst the many who had put the effort to walk up and see. Lovely views, just a shame I havn’t seen those white peaks yet.

The rest of today has pretty much been rained out. A nice lunch with some new friends then I strolled along the lake and did some purchasing for the rafting adventure. It was a productive day today yet very chilled. Tommorow I want to see the Gurkha museum and chill some more. Many active days ahead so R&R is certainly called for. 

Much love, C.

Much

My blog app has stopped posting images so I’ve had to install some different software. Hoping this works.

Here are the missing pictures from my mask making day.

The last day in Kathmandu was great, Kanti was great again and I went to a nepalese home to make so Momo (dumplings) with a family. They were so welcoming. We sat and chatted for ages. They offered me some rice wine which is pretty much moonshine. Wow. I skipped home in the rain and had another wonderful afternoon.

Yesterday I travelled west. I did some rafting with a group from Hong Kong then I made my way up the hill to a little village in the hills called Bandipur. I managed to make it up in time to walk up a further hill to catch the sunset. Wow. I can’t describe it other than in a picture so there should be one attached below. I’m staying in a hotel that costs £3 a night. It’s extremely basic but the views are outstanding.

I’ve had a really chilled day today wandering around looking at views and basically chilling on my own. It’s just amazing here.

Tomorrow I head back down to Pokhara, a town with views of the the biggest mountain range in the world next to a huge lake. I can’t wait.

Much Love, C.xxx

I needed a little rest from sightseeing so booked some classes in the hope to meet some travellers.

Good old trip advisor sited a wonderful organisation called Backstreet Academy (see http://www.backstreetacademy.com). They employ local students who facilitate workshops with local craftsmen from Nepal. The students get part time hours and they help translate during the session.

I chose a mask making course. Loved it. It took about 3 hours and I sat in the smallest shop I’d ever seen. The craftsman cut the wood, showed me how he shaped it (certain more technical terms could be used here) then guided me to have a go. It was really satisfying and something I would to do again.
I asked why I made long face carving, perhaps it was traditional in Nepalese culture? He said no, it was just easier for beginners to make!

Half of my experience was talking to the facilitator, Kanti. She was wonderful. We talked about everything, comparing our cultures in all manner of subjects. It was so insightful and we’ve swapped details.

I’m doing another course today making Momo’s (Nepalese dumplings) and she is facilitating again.

Kanti lives in a small town where I’m staying in a few weeks and she’s invited me to go and meet her family, especially her mum. She said it would make her mums year. I think I would really like to do it so I’ll bring it up again today.

I didn’t meet any travellers but I’m not bothered in the slightest, that will happen on the various tours I’m booked on. An opportunity to talk to someone who I felt comfortable with and who I could relate to has been priceless. Feeling extremely lucky, and I made a mask.

Much love, C.xxx

Today has been a very busy day testing my camera out. I arranged a taxi to take me to some of the main sights around Kathmandu.

This place is called Pashupatinath, it’s a very sacred Hindu site where many flock to as part of their pilgrimage. I found the public funerals very surreal and watched as one body was bathed in the waters.

As usual many locals approached me wanting to be my guide but I stuck to my guns and just used my ‘rough guide’ book to help me. This was however, my first sighting of some sacred cows.

Next I visited Patan Durbar square, this time I did arrange a guide. To be honest I’m glad I did. It is really interesting hearing from a local and feel as if you make a little more of the where you are.

This place was filled with lots of temples, more interesting I found was the closeness of both Hindu & Buddhist places of worship. For example, next month there is a big hindu festival in Nepal and 30 animals will be slaughtered in the main square of the old palace. Right next to that is a Buddhist Stupa, whose belief is not to harm another soul albeit human or other. Fascinating that the two sit side by side without troubles of any kind.

Patan is a lovely place. Less hectic than Kathmandu yet just as many beauties to be seen.

Lastly I visited Swayambhu (the monkey temple). But don’t worry, no monkeys were hung today 😉

This place just sits above Kathmandu city and you can see the whole valley from the top. The main Stupa seemed very magical to me and Buddhist do practice there which I found, well, enlightening!

It’s like a small village around the temple with monkeys littering the streets (hence the name), the usual tourist stalls with various nic nacs and paintings. Thankfully I haven’t been drawn in yet. Money is very easy to spend here. Everything costs. Not much, but I always feel as if I have my hand in my wallet.

I’m looking to join a course or two over the next few days. This should enable me to meet some people and learn more about this travelling malarky.

Much Love,
C.xx

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