Bouddhanath

Hello hello!

We went to Bouddhanath on the first day we reach Kathmandu. It's a huge stupa that took about 10 minutes for you to kora around it. If you intend to turn the prayer wheels, it might take about 20mins I think. Every morning around 5am, you would see lots of Buddhist, mostly holding prayer beads in their right hands, doing the kora around the stupa. Throughout the entire day, there's endless flow of people doing kora. However, at around 8-9pm, the streets get quiet as all the shops close and the human stream ceases to a trickle.

During our stay in Nepal, we witness people marching & protesting on the streets along Bouddhanath in the day shouting slogans. One morning as we stepped out of our hotel beside Bouddhanath to do kora, we saw a man being beaten up by a group in broad daylight. On the night before we left Nepal, the streets were too chaotic to go out for dinner. Inside the safety of the hotel, you hear loud voices of men & women shouting in Tibetan. We tried going out initially, but changed out plans to have dinner in the hotel after everybody started running on the streets. I've no idea what's happening out there but to follow our crowd & rush back to the hotel.

Click the hyperlink to read what Wiki says about the term 'Kora'.

Picture of Bouddhanath from internet

Dad & Mum

Robin posing before Bouddhanath

On the streets

Kids out to play! (led by a tour guide) ;p

Mini- group shot!
The new kids on the street include, Alfred,
Siew Fong, Dr Yan, Irene, Hong 姐, Ee Ping

Dad & Mum

Irene & I waiting outside a shop with doors beautifully
decorated with carvings of Buddha's life story

My Beautiful & ever youthful Mum

Ee ping & Irene posing for a colourful shot

Me & Ee Ping

Hong 姐 with Bouddhanath behind
(this view is taken from the Rooftop Restaurant)

Talking about restaurants. In Nepal, most of the restaurants take about 1 hour or more to serve your food. So if you're a little hungry, you should head to a restaurant unless you want to be angry & hungry. However, there are high end Nepalese restaurants that do serve food in about 10-15minutes.

Dr Yan & Irene with Buddha eyes behind

Mr Vice-Chairman of Maratika Comm (:

Nepali set ( Order this if you're super hungry..
You'll be served earlier I believe)

Stalls by the stupa selling butter lamps

Notice the Tilae between Kwan Ho & Irene's
head? There's another near Dr Yan's forehead

Kwan Ho, Irene & Dr Yan lighting butter lamps

View of butter lamp stall at nightfall

Usually people make a wish after they light a butter lamp. Sometimes people light a butter lamp for each of their family members and make a wish for each of them.

Lama Karma's wife, Doma whom we met on the streets

Our Tara, Doma, Lama Karma & Om Ah HUM

Our group first met Lama Karma & Doma when they visited Singapore last year. It was that visit where I first learned about Maratika & the Maratika Lama & their plans to build a new monastery there.