If you are a Filipino, you’re already used to this traffic.  But You’d have to be careful and  look left and right.  They drive on the left side of the road.

Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu

You pay NPR 150 (Php 75)  upon entry.

It was very nice and relaxing inside.  You get to see different people of different nationalities, going around the Stupa Temple.  Some are meditating, some offer prayers and some chant a mantra.

When you look above the Boudha Stupa, it would look like a giant mandala or a diagram of the Buddhist cosmos.  You will see that everywhere.  Some shops offer Thaka workshops where they teach you how to draw this.  There are many symbols to this temple.  There are five Buddhas that personify earth, water, fire, air and ether (five elements) which is represented in the architecture.

Our guide Prakas from Himalayan Encounter also told us that there are 13 rings from the base to the top – a symbol of the path to enlightenment.  13 rings first before you reach “Nirvana.”

People usually come here every day after work.

Around the Stupa are shops.  you can buy souvenirs. 

There are also coffee shops and boutique restaurants by the rooftop where you can chill and have a nice top view of the Stupa with the rocky mountains in the background.

This is the prayer wheel.  You pray, in my case I made a wish and rotated three times around it.  You can buy a miniature version of this as a souvenir.

This is a very photogenic place.  It is very colorful and I’m sure tourists who love to take photos would be very happy.

We were happy we didn’t have to fuss around Kathmandu, thanks to the very friendly and helpful people of Himalayan Encounters.  Our trip was hassle-free indeed.  We didn’t have to worry about transportation or where to go, they took care of it.  Nepal is really a great country to visit.  However, it is not very convenient to commute around here.  Your best way around Kathmandu is to ride a Taxi Cab which is not expensive.  Your budget per trip just around the city would be around NYR 100-300 (Php 50-150).  Your option is to rent a car for the day which is around USD 40.  This would be best if you need to go to different places and you need to save time trying to figure out your way to each destination. 

Hotel Booking through Agoda.com

You can book through Agoda.com via FlairCandy.com! Book just right below the title post 🙂

Tour Guides: Himalayan Encounters

PO Box 21218(Courtyard Kathmandu Guest House), Thamel, Kathmandu, NEPAL
Tel: +977-1-4700426, 4700335

Fax: +977-1-4700354

info@himalayanencounters.com

http://himalayanencounters.com/

Read more about Nepal

Nepal Visa on Arrival Requirements and Application

Touchdown Nepal: Important Reminders

Boudha Stupa Kathmandu Nepal

Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal – Indulging in the Nepali Culture

Insights in Nepal

Nepal is a great place to visit! It is very rich in culture. The people here are very friendly and helpful and they live simple lives.

Healthy People and Preserved Culture

One thing I noticed is that I haven’t seen any much obese Nepalese person yet. I am amazed and I think I know why. Nepal’s culture is well preserved. You can see it in the architecture and the way people live. It is not modernized unlike its neighboring countries. Their capital Kathmandu doesn’t have tall skyscrapers which I appreciate.

And since they don’t have much Western Influence, they don’t have any fast food chains around, not even in the airport!

Vegetables and organic food. You can see it when you visit the market. Nepal also has a rich land, rich nutrients and the crops and animals benefit from it which in turn, benefits its people. Not much of food processing he and they eat lots of vegetables!

Also, I bet walking along the Himalayas gives them a great deal of exercise.

This is how they carry vegetables they sell around. Strong people. Wow!

Just a normal day in Nepal

Religion, Exercise and Health

I have learned from our tour guide Prakas of Himalayas Experience travel agency that The people here live in prayer – daily. They walk around the Boudha Stupa and walk around 3 or more times. It would take 1.5 – 2 km to do this.

Some people who wish for a big thing even go around the circle doing something similar to the exercise “burpees” where you repetitively go up and pray then go down and lie on the floor face down in a sliding motion and then push back up, and repeat.

I walked around the stupa more than 3 times maybe and it was a very relaxing experience.

The energy of the people in prayer is so positive that it can’t help but affect my energy in a very positive way too!

Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu

People walk clockwise and say their prayers, wishes and mantra.

Burpees? Nope. It is actually a form of prayer, and most of them do it 365 times.

Not a lot of Filipino Tourists

I’ve seen a few Malay, Chinese and Singaporeans. There are a lot of European and Westerners here, but not a lot of Filipinos.

They don’t even exchange your Peso. Not anywhere! So you need to have it exchanged or use your USD instead or other major currency.

Second day in Nepal

This is just my second day being here in Nepal, and yet I am enlightened in so many ways. I am writing this inside the local airport, ready to board the plane Buddha Air to Pokhara as arranged for us by Himalayan Experience.

Pancha Kosha Spa by The Dwarika’s Hotel
Pancha means 5. Kosha means “layers” (of the body)

We feel refreshed after getting a Nepalese massage at our hotel Dwarika’s. It cost us NYR 3000 or PHP 1500. Not bad for a great service at a 5 star hotel.

It was a pleasant stay for us. We tried the 6 course Nepalese meal during dinner and it was an experience. Lots of vegetables and sauce andwe tried new things. I will list down in detail on my next posts.

Book The Dwarika’s Hotel in Nepal via Agoda.com
Book your tour packages and activities with the help of Himalayan Experience

If you do, let them know you found about them through my website flaircandy.com

Til the next blog post…

Namaste.

Flair Candy

Read more about Nepal

Nepal Visa on Arrival Requirements and Application

Touchdown Nepal: Important Reminders

Boudha Stupa Kathmandu Nepal

Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal – Indulging in the Nepali Culture

Insights in Nepal