After a few nights at the historic Kathmandu Guest House in the heart of Thamel (Kathmandu), I was ready to escape the live cover bands and honking taxis for some peace and quiet.
I put my main pack in storage and grabbed a taxi east toward Boudhanath Stupa, an important site for both Buddhists and Hindus.
Upon catching my first glimpse of those all-seeing Buddha eyes, I knew I was going to spend my last few nights in Nepal nearby.
From sunrise to sunset, Nepalis, Tibetans, tourists and all circumambulate the stupa in a clockwise direction.
There is a palpable sense of energy created by so many people moving together.
One hundred eight prayer wheels are ensconced in the outer wall.
I booked a room at the PRK Guest House, which is run by the nearby monastery.
My room overlooked their garden and had a view of the courtyard of a school.
For half the price of the Kathmandu Guest House ($6/night), I had a better-decorated room with a fantastic view and a sparkling clean bathroom. I was delighted.
The stupa is surrounded by monasteries, restaurants, Tibetan souvenir shops and thangka schools which have grown up around it.
Despite the occasional motorbike, it is a very tranquil space for pedestrians to stroll around.
I met up with two girls from my rafting trip, Natalie (Canada) and Sara (Australia), around 4 pm.
One of the first places we went to was a monastery immediately opposite the stupa.
A few monks took to us, and I received a blessing, and we all received khatas (a traditional scarf given to a lama or teacher who blesses it and returns it to the giver).
One monk, in particular, showed us a larger monastery nearby, and then a small orphanage he runs.
While we got the sense we were being kidnapped by the guy only to be asked for a donation, we all knew it was going toward a worthy cause.
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours.
- World Nomads for travel insurance.
- Hostelworld for booking hostels.
- Rail Europe for train passes.
Schedule
Friday 29th of October 2010
Best you could edit the page subject title Blissful Boudhnath Stupa | Go Backpacking to more better for your subject you create. I liked the blog post even sononetheless.
Jason Lee
Monday 12th of July 2010
Thanks for the reply Dave.
I've shorlisted PRK Guesthouse along with Shechen Guesthouse and Hotel Ngudrup .
Dave
Thursday 8th of July 2010
Yes, Thamel is very noisy. Here's the website for PRK Guest House (highly recommended!): http://www.sakyatharig.org.np/guest-house/index.html
Jason Lee
Tuesday 6th of July 2010
where is this PRK Guest House located?
I'll be heading to Kathmandu from Lumbini in December 2010 ... shortlisted a few guest house, and i'll want to stay away from Thamel since ive read a few post saying its a noisy place.
ugg boots
Monday 5th of July 2010
The post of content is very interesting and exciting. I learned a lot from here.The content from simple to complex, so all of you can come in . No matter you want to see what can be found.By the way ,there are some websites is also very wonderful,you can go and see.such as Jordan Pro Classic