After Chitwan we made the long haul to Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini (also known as 'the lovely' in Sanskrit). It took a while, but we figured it was the one and only time we could do it. You have to do it once in your lifetime, but I don't feel the need to do it ever again. It was about 4 hours out of the way and least to say, it wasn't a smooth ride.
Lumbini sits only 10 miles away from the Indian/Nepal border and it is a very underrated area. It is becoming more popular but the infrastructure deters most Buddhist from visiting. Now I can see why.
Taking the rickshaw into the sacred garden
It was interesting to see how everyone living in Lumbini, Nepal looked very Indian, not Nepali.
The exact place where Buddha was born. Don't ask me how they actually know this, but according to sacred documents, they have surmised that this is the place where Buddha was born.
We couldn't leave without getting tika'ed from my didis. There is always a reason for a tika.
Behind us is the stone where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha (Buddha). Tell me, if you are a queen, would you choose to give birth on a stone? Surely there were better places to have a baby. Even this pool of nasty Nepali water would have been a better choice.
Doing a puja at the Nepali monastery. There are monasteries from Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Korea, etc. but I believe the Nepali Monastery was the coolest one. It had a little Las Vegas Buddhist-style feel to it.
The lights on top of Buddha's head would rotate and blink like a casino slot machine when you win twenty bucks. Loved it.
Feel'n the Buddha love, or just a wrestle with your sister in the name of a hug.
Muslim women shopping at the Buddhist shops. Ironically, the area of Lumbini is predominantly Muslim.
Xavier trying to haggle. Like father, like son.
The Many
Faces
of Dona.
At Axel's feet you will see a Buddhist carved mask. Axel 'found' this mask in Lumbini and it was about to be thrown out. Sweet souvenir.
Buddhist words to live by
We went, we saw, we conquered.
3 comments:
Awesome. So. Very. Cool. That one picture of your Dad and Dona? His tika looks like a Nike swoosh. :P
I love the faces of Dona! What a character! What an amazing trip. You guys are really getting around. I definitely have the travel bug. It is hard to read your blog and not buy a ticket!
I love these travelogues, you do such a great job of capturing the spirit and the beauty of where ever you are. Love these!!
(Sounds like real Buddhists live a very "mormon" life!!!
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