Well its been a very long time since I wrote a blog, which I suppose is a good sign because it means that I have been really busy and engrossed in my adventures to write. So what’s been going on?
Firstly I went to Lumbini which is apparently Bhuddha’s birth place and I stayed in this amazing nunnery. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I had visions of sound of music with nuns in habits prancing around. Well I was completely wrong about that one, it was basically a Buddhist monastery with female monks with shaved heads gliding around with a very cute yet noisy dog.
The monastery itself was stunning it really took my breath away and was a great setting for our two day VSO meeting, on the upside aswell alcohol was banned so energy and participation was high, so I managed to redeem myself from the volunteer conference some months back when I had sat with a piece of bling material over my head after the Bollywood party. After the two day meeting I was rescued by my Nepali friends brother and taken to his nearby house where I quickly recovered with vast quantities of beer. The next day we went of to visit my Neplagunj friends’ birth place and no my friend is not Bhuddha.
After our borrowed motorbike broke down I had the opportunity to have a nosy round this beautiful house that took my fancy and had a chat with the owner a stunning woman. Motorbike resurrected we visited what remained of lord Bhuddha’s house (or something like that) not much to look at but there was a really beautiful pond.
The next day we visited lunbini development centre where monasteries from all over the world are situated, there must be about 20 different monasteries there all beautifully constructed with minute detail.
I returned to Nepalgunj for one day to rest and tidy myself up (basically I was fu***** after sleeping in a shared room with up to four Nepali friends and I had no clean clothes) before meeting my friend from Manchester in Kathmandu. I had planned a full two weeks detailed itinerary for my friends visit to Nepal and I had been very organised in doing so. Our first destination was ‘the last resort, this fancy smancy resort is nestled in the hills north of Kathmandu 15k from the Tibet border. It cost a bomb, but fortunately my dearest mother had kindly given me some holiday spending money, so I was able to over look the fact that two nights accommodation, transport travel, food and activities was the same amount as my monthly budget. And it was totally worth it, we did an amazing canyon swing with the most beautifully stunning back drop. The canyon swing basically consisted of being harnessed to 160ft rope and then jumping off a bridge into the canyon, free falling and then swinging, it was really really scary honestly but what a rush as I plunged through the air my red hair in tow! (the canyon is the top picture followed by the bridge)
After the canyon swing we scarpered to the top and set off mountain biking, when I had booked the mountain biking I hadn’t really enquired what exactly this entailed and was slightly perturbed to find out it was a 30 km round trip to the Tibet border, 15km up hill – shit!
After we reached half way with our Nepali guide it became obvious just what we had got our selves into, it was obvious from the start that my friends fitness levels were lacking somewhat and with that and a dodgy knee he had to turn back after half way, I on the other hand being the pig headed individual I am, continued the torture up the hill till I reached the Tibet border and then enjoyed the cruise all the way back, I have to say though it was as hard as running the half marathon I once embarked on!
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