sunrise at the stupa

I may only have 8 minutes til the power goes out...852. I was up with the pilgrims this morning at 530, but I still didn't beat them to the stupa. I was there at 600 with my malla (prayer beads) in my left hand and I walked with them. I felt more part of the power this morning and even ventured up to the first level of the stupa. It represents the earth and the 4 sides of the terrace represent the 4 states of mindfullness and the four immeasurables-love, compassion, joy and equanimity. It takes about 5 minutes to do one "lap" around the stupa and I walked for an hour with the tibetan buddhist pilgrims. I couldn't leave without a bit of shopping. I bought a "free tibet" t-shirt, a book called "buddhist rules for the laity" some postcards and prayer flags for about $10.

I have decided to stay at the monestary for one more night, another chance to walk with the pilgrims at sunrise.

Yesterday late morning I ventured into Kathmandu to organize my stay at the Murani Jungle lodge in Chitwan Park. Sensory overload!....I could have come to nepal with my daypack and nothing else. You can buy EVERYTHING here from northface socks to tents to trekking pants and gortex jackets. It's fake northface heaven:) I just browsed and headed back to the monestary. Around 1600 I decided to make the trek to Kopan Monestary. Anyone who knows me knows that my sense of direction is minimal at best even with a GPS in my hand I tend to get lost. I got a scribbled map from the guesthouse manager and off I went. Walking through neighbourhoods of Hindus, women in their saris, dusty roads. After about 30 minutes I came to a fork. A young girl said that to the right was shorter but steeper, I chose right. Up steps, through chickens and tethered cows I made it to the top. I entered the gates and there I was, the place I had googled for years one day hoping to visit. I could see the stupa and the whole of the Kathmandu valley. I wandered through bought some white prayer scarves and incense and decided to head back.

My journey back was wonderful, children wanting me to take their picture, hindu women smiling at me, what a contrast to China. I was stopped by a women sitting in front of a tin roofed house about 5ft tall. I gave her a few rupees and took her picture. She then invited me into her tin house. What a sight, a room with a dirt floor about 10ft by 6 ft with a fire in one corner and a sleeping mat in the other and a bare bulb. She and her husband and son had lived here all their lives. The woman through her 14 year old son who translated said she wanted to come back to Canada with me and be my maid. I saw here again this morning outside the monestary gates and for $1.30 I bought her a kg of rice, some cooking oil and some potatoes and onions.

Today I have been invited by my argentinian friend to walk to the mountains for lunch. I was hoping to venture to pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu temple on the banks of the holy Bagmati river. I can't enter the main temple (as a non hindu) but can watch Nepalis being cremated on the river, Nepal's version of the Ganges in India.

The power will be off any moment, hopefully my camera is charged up by now!