A wonderful group left Edmonton March 16 for 11 nights in Nepal for a daily yoga practice in some special places! We stopped in Hong Kong, tried to get out to the Big Buddha but long lines prevented us from getting a bus in time. (The gondola was shut down for maintenance!) So we spent the day in the airport resting ready for our flight to Kathmandu.
The Vajra Hotel near Swayambunath in Kathmandu was our home for the first 3 nights. We had the use of the wonderful Pagoda room in the top of the hotel. The birds cheered us on and the east door allowed the early morning sunlight to welcome us each day. After practice we headed to the dining room for our first coffee, fresh buns, bananas, curd and the tastiest potatoes! This gave us energy to walk the stairs to the Monkey Temple on the first day.
Subsequent days we headed to Pashupatinath, the holy Hindu temples where families were preparing bodies for their cremation after the souls had departed. I sounds raw, but this is real life here! We walked past Sadhus, holy men painted in ashes, wearing little more than a loincloth and offering to be photographed for baksheesh offerings. There were monkeys all over but very few deer in the park when we walked through the Shiva temple area.
On to Boudhanath, the Tibetan area east of the downtown. There are a collection of over 32 Tibetan gompas, temples surrounding the largest Stupa in the world! Locals, pilgrims and visitors walk clockwise around the kora turning prayer wheels, chanting mantras, and taking photographs. It is a unique experience. Lunch in a rooftop restaurant allows one to observe the people, activities and with luck perhaps some clear views of the Himalayas. The smog and haze varies from day to day.
Our 4th day was a 6 hour bus trip to Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal. On the way we stopped at Riverside Resort in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm and rain any of us had seen since last summer. Onward to Pokhara and the weather cleared giving us some amazing views of Annapurna South from the top of Sarankot, the highest mountain near town. Several brave and adventurous yoginis decided to do the paragliding from the top of Sarankot with an enjoyable float down to the city. Of course our daily yoga practice helped start each day in Blue Planet Lodge, just a few short minutes from the centre of town called Pokhara Lakeside.
Shopping was on the agenda most days, as well as delicious dinners at Moondance Restaurant! Their pizzas, palak paneer, chicken tikka masala and lemon meringue pie were the best. Unfortunately, I went to another restaurant (the Olive Restaurant) and got food poisoning. This laid me up for 2 full days, and we still did our daily yoga practice in the yoga room, as I slowly recovered. It is not unusual to succumb to some traveler's diarrhea, etc but food poisoning is also not fun.
After our 4th night in BPL we took a bus to Begnas Lake and took a silent float on one of the resort boats to the Begnas Lake resort. Our rooms were spotless and the food amazing (now that some of us were eating again!) Our daily yoga practice was out in a covered area in the garden. We were joined by squirrels, long-tailed birds, and a few other unknown critters for our yoga. Even one of the local yoga teachers joined us one morning! Everyone claimed this was the best part of our yoga and culture tour. Quiet days and nights at the resort, walks to the local organic coffee place, a school and most of us will not forget walking the road while motorcycles whipped by with painted faced drivers and passengers all shouting out "happy Holy!" to us, celebrating a local festival as we strolled the ridge.
We flew on a short 30 minute flight back to Kathmandu and bused to the Hotel Tibet in Lazimpat, just north of the royal palace. It is a traditional Tibetan design with comfortable rooms, wonderful restaurant and a special Yoga and Meditation room and terrace on the rooftop. We had excellent views of the city and the mountains!
The time came for the group to pack and prepare for their flight home. We spent the afternoon in the Garden of Dreams, a quiet but beautiful garden in the centre of town. Things were greening and blooming, accompanied by many different kinds of birds. Then off to dinner and the airport for the evening flight back home. All in all, a Yoga and culture tour that fulfilled the dreams of our group!
Namaste,
Neil
The Vajra Hotel near Swayambunath in Kathmandu was our home for the first 3 nights. We had the use of the wonderful Pagoda room in the top of the hotel. The birds cheered us on and the east door allowed the early morning sunlight to welcome us each day. After practice we headed to the dining room for our first coffee, fresh buns, bananas, curd and the tastiest potatoes! This gave us energy to walk the stairs to the Monkey Temple on the first day.
Subsequent days we headed to Pashupatinath, the holy Hindu temples where families were preparing bodies for their cremation after the souls had departed. I sounds raw, but this is real life here! We walked past Sadhus, holy men painted in ashes, wearing little more than a loincloth and offering to be photographed for baksheesh offerings. There were monkeys all over but very few deer in the park when we walked through the Shiva temple area.
On to Boudhanath, the Tibetan area east of the downtown. There are a collection of over 32 Tibetan gompas, temples surrounding the largest Stupa in the world! Locals, pilgrims and visitors walk clockwise around the kora turning prayer wheels, chanting mantras, and taking photographs. It is a unique experience. Lunch in a rooftop restaurant allows one to observe the people, activities and with luck perhaps some clear views of the Himalayas. The smog and haze varies from day to day.
Our 4th day was a 6 hour bus trip to Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal. On the way we stopped at Riverside Resort in the middle of the biggest thunderstorm and rain any of us had seen since last summer. Onward to Pokhara and the weather cleared giving us some amazing views of Annapurna South from the top of Sarankot, the highest mountain near town. Several brave and adventurous yoginis decided to do the paragliding from the top of Sarankot with an enjoyable float down to the city. Of course our daily yoga practice helped start each day in Blue Planet Lodge, just a few short minutes from the centre of town called Pokhara Lakeside.
After our 4th night in BPL we took a bus to Begnas Lake and took a silent float on one of the resort boats to the Begnas Lake resort. Our rooms were spotless and the food amazing (now that some of us were eating again!) Our daily yoga practice was out in a covered area in the garden. We were joined by squirrels, long-tailed birds, and a few other unknown critters for our yoga. Even one of the local yoga teachers joined us one morning! Everyone claimed this was the best part of our yoga and culture tour. Quiet days and nights at the resort, walks to the local organic coffee place, a school and most of us will not forget walking the road while motorcycles whipped by with painted faced drivers and passengers all shouting out "happy Holy!" to us, celebrating a local festival as we strolled the ridge.
We flew on a short 30 minute flight back to Kathmandu and bused to the Hotel Tibet in Lazimpat, just north of the royal palace. It is a traditional Tibetan design with comfortable rooms, wonderful restaurant and a special Yoga and Meditation room and terrace on the rooftop. We had excellent views of the city and the mountains!
The time came for the group to pack and prepare for their flight home. We spent the afternoon in the Garden of Dreams, a quiet but beautiful garden in the centre of town. Things were greening and blooming, accompanied by many different kinds of birds. Then off to dinner and the airport for the evening flight back home. All in all, a Yoga and culture tour that fulfilled the dreams of our group!
Namaste,
Neil
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