March 7
I feel like I finally have had a full nights sleep and have a grasp on the money and food situation. So, today I pack up Grover leaving the tourist Mecca and take a taxi 45 minutes north east to Boudha. Boudha is home of the largest concentration of Tibetan refugees in Nepal and the largest Buddhist stupa outside of Tibet.
The last time I was in a taxi it was at night. Remember me telling you about the art of dodging cars, bikes, and people as you walk? It is pretty nerve racking being on the offensive side of the team; in the car that almost runs over a dog, does clip the elbow of a new unsuspecting tourist, and almost pulls the Sari off a woman who was walking the path the car had chosen.
Upon safe arrival and no mishaps I pay the taxi driver $3.00. Suggested by a solo traveling German woman Boudha Inn is close to the stupa, has western toilets, hot water, and is $18.00 a night. These are three things I am looking for because soon enough in my travels there will be no hot water and squat toilets. (More on this after I have actually experienced one). As I get into the country the prices for rooms will reflect the basic needs meet; somewhere around $8.00 a night.
I am like a little child racing out the door of the guesthouse looking for this magic stupa. I was told to walk downhill taking any alleyway and I will spill out in front of the stupa. It has been raining all day so I am trying to avoid getting splashed by the caramel pudding like mud being displaced by tires of all sizes in a wavelike fashion at your legs. I was not successful, my pants look like cheetah print.
One minute I am looking down at muddy slop and the next a large bright opening appears, I look up and my breath is taken away. In front of me stands the most beautiful pure white structure I think I will ever see.
The stupa is massive with thousands of prayer flags waving in the breeze from the bottom of the stupa to the spire. Each string is maybe 150 yards. The heads of marigolds are strung up resembling the ribbon decorating the sides of a wedding cake all around the base. I smell burning Juniper and hear Tibetan horns and bells being rung. My eyes are filled with tears and I have this sense of relief.
After taking in this moment and stamping it on my soul I get my feet moving and start walking around the stupa in a clockwise flow with all the others. Hundreds and hundreds of prayer wheels are at the base sitting behind yellow silk curtains. I do as those in front of me are doing and start to spin them as I walk by sending out to the universe the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra.
After many circles around the stupa I do as any good tourist does and buy my first set of Tibetan Mala beads. Mala beads are a string of 108 beads and used as a tool to help the mind focus on meditation, or focus on mantras in sets of 108 repetitions. They can be made up of different stones like lapiz, quartz, malachite or different species of wood which I chose; Sandalwood.
The shop I bought these from was one of those duck your head and step down into shops. A young girl about 10 and her younger brother were keeping shop. Her English was so-so but she was eager to please with that beautiful Nepalese smile they do with their eyes.
I purchased the beads and she and her brother continued a soccer pass with a 2inch muddy chewed up foam ball that was no longer round enough to roll in a straight line. I had the opportunity to join in when she missed and it headed my way. We played soccer in this 5×15 room filled with Mala beads until another customer ducked in and the game was over. With a namaste and grateful for the communication I stepped out into the light.
In my earlier flow of walking around the stupa I had passed a table and umbrella set up with street dogs laying around and a few women in what looked like vet coats. What is this about? They had a dog up on the table and were in the process of combing out his nappy fur. ( I have a video on my FB )
Street dogs are EVERYwhere! And they are nappy but most look fed. From what it looks like the dogs seem to find a store front or corner to call their own and the owners don’t seem to push them away but also don’t give them any notice. I made the mistake of making eye contact with one and talking nicely and the next thing I knew I had a pack of dogs following me around for quite a while. It was quite embarrassing.
So back to this dog rescue. They take in injured and sick dogs and care for them at their shelter on average of 1000 dogs; as well as set up stations around Kathmandu for people to bring street dogs to get cleaned up and looked over. I asked if these dogs ever get aggressive with them and they said, “most never, the dogs seek them out and hop on the table and lay down” As she is telling me this a teenage kid taunts one of the dogs and the dog growls at him as the kid kicks the dog in the side. It was hard to see but put an idea in my head.
I asked if they need volunteers, and they said they always do. Some important dates coming up are 4 days at the beginning of April. They will vaccinate 1000 dogs here in Boudha. I committed to coming back and volunteering for these four days. I could not volunteer any sooner because I have to have my medical records e-mailed to the clinic to show I am up to date and have no Rabies. This made me feel good to know there are safety precautions and training I will have to do. I knew my calling would find me. Can’t wait to see what other services finds me.
Namaste
