Nepal pt.3

Hello again.
Yet another nepal entry, and fret not, there are more to come since everything is so fun here.

Today we went to one of the best places we've been to yet: The Garden of Dreams. I cannot wait to show you photos of this place. Ryan and I spent about 2 hours sitting in this gorgeous garden, listening to Miles Davis' "Old Folks" and Aznavour's "J'avais 20 ans" and taking in the FRESH air!!!

Afterwards we went to rent sleeping bags for our resort trip tomorrow (camping, I guess not a real resort...). Then we went to this rooftop patio to get a view of Kathmandu in the daytime. Let me tell you!!!!! The view was breathtaking. We are literally surrounded by mountains on every side. And we met the nicest guy, this Tibetan fellow who works for an NGO that helps with orphaned children, he was really sweet.

These are the precious moments we will not forget.

Im off to a place that is 4km from the Tibet border tomorrow morning at 5:45am, and we return two days later. I will have A LOT to tell you all when I get back, so be excited!!

bisous!

Nepal pt.2

Hello.

Ryan and I had a great night of sleep for the first time in a long time!

Last night we ate at this resto called the Roadhouse Cafe and we actually had good wine!!! The food was amazing too! Ah Kathmandu is heaven for food lovers.

Today we got up really early so we could pack in a day of sight seeing. We took a two-hour walk from Thamel to Durbar Square to see the buildings, shrines and temples hidden in all the alleyways of this beautiful city. Afterwards, we ended up in Durbar Square and took a guided tour. We saw a girl who is regarded as the living goddess (Kumari) and she only showed her face for a few seconds, but Ryan and I agree that she seems like a brat.

This Kumari has to go through a rigorous process, and Ill explain in further detail when I get home because the selection process is really interesting, to determine if, in fact, she is holy. Once she is deemed so, she is locked up in a special temple from birth until she gets her first period, and she only gets out about 13 times a year...No wonder she seems bratty, I would be too!

Anyway, we spent the rest of the day shopping for more gifts. Yes, Ryan and I have managed to fill up another whole bag, but this is almost the last of it, ha ha! We have already sent two heavy packages home yeesh!

A bientot!

Nepal pt.1

After a couple gruelling overnight Buses, we made it to Nepal!!! I am so happy about this last-minute addition to our trip, it is totally worth it!

We arrived in Sunauli (Nepal/India border town) yesterday and went straight to Lumbini. Our bus ride to Sunauli was painful and we did not catch a wink of sleep. Picture yourself riding in the back seat of a school bus for 13 hours overnight with too many other people and baggage, and then image you're riding in the forest in hilly areas where people honk every 5 seconds and slam on the brakes too. Needless to say, when we got to Lumbini we were exhausted, hungry, and pretty much disgustingly dirty.

Lumbini is the town where the Buddha was born. Yes, we saw the exact spot where Siddartha Gautama's mother stood under a tree by the river and gave birth to the boy who is now known as the Buddha, in the 2nd C BC. We also saw a bunch of beautiful temples because Lumbini is being turned into a place where there are Buddhist temples from every country. I felt a bit sick so we cut that part short and went to eat. Afterwards, we paid a fancy hotel to let us shower because we thought we wouldn't be able to live with our stink for the next few days.

Well it turns out, after another excruciating bus ride to Kathmandu overnight, that we have 8 days to spend in Nepal. We will be here in Kathmandu for the next two days, then we are off to a resort (I'll tell you about it when we get back) and then to Chitwan National Park to spot tigers (fingers crossed) on elephant back eeeeee!

So far, Kathmandu is fabulous. It is really a nice break from India since it is a little more "westernized" so to speak. There are tons of tiny little side streets with great shops. Less noise than India, an even the air feels cleaner (though it isn't actually) because it's a little cooler here. Oh and have I mentioned the mountains? So far, we have only really seen them at night, but against the bright starry sky they look incredible. I finished up my gift shopping today, except for my dad, and we wandered around sorting our itinerary out for the next 10 days until we reach Goa for the last week of our trip.

Okay so I'll have more to tell you soon about Nepal, until then, sit tight!
Love Leanne

Varanasi pt.2

Here are a few bits about Varanasi that I didn't put in the last entry.

After I wrote my last entry on Varanasi, Ryan and I went back to wander around the ghats some more on the banks of the Ganges. We saw something that is hard to describe but is a part of every day life there. We saw the cremation of about 10 bodies.

This ritual of cremation is very sacred in the Hindu religion (and also because where would you bury billions of people?). There are different levels for different castes. Obviously the highest castes get the highest landing. The elderly are in draped in gold fabric, the women in red, and men in white. They do not burn the following people: those who have been bitten by a snake, pregnant women, small children, and I forget the other two...oops!

Widowed women had a tendency to throw themselves onto the pyre and cry a lot, so they are banned from watching the cremation. Men are not allowed to cry. I, myself, found the whole thing fascinating and strange, but the part that made me want to cry was knowing that men can't. We had to watch from a viewing station above the ground. Supposedly they burn 200 bodies per day.

It was an experience I will never forget.

After that we went to catch our bus to the Nepal border, but I will tell you about that in the next entry.

p.s. I forgot to mention that when we were in Agra at the train station, I got to sit with these men playing wonderful music while I waited for the train. So fun! Also, when we were in Jaipur we actually stood right next to the current Maharaja without even noticing until he was walking away...stupid tourists!!

Varanasi: Home on the Ganges

Let me tell you a little something more personal than the usual matter-of-fact blog entry (bah!) And I speak for myself only and not necessarily Ryan, though I believe he generally agrees on this point...

when we first arrived in Mumbai there was this inherent feeling of awe and disappointment at what I saw. disappointment with the poverty, the noise and air pollution, the begging. from that day forward, every time I moved on to a new city, I had this sense of hope that things would be different in Goa, Kerala, Delhi, Nepal...This hope has been crushed every time. Because from the train station, every city does look the same.

An important thing I have learned (and the same generally applies to cities anywhere in the world) is that all the cities in India are very different from one another once you get a chance to step back from the madness of the transportation hubs.

Varanasi is a city that looks like every other city in many ways, and at the same time, there is something so charming about this place. The Ganges are definitely worth having a look at because there are plenty of interesting things happening there. But I am particularly fond of the small mazes of alleys that run along the coast. They remind me of roads in Quebec City except about 1/4 of the size and full of dogs, cows, and vendors.

We are only here until this evening when we take off for Sunauli, Nepal, but the little time we have spent here has been a good time. Thanks Varanasi.

Agra and the Taj (aka I've never known a Julien I didn't like)

ignore the title for now.

Ryan and I spent our last night in Jaipur eating at the Om revolving resto, which was a nice view of the city at night. The only little spoiler was that in indian restos they really don't appreciate the value of taking your time to enjoy a meal and take in the ambiance, so we were a little rushed. We did, however, stage a minor rebellion to this state of affairs which did not go unnoticed by the staff who so cordially responded by removing the bill and inviting us to stay longer ha! We did not give them much choice in the matter anyway.

We returned home in time for the Hindu wedding, which turned out to be much less exciting than the previous one, so we read our respective novels and went to sleep.

Yesterday we arrived in Agra and headed straight for the Taj Mahal, which, though expensive to see, is worth every rupee. You really can't imagine how beautiful it is from the myriad photos taken of it from every angle at every time of day. The marble is nice and cool and the sculptures and inlaid stonework is so pretty. It really is the nicest monument on earth (that I've ever seen, it goes without saying). Oh and I managed to get a picture of the tomb inside before finding out it was a prohibited act...

I am not sure I mentioned this before, but we met a boy named Julien who is from france and lives in london, at the train station in Delhi. We then ran into him at our hotel in Jaipur and spent a little time getting to know him before we both moved on our merry ways. Then, we ran into him again in the Taj Mahal and invited him to eat with us at Zorba the Buddha (dont ask). We had a lovely time and we may even run into him again tomorrow in Varanasi, if not, perhaps London?? It goes to prove my theory that only great people go by the name Julien, because every single one I've known has become a good friend.

And before I let you go, a quick point. Ryan and I met a bunch of mormon Canadians taking cheesy pictures just like us at the Taj. It turns out they are friends with Ryan's cousin...it's a small world after all la la la aaaa (insert out of key music notes)

so, ill catch ya later, in Varanasi or Sunauli (Nepal border town) in a couple days. Goodnight and good luck!