Travel Day 637 – Kathmandu to Kopan Monastery, NEPAL
It was time to leave Kathmandu again and especially Thamel, but unfortunately I still had to get few last things organized…
Kopan Monastery looking to Kathmandu
First off I had to run to a travel agency again to make sure I would get the fights that I had decided on over night. I needed to leave Nepal on the 13th, which was the last day of my visa and I intended to spend at least three days in Bangkok before I would move on towards Indonesia. But unfortunately it was only possible to stay for two days in Bangkok and then carry on to Bali. Still, it seemed all good and two days were certainly enough to get some really good pad thai with thai ice tea… : )
After lunch my flights were then finally figured out and my bags were packed, which left me walking in the streets, trying to find the correct bus towards Boudhanath. Eventually I found the bus, but I jumped off too late and had to catch another bus back to an intersection and then another bus up the hill towards the monastery. But unfortunately I ended up taking the wrong bus and instead of going to the monastery, it was only passing it at the bottom of the hill…
Buddhist Stupa Garden lit-up at Night
Anyway, at least a nice local guy showed me where to get off the bus and he even walked with me up the hill until I could see Kopan Monastery on the ridge and find the rest of the way on my own. By the time I finally arrived and settled-in, the day was almost over. But at least I got the schedule for the classes and a quick tour of the campus. Breakfast was at 7.30am, lunch at 11.30am, tea at 5pm and dinner at 6.30pm. Besides that, there were only five simple Buddhist rules:
- NO KILLING
- NO STEALING
- NO LYING
- NO SEXUAL ACTIVITY
- NO INTOXICANTS
So far it seemed all good and even if I felt a little bit out-of-place between all the Buddhist monks here at Kopan Monastery, I was still happy to be in this great place. So I finished my day while walking around in the Stupa Garden and enjoying the simply amazing views over the Kathmandu Valley… : )
Find all Kopan Monastery 2011 Photos here.
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